Meet John Charles

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Charles.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started learning how to cook at an early age. My mother’s side of the family was from Italy and that’s where my love for Italian food started. I spent my time buying up cook books and studying from them as if I was preparing for an exam. Food is an experience. I want to feel as if I’m in Italy with every bite and with the aromas in the kitchen.

I always took great enjoyment in cooking for others. I really wanted to do everything I could to make their experience a memorable one. With the compliments that I would receive over a period of time I begin to wonder if I could do something with this.

An opportunity arose one day when the company I was working for as a store manager close down and went out of business. I took that opportunity to move to Texas and go to school at Le Cordon Bleu.

From there I moved back home to Upstate New York where I worked in a few restaurants gaining some valuable experience. I ended up moving back to Texas and this is where I started my own business as a private and personal chef.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road is always been full of challenges. With pursuing my culinary dreams the first big roadblock occurred while at culinary school. I had made it a good way through the program when I lost my transportation and didn’t have a way to get to school any longer. That was definitely a tough moment.

Still, I kept fighting and using the experience that I would learn along the way at various restaurants and my continued pursuit of learning and cooking for others to not let my dreams wither away.

Please tell us about Chef John Charles.
I now run a private and personal chef service. I specialize in Italian food, but love to cook just about anything. I do dinner parties, private events, in home cooking classes, and weekly meal prep.

I am most proud of having my wife Andrea as my assistant. She has been a wonderful support with my business and does an amazing job helping me with my events. I am also very proud of the clients that I had the pleasure of working for. This is truly been a great experience.

With my chef services my clients have the opportunity to be hands-on and learn how to make everything from hand-made pasta to knife skills, or just sit back relax and let us do the work.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood with regards to food would be watching my mother in the kitchen. Learning how to make that lasagna or those homemade Italian cookies. I have so much respect for all the love that went into that cooking.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chefjohncharles.com
• Phone: 315-542-6628
• Email: chefjohncharles@gmail.com
• Instagram: chef_john_charles
• Facebook: chefjohncharles
• Yelp: chefjohncharles

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