PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Marcuz James is known in Philadelphia culinary circles as Chef Marcu.
His business, Palate Marcu: International Kitchen, does private and corporate events for small groups.
He offers a curated approach to each event, choosing everything from the decor to the dinnerware.
He specializes in Senegalese cuisine, as well as flavors and dishes from the Caribbean.
As a transgender man, he started his business being the change he wanted to see, recalling the days when he could not find a chef to mentor under with similar experiences.
In addition to his events business, Chef Marcu is one of the community chefs at Double Trellis Food Initiative - a non-profit that prepares meals for delivery to community fridges throughout the city, helping to end food insecurity in Philadelphia.
