Best Chefs in Pittsburgh: How James Henry’s Transformative, Awe-Inspiring Culinary Journey Led Him to Shine at Scarpino & Budd’s Kitchen

By Olivia Miller

Hurricane Sandy. Merril Hoge. Chicken and barley soup. Instagram. What do all of these seemingly random things have in common? Believe it or not, they have all played a role in Chef James Henry’s journey to becoming a decorated and visibly passionate chef and make for an origin story that, in his own words, “is so funny.”

As a native New Jerseyan, his first interest in cooking was sparked by watching The Food Network Channel with his grandmother as a child. However, this interest did not rear its head until later in life, and, in the meantime, he took an “odd job” after college at a call-before-you-dig company around the same time as Hurricane Sandy.

Chef Henry’s whole perspective on his career changed one fateful day at a convention. NFL superstar Merril Hoge was a guest speaker and discussed his persistent journey to beating cancer. He says that when Hoge was on his deathbed his daughter approached him and quoted his famous phrase, “find a way.” Just as this line gave Hoge the strength to fight his cancer, Chef Henry realized that life was too short to be stuck in a job he hated and he needed to “find a way” to unleash his talents. That same day, he quit his job at the call-before-you-dig company.

A short while after, he received a call from a friend with a tantalizing opportunity to become an electrician for free at the Pittsburgh Job Corp. Unfortunately, when he arrived in the city, the electrician program was unavailable so he decided to go to culinary school, which he says was “the best decision I ever made.”

It wasn’t before long that Chef Henry knew he could make a meaningful career as a chef. A couple of months into the program, he cooked a chicken and barley soup that made his instructor stop in his tracks. He says the chef was “so hype about it” which “felt really good.” It was at this point that he became “kind of sucked in” by cheffing.

As his skills grew, he took to Instagram to share the colorful, scrumptious-looking meals he made. He started to build an audience and became connected with “everyone I used to watch on TV with my grandma.” It was because of his social media stardom that the Scarpino team reached out to him to fill their need for a passionate and creative executive chef. He put together a tasting and has been creating Italian delicacies there ever since.

But Chef Henry’s culinary talents are hardly contained to the restaurant’s location on Penn Avenue. He also owns his own private chef and catering company called Budd’s Kitchen, which he started during the pandemic. Along with doing pop-ups around Pittsburgh, this has also granted him the ability to travel to places like North Carolina for food festivals.

With a slogan of “Where Love Lives”, the business’s purpose runs far deeper than just churning out flavorful meals. Chef Henry was inspired to create the slogan by the “disconnect between people and culture” he has observed. He says to bridge the gap “for some reason the only things that are missing are love and food.”

Eating food from different cultures opens up a whole new world of knowledge and appreciation. He says that after the first bite of an unknown food, people “start off by asking ‘what is this?’” This allows for a fruitful conversation to occur which helps people to “understand cultures to understand each other.”

Chef Henry also believes that “food can be like medicine for the body.” He helps nourish others by serving his food at large festivals, like one that benefits Artists Talk Mental Health, an organization that “bridges the gap between artists and mental health.” Just as the organization offers professional therapeutic services, Chef Henry believes his culinary offerings are a kind of supportive therapy themselves. As not only a culinary artist but also a former actor, the ability to “speak without speaking and [also] help people” is especially important to him.

The biggest factor that initially attracted him to cheffing was the ability to “feel seen” by the patrons sampling his cuisine. He says, “When you feel seen, you’re going to be heard and when you have something valuable to say, people listen.”

One of the most unique aspects of Chef Henry’s business is the emphasis he puts on making others feel seen. He says, “I love talking to people and connecting with them.” Budd’s Kitchen does not offer any sample menus, instead Chef Henry and his clients “talk for 30 minutes and have a good conversation and create a menu.”

During these conversations, he pays special attention to “what makes them feel good [and they] talk about things they enjoy.” One of his favorite things to witness is asking “who used to cook for you?” and “[hearing] the tone in their voice” as they fondly describe the lasagna their grandmother used to make or the soup their father used to create. After this, he says “my mind goes insanely crazy” as he creates a menu for them.

Chef Henry also takes pride in being able to introduce his clients to new foods, especially those that they claim not to enjoy. He proudly tells a story about converting a once picky eater into a culinary explorer by presenting him with a veggie risotto. He also has the talent of turning the acquired taste of oysters into something that makes his clients say “I’ll never have oysters any other way again.” He says “watching people go through the experience of [saying] like ‘what, what is this?!’” makes him feel like “all these years have paid off.” The consensus of his clients about his creative use of ingredients is simply “Dude, you’re different.”

As both a business owner and a chef, he has a unique, dual perspective when it comes to a chef’s role. He says as a chef, the “most important thing for me is working clean.” He believes placing a priority on sanitation and cleanliness “creates so many other good habits.” Just as it is important for Chef Henry to “make sure my guys have everything they need”, it is important for him as a business owner to make sure his clients have everything they need.

Chef Henry’s ultimate goal as a chef is to “build community around food.” At his pop-ups, he wants to invoke the “feeling of an old school cookout.” He believes coming together and experiencing good food, good music, and each other is “missing from this food world” because “people just eat and go.” He believes that everyone should take “one Sunday night, one Monday night and leave the stress at home, have some good cocktails, and have this sense of community.”

From potential electrician to decorated chef and every step in between, Chef Henry simply says “food changed me.”