Juan-Carlos Cruz
Born1962 (age 61–62)[1]
Dominican Republic
NationalityDominican American
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materCalifornia Culinary Academy 1993
OccupationChef
Years active1994–2010
Criminal chargesSolicitation of murder
Criminal penaltyNo contest
Criminal statusIncarcerated
SpouseJennifer Campbell
Culinary career
Cooking styleLow calorie
Television show(s)
    • Calorie Commando
    • Weighing In

Juan-Carlos Cruz (born ca. 1962)[1] is a Dominican American chef and the former host of Calorie Commando and Weighing In on the Food Network. Cruz lost 43 pounds on the Discovery Health Channel show Discovery Health Body Challenge, which encouraged him to change directions from being a pastry chef to do low-calorie cooking. In 2010, Cruz was sentenced to prison for nine years in California for soliciting homeless people to murder his wife, Jennifer Campbell.

Early life and education

Juan-Carlos Cruz was born around 1962 in the Dominican Republic. He has two older brothers. He moved to the United States with his family when he was three, settling in California. He learned how to cook watching Graham Kerr, Jeff Smith, and Julia Child on television.[1]

Cruz graduated in 1993 from the California Culinary Academy with a focus on pastry and found work in Los Angeles.[1]

Career

After graduation from the Culinary Academy in 1993, Cruz joined Hotel Bel Air as a pastry sous-chef.[1][2] While at the Bel Air he created pastries for celebrities such as Jack Nicholson, Oprah Winfrey and Julia Roberts.[1]

Cruz struggled with weight gain due to his work with pastries. In 2000, he appeared on the Discovery Health Channel program "Discovery Health Body Challenge" and lost 43 pounds. He called himself the "Calorie Commando" and began focusing on low calorie cooking. In 2004, he began starring in the Food Network show named after his nickname, "Calorie Commando." The following year, 2005, he began hosting Food Network's "Weighing In."[1] As a result, he published a cookbook, "The Juan-Carlos Cruz Calorie Countdown Cookbook," in 2006.[1][3]

Personal life

Cruz was married to Jennifer Campbell, who he met in high school.[1]

On Thursday, May 13, 2010, Cruz was arrested in Santa Monica, California at Cheviot Hills Park on suspicion of murder for hire after three homeless individuals reported Cruz soliciting them to kill his wife, Jennifer Campbell.[1][2][4] Cruz had asked the men to slit Campbell's throat or to strangle her for $1,000 and gave one of the men, Big Dave, the security code to Cruz's apartment so he could kill Campbell.[1][5] He was held on a $5 million bail, which was eventually lowered to $2 million.[2][3][6]

Cruz's motivation to have Campbell killed stemmed from the couple's struggle to have a child due to fertility issues.[6] The couple spent over $200,000 on fertility treatments, resulting in Campbell struggling with depression. Cruz believed having Campbell killed would be a "merciful" way to help her end her life.[5] Cruz was charged with murder for hire and attempted murder. On December 13, 2010, Cruz pleaded "no contest" to murder for hire and the attempted murder count was dropped.[7] As a result of a plea agreement, Cruz was ordered to pay $1,870 in restitution and to serve nine years in prison.[5][7]

Works by Juan-Carlos Cruz

  • with Martha Rose Shulman. The Juan-Carlos Cruz Calorie Countdown Cookbook: A 5-Week Eating Strategy for Sustainable Weight. New York: Gotham Publishing (2006). ISBN 1592402585

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Marikar, Sheila (17 May 2010). "Who Is Arrested Celebrity Chef Juan-Carlos Cruz?". ABC News. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "Former Food Network Chef Accused In Bizarre Murder Plot Involving The Homeless". CBS. 16 May 2010. Archived from the original on 16 May 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  3. 1 2 "TV chef Juan-Carlos Cruz to face LA judge over alleged murder plot". Associated Press/Boston Herald. May 17, 2010. Archived from the original on May 21, 2010.
  4. ↑ Saillant, Catherine (15 May 2010). "Homeless helped expose former TV chef Juan-Carlos Cruz murder-for-hire plot, police claim". LA Times Blogs - L.A. NOW. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Blankstein, Andrew (15 December 2010). "Former TV chef insisted that wife's would-be killer not harm dogs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  6. 1 2 Duke, Alan (19 May 2010). "Sources: Inability to have child behind TV chef's murder scheme - CNN.com". CNN. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  7. 1 2 Martinez, Michael (13 December 2010). "Former Food Network chef sentenced in murder plot". CNN. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
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