A bummy chef from Fayetteville, North Carolina, is having a hard time coughing up $350 that he scammed from a mother after she ordered a Thanksgiving meal for herself, her children, and their family, which turned out looking more appropriate for a trash can.
After seeing how Jaleel Cobb, known as ‘Chef Cobb,’ treated Dinesha Neal and her family, I wouldn’t even order a takeout plate for my dog from this wannabe chef. However, Neal and her family had previously used Cobb’s services, and they were great—which is why she chose him for their Thanksgiving dinner.
Neal told The North Carolina Beat on Friday that she met Cobb in October, just a few days before her son’s birthday on October 24th. She was throwing her son a club-themed birthday party when Cobb recognized her, mentioning that he knew about her non-profit work with Jai6 Dynamic Jewels.
“He said, ‘I see what your organization does for the community, and I would love to cater your son’s event,'” Neal said Cobb told her.
Cobb catered her son’s birthday party, and “it was a blast.” From that day forward, Neal began promoting him on social media, encouraging people to book him for their events.
“I was posting about him on social media like ‘Book him, he’s an up-and-coming chef,'” Neal said.
Another person close to Neal who booked Cobb was her foster mom. Neal said her foster mom also enjoyed Cobb’s services, and everyone enjoyed the food. When Thanksgiving rolled around, Neal said Cobb was offering a $350 Thanksgiving package deal that served 6-8 people, according to his advertisement.
Chef Cobb Thanksgiving Package
The menu included rice, baked beans, corn, turkey, bread or rolls, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, yams, ham, deviled eggs, and either cake or pie.
However, in Facebook messages Neal shared with The North Carolina Beat, Cobb agreed to a menu based on Neal’s food choices. According to the messages, Neal told Cobb she wanted fried chicken with honey mumbo sauce, plain fried chicken, pork chops (half with sauce/dry rub), cabbage with sausage, rice, baked beans, mac and cheese, stuffing, and candied yams.
In photos Neal posted on social media Friday morning, Chef Cobb’s “chef skills” were displayed in the form of a cake with Food Lion labels, fried chicken that looked like it belonged in the garbage, deviled eggs scattered across a cheap Dollar Tree pan, baked beans straight from the can with nothing added, rice that looked like it came from a homeless shelter, and old-looking canned yams.
Chef Cobb’s Excuses and Lack of Accountability
Neal said Cobb was already late delivering the food, and when he finally arrived, he asked if her kids could help carry the food inside. She said by the time they got the last item out and she started opening the containers, Cobb was already backing out of the driveway.
“I’m calling him, trying to tell him to wait because we were missing stuff,” Neal said. “He was like, ‘Oh, I noticed we left your stuff… Give me like 10 or 15 minutes,’ but next thing you know, 15 minutes turned into 30 minutes, and 30 minutes turned into an hour—and still nothing.”
Without a response, Neal said she repeatedly called Cobb, but he didn’t pick up. One of the missing items, according to messages Neal shared, was the cabbage with sausage and stuffing. Cobb claimed it was mixed up with another order and said he’d need 10 to 15 more minutes to bring it.
Neal gave Cobb ample time, but when he didn’t return, she told him not to worry about it and instead asked if he could prorate the cost. Cobb asked her what she meant, and Neal told him that after opening the food, it didn’t seem like what he provided was made with care or love.
In another message, Neal sent Cobb a photo of the yams, to which he responded that he could bring another batch if she gave him a few minutes. Neal said it was fine, as she understood it was a busy time for everyone.
Cobb then replied, “Nah, I gotta fix it.” Around 3:07 p.m., Neal called Cobb three times before sending a message about him bringing the food back right away—hence, why she had asked for a partial refund instead. Around 3:47 p.m., Cobb responded, telling Neal, “Just keep it… I’ll send everything back. That’s crazy.”
After Neal continued to request either the food or a refund, Cobb’s responses were sporadic. At 6:16 p.m., Cobb told Neal she should be receiving the money and apologized, claiming he was with his family—probably enjoying their delicious meal while scamming another family out of theirs. He also claimed he wasn’t near his phone when Neal had been calling him.
At 6:32 p.m., Neal replied, “Okay,” and then asked Cobb when she could expect the refund. At 7:46 p.m., after an hour with no response, Neal sent a frustrated “SMH.” At 9:10 p.m., Cobb replied with another excuse, claiming he hadn’t been around his phone and that he’d drop off the money as soon as he got back to Fayetteville.
He then called Neal’s posts “petty” and claimed her food got mixed up with other orders instead of just admitting he was a money-hungry, unprofessional chef. Cobb further told Neal that she went from “don’t worry about it” to “Oh, I scammed you, SMH.” He continued, saying he had “so much going on” and that Neal’s order, out of all orders, was the only one that had been mixed up.
Cobb then promised he would reimburse Neal “fully” and said that “all the petty posts and stuff” wouldn’t affect his business. He added, “Just take the reimbursement and never use my services again.”
As of Friday afternoon at 3:06 p.m., Neal said Cobb still had not refunded her money.
READ ALL THE TEXT MESSAGES BELOW:
