![]() “It was about that time that Chef Anthony Bourdain took his life in France. “You have to understand, I was raised by a God-fearing mother who always told me that things happen for a reason. “I said no because this isn’t about money with me,” says Rush, an accomplished ice sculptor. He laid out a plan to create a Chef Andre Rush brand that offered the possibility of making him a wealthy celebrity. “I try to spread myself around as much as possible,” he says.Ī businessman approached Rush soon after the Twitter explosion. For now, he has settled on Mission 22, along with the USO, the American Legion, the VFW, the homeless and kids. Suddenly, Rush was swarmed with requests to bring awareness to countless causes. One tweet read: “If Chef Andre told me to eat my vegetables, I believe I would.” Within a couple of hours, those photos had been seen and retweeted and commented on by thousands. Vivian Salama of the Wall Street Journal tweeted a picture, too. “No, I mean really famous,” Bennett said. “I’m going to make you famous,” Bennett said, snapping a photo of him in his white chef uniform, his name stitched above his heart, his muscles seemingly about to rip the threads. And by helping others, it's also helping me survive." 'I knew God was speaking to me'Īs Rush led preparations for the Ramadan meal in June outside the White House, CNN reporter Kate Bennett walked over to him. That’s what I’ve been trying to do ever since. “I knew then that I could make a difference, maybe even help save lives. The man’s comment shook Rush to his core. “Now I know that I’m doing the right thing coming here, too.” “I look at you and see you here,” the man said. “That’s not me.”īut just before exiting the building, a man ran up to him and extended his hand. When he left the session, he walked with his head down. “I started crying right there in front of him.”Īt his first counseling session, Rush talked and talked about what he had bottled up and masked. ![]() But now it’s time to take care of yourself,’ ” Rush recalls. “He looked me in the eye at an event one day and said, ‘Andre, you’ve served your country diligently. It took the insight of a general to sense Rush’s battle. “Yeah, I was the big, tough guy who had it all under control,” Rush says. When he returned and recovered from his wounds, Rush went back to being the happy-go-lucky chef that people loved. It motivated him to sign up for combat duty. He knew many of those who were killed in the Pentagon. Three years later, he was preparing meals at the Pentagon for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and that led to his gig at the White House.īut 9/11 changed him. “Whatever I did, I did it 100 percent,” he says. “But I think it was even more so in Andre’s case because his family was so large.”Īfter graduating from high school, Rush joined the Army in 1993. “There were a few of us who did that, trying to help our families the best we could,” Karriem says. He would leave football practice and head to his job. He became a standout running back at Lee High School and worked at Kmartyear-round. The guy is like, ‘What is happening here?’ It sort of got awkward. He kept trying to flip me, but I wouldn’t budge. “The man told me to get on my all fours and he was going to try and flip me over and pin me. “This wasn’t the kind of wrestling me and my friends had watched on television,” Rush says. He wanted to give a demonstration and asked for volunteers. He was talking to students about the sport that is huge in other areas of the country. One story about “Horse” is legendary among the home folks.Ī wrestling coach from up north visited Columbus when Rush was in seventh grade. “What I’m trying to do is not about my biceps,” Rush says. He talks with veterans fighting it, and he speaks at schools to help educate students about it. Rush does 2,222 pushups a day in their honor. ![]() That is why his true passion is Mission 22, which helps illuminate the staggering statistic that an average of 22 U.S. There were moments, more than he can put a number on, when he considered ending his life. Rush will star in a new TV show in 2019, “Chef in the City.” His autobiography is scheduled for release next year.īut here is what a lot of people don’t know: This chiseled veteran of war suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He was in the Pentagon when a hijacked airliner crashed into part of the building on 9/11, killing 125 civilians and military personnel. Since then, we’ve learned that Rush is a 23-year Army combat veteran who was wounded while on patrol in Iraq. He became a social media sensation in June when two members of the press tweeted photos of him preparing a Ramadan meal for President Trump and 40 guests. Meet chef Andre Rush, who has prepared special-occasion dinners at the White House the past four administrations.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |