The Untold Story of Mark J. Sutton

The Original "Hip-Hop Chef"

A MODERN-DAY MOGUL

Mark J. Sutton, known as Diezzle Don (Chef Chardon), is an Artist, Producer, Entrepreneur and Pioneer of the legalized Marijuana industry along the East Coast and Greater Atlantic City area. With his extensive catalog of musical works, his culinary expertise, and his skills in event promotion, he is slated to becoming a leading figure amongst Atlantic City Moguls in the near future. "Chef Chardon," also known as "Tha Izzumman" or "D-Don," evolved from a street legend into a trailblazer for the growing marijuana legalization and advocacy campaign on the East Coast, with aspirations to make a global impact!

His story is one of Struggle and Triumph, Pain to Power & Wounds to Wisdom...

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TRADEMARKS

Legacy to Legalization

The Backstory of Diezzle Dons Redemption, from Pioneering an Illicit Marijuana Grow-house to becoming a "Certified Marijuana Mogul" in South Jersey 

The Rise

In the late-1980s, Newark, NJ resident and chef Mark Sutton began and ended each day the same way. Before sunrise he roused himself from bed in the tiny apartment he shared with his girlfriend and young son, snatched the smelly white apron that hung on his unit’s back wall, and headed to work at the New Community Corporation’s restaurant off West Market Street. His South Ward apartment complex was tightly packed, so if people were beefing when he left, he’d hear it as he walked out

At exactly 5pm, he’d ditch his chef duties to catch a cab to his friend Aubrey “Govener” Williams’ place in Central Newark. They’d grab food—what they ate depended upon their moods that day, the only sort of whimsy Sutton allowed his life—before getting another cab back to Sutton’s spot. But when they arrived at 416 Irvine-Turner Boulevard, cooking was the last thing on their minds. Awaiting the duo on Sutton’s front stoop, rain or shine, was always a group of aspiring emcees, camped out for the “RZA of Newark” to return to open his in-home recording studio.

Among them you could spot guys like Reggie Noble (a.k.a., Redman), Dupre Kelly (otherwise known as DoItAll from Lords of the Underground), and Jermaine “Huggy” Hopkins (who would later star in movies like Lean On Me and Juice). At that moment, when he’d sit down at his producer’s chair and spark some weed, Sutton transformed into his hop-hop alter-ego Diezzle Don, who would play a crucial role in kickstarting the careers of several soon-to-be-legendary rappers.

The Cross-over

"Chef Chardon"

Demand for the young rap crew to do radio interviews and make appearances in Manhattan was building. And for a group of young emcees, the increased attention meant one thing: New York City—the cradle of hip-hop—or bust. Sutton weighed his options and knew it was time to move.

While it was hip-hop superstardom Sutton wanted, he could learn from his Atlantic City chef days and apply it directly to his musical pursuits. The Camelot, a former restaurant within Resorts, was the centerpiece steakhouse that showcased its full-fledged kitchen in the center of the dining room. Every move and preparation its chefs and cooks made were on display for customers.

Here, in gold uniform and knights pants, Sutton honed his talent as a showman and entertainer. He chopped vegetables behind his back. He whipped up hot desserts like Banana Fosters and raced each dish along the line to document its assembly. The kitchen pulsed with efficiency. When the time was right, Sutton and the other chefs would make fire dance on the open hearth, prompting many gasps and ‘whoas’ from the audience.

“Because we are so close, everyone puts Newark with New York City,” Dupre “DoItAll” Kelly, of Lords of the Underground, says. “That’s one of our pet peeves. We love New York City. But we feel that we are our own entity and have our own sound.”

Amid that scene, Sutton settled in a one-bedroom, ground-floor apartment around the corner from Shabazz High School. His unit’s narrow hallway dumped visitors into Sutton’s one main room. The kitchen was immediately to the left, but the prized possession curled itself along the back left wall: Sutton’s in-house studio.

The Formation

By 1988, after two years in Newark, Kelly and his group, Lords of the Underground, and rapper Tame One joined with Sutton and his production and rapping partner Williams, also known as Tha Govenor, to create the Revolutionary Posse of Terrorists, or R.P.T.

“A lot of people used to say that Redman and Diezzle Don sounded alike”.  “They got the same kind of voice and tone, but Red took a lot of his style from Don. So that’s what Diezzle’s problem was: You sound like Redman. He would be like, ‘No, Redman sound like me.’ And if you ask Red, he’ll tell you, ‘Yeah, Don inspired me.’”

But Don was already onto his next move: film and television.

“That idea of the hip-hop chef was new to us. I was drinking Moët & Chandon, so we dropped the n and added the r to get ‘Chef Chardon, The Original Hip-Hop Chef.'”

"Sutton seem not just personable and funny, but also Deeply knowledgeable about the dishes he cooked."

“So I got a call from one of Jadakiss’ homies because we were cool,” Sutton says. “And he was like, ‘Don, I ain’t know you know how to cook.’ And I told him, ‘I don’t know how to cook, man, don’t believe that shit.’ And he was like, ‘You know how to cook because they’re sitting here talking about you cooking on TV and this guy keeps asking me for your number. I don’t know who he is, but he seems important.’ I was like, ‘Give him my phone number, man, it’s no problem.’”

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