Rochelle Brown

Rochelle Brown co-founded Powerhouse Productions in 2003, and serves as its Executive Producer and co-CEO, overseeing all content development and productions. Often referred to as the “Shonda Rhimes” of Lifestyle and Culinary Television, Rochelle is regarded as one of today’s hottest and most sought-after Executive Producers and show creators in food programming and development.

Rochelle’s career in TV started in 1993 when she was hired as the third employee to help launch what would become one of the fastest growing and most impactful cable networks in history, The Television Food Network, now called, the Food Network. During her 15-year tenure at the network, she worked with and produced content and shows like Food News and Views with culinary legends, including Patrick Clark Lidia Bastianich, Julia Child, Bobby Flay, Daniel Boulud, Sam Choy, Marcus Samuellson, Charlie Trotter, David Rosengarten, and a host of other celebrity chefs and culinary influencers. Rochelle was also one of the producers behind America’s most beloved and groundbreaking cooking show, “Emeril Live”! She produced over 1,000 hours of original programming with the culinary Icon, Emeril Lagasse. Emeril and Rochelle went on to produce the first shop at home experience for the Emeril Lagasse Brand of products.

After leaving the Food Network, Rochelle and her PowerHouse Productions team found success developing and producing three highly-rated series for the Cooking Channel and Food Network: Patti’s Place featuring Patti Labelle, Fresh, Food, Fast, with Emeril Lagasse, and Road Trip with G. Garvin—which was nominated for a prestigious James Beard Award.

In 2019, Rochelle and her company were tapped to be the launch Production Partner for Cleo TV, a lifestyle and entertainment network targeting Millennial and Gen X women of color. In this new role, Rochelle and her team have developed 7 shows, Just Eats with Chef “JJ” Johnson, New Soul Kitchen and New Soul Kitchen Remix with award-winning Chef Jernard Wells, Culture Kitchen with Bren Herrera, Living by Design with Jake and Jazz, Lens of Culture with Tai and Elton, and Global Gourmet with Essie Bartels.

In mid-2021, Rochelle also served as an Executive Producer and Director of the NYC ABC-affiliate prime-time special, “Eatup!” with Marcus Samuelsson and Bevy Smith; celebrating the rich culinary history of Harlem, Brooklyn, and New Jersey.

Rochelle has the extraordinary ability to find fresh talent and create authentic content around their brands and passions; she and her team currently have several shows in development with celebrities, lifestyle experts, and sports figures. This half of Powerhouse Productions has made a name for herself in the industry as one of the most talented and trusted in her field. When networks are looking for an Executive Producer to develop, nurture, and produce new talent—they know where to look. Rochelle’s work has been seen on ABC, TV One, Cleo Tv, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Netflix, Amazon, HGTV, OWN, Fine Living, DIY, BET, and Disney.

She has been featured in Food and Wine Magazine, Eater, New Yorker, Ebony Magazine, Essence, Star Ledger, and numerous other publications.

Rochelle is also the author of the highly acclaimed cookbook, “The Chef, The Story, and The Dish”, published by Stewart Tabori and Chang.

As she continues to develop new programming for various cable and streaming outlets in the docu-series and lifestyle genre, Rochelle and her PowerHouse team are developing their own online lifestyle streaming platform.

Rochelle’s can-do, no-nonsense attitude coupled with her down-to-earth business sense, has made her a sought-after speaker. She takes great pride in sharing
professional wisdom with other women about how to start and run successful businesses.

Rochelle is a New Jersey native. She is married and a proud mom to Aubriana and Marcus. In her limited spare time, she mentors young people aspiring to careers in Communications and the Entertainment industry. Rochelle speaks regularly at schools, colleges, and universities, sharing her personal journey of hard work and dedication in the culinary world.