Sicily Sewell (born October 1, 1985) is an American chef, restaurateur, television producer, and former actress.[3] She is sometimes credited in film or television as simply with a mononymSicily. Following the birth of two daughters, Sewell became a restaurateur.
Early life, family and education
Sewell was born in Pontiac, Michigan.[1] Her parents divorced, and she and her mother and brothers relocated to California where other family resided.[1] She has three brothers (one of which was born after their relocation to California).[1] She resided in Los Angeles during her childhood.[1]
For 4 seasons, Sewell portrayed Spirit Jones, the best friend of Breanna Barnes (played by Kyla Pratt) in the sitcomOne on One.[3] Citing a decision by UPN to move in a different direction for the fifth season, Sicily was released from the series on June 20, 2005, when it was nine episodes away from syndication.
Sewell's family has a long tradition of skilled cookery.[5] She has told interviewers she is much happier as a chef and restaurateur than she was an actor.[3]
In 2010, while Sewell was attending the Hollywood campus of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, she was an intern at the Los Angeles Times' Test Kitchen.[4] Sewell subsequently graduated, with honours.[6]
Sewell and her mother are co-owners of a soul food restaurant known as Pinky and Red's, in Berkeley, California.[7][8] In late 2019, Sewell was hired as the chef of a high-profile restaurant known as Colors, in New York City.[9]
Personal life
Sewell came out as gay in a 2022 interview with Comedy Hype channel. She revealed that, despite still being in the closet to her One On One castmates, she was open about her attraction to women at a young age to her close friends.[1]
She married Melanie Wilkerson in 2022 and has two daughters.
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Caroline Hatchett (2019-12-11). "I Want to Make Really Good, Black-Ass Food". Eater. Retrieved 2020-04-07. Sewell-Johnson, who began cooking professionally after more than 15 years as an actor, ultimately wanted to create a deeply personal restaurant for the community. Her family has been in the business for generations: She owned a Berkeley restaurant with her mother, her aunt owned a restaurant in Chicago, and seven generations ago, one of her maternal forebears was the enslaved head cook on a Tennessee plantation.
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Sicily Sewell-Johnson (2019-02-26). "Community needs to support Black-owned businesses". Daily Californian. Retrieved 2020-04-07. Watching my daughter's Black History Month town hall where Black excellence was being normalized, I realized how my children have the luxury of seeing me and their grandmother own Pinky and Red's.
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Chris Crowley (2020-01-21). "Colors, ROC United's Downtown Restaurant, Abruptly Closes". Grub Street. Retrieved 2020-04-07. Staff found out about the news during dinner service at around 8 p.m. on Thursday, when the restaurant's chef, Sicily Sewell-Johnson, was informed via text that the restaurant would have to close.
