Chef Cleophus Heathington Jr. is the Executive Chef at Benne on Eagle in Asheville North Carolina. Chef “Ophus”, a nickname coined by his longtime childhood friend, hails from the beaches of Miami where his mother and grandmother inspired his passion to cook. After a four-year stint in the navy as a hospital corpsman, he continued his education by getting a Master’s at the University of Miami. Instead of following his life plan of public health, he transitioned to his passion of cooking full time. He took an internship which led to another and another and so on until he was operating in the kitchens of The Cypress Room, Alter, Matador Room by Jean-Georges, and Four Seasons Surf Club to name a few. 

He was offered the Executive Chef position at Benne on Eagle in the late summer of 2021. At Benne, it is his work in combining foods of the Africa Diaspora while staying true to his roots in Miami that separates him from the rest.  

In only nine months of being in Asheville, he was nominated for the highest award a chef can garner – The James Beard Award.