Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Chef Elijah Townsend credits the Memphis Public Library’s Bookmobile with giving him access to cookbooks that taught him at a young age the importance of food as not only a source of nourishment, but a blank canvas for unconventional (and tasty!) ideas. 

Later, he grabbed the attention of many as the Head Chef and Restaurant Manager at Caritas Village, a cultural arts center in the Binghampton community. While at Caritas, Townsend also became an ArtUp Fellow, completing a two-year intensive curriculum on creative entrepreneurship that served as a launch pad for his later endeavors.

Kaleidoscope Kitchen tapped Townsend to develop a 22-week curriculum inspired by the immigrant and refugee community members who had interest in food and desired to become food entrepreneurs. Kaleidoscope Kitchen was extremely successful and launched the careers of three separate chefs who went on to run the Global Cafe in Crosstown Concourse. 

In the Fall of 2018, Chef Eli collaborated with a national restaurant group to launch SAGE in Downtown Memphis. The upscale restaurant/lounge was a hit, and Townsend’s position as the Executive Chef only strengthened his brand as a curator of exceptional edibles and libations with great service to match. 

His most recent project, Cooking with Chef Eli, is a popular Facebook Live series that instructs at-home chefs of all skill levels how to prepare savory soul food fusion meals for the whole family. Cooking with Chef Eli gained a dedicated audience in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and often featured guests from Memphis’ local creative community. Sponsorships from the Downtown Memphis Commission and others followed. The success of the series is a testament to his tenacity, business acumen, and passion for food.