Gregory Harris Obituary

Harris, Gregory

Gregory Harris fed Chicago. And Minneapolis. And Milwaukee.

As a chef, he fed people with his food, of course - a mix of the southern cuisine of his parents' Mississippi roots and the Louisiana Cajun he grew to love after his time in Monroe, LA. But Greg also fed people with his laughter, his dynamic storytelling, and his fire. For him, food was life - it drove him even when his body could no longer give the way he wanted. He lived well, and made sure we ate well.

Gregory Harris passed away peacefully on Friday, December 27, 2024 at the University of Chicago after a six-month battle with an aggressive disease. Esophageal cancer stole his ability to eat in his final days, but it could not steal his passion for food and its ability to breed life and love.

He leaves behind the women he affectionately called his "girls", his daughters Jasmine and Jenae, and their mother Robin, for whom he was larger than life - and who never left his side as he battled an unyielding disease. Also, his wife, Brenda, his brothers Charles and Dwayne, his sisters Deborah, Jean and Clementine, those family members who proceeded him death, his sisters Rita and Jacqueline, his brother Jimmy, and his parents James and Pearline Harris, his nieces and nephews, as well as an entire community of friends and family in Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and across the country.

We will miss his love, his laugh, his light - and of course, his food.

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