Cooking with her grandmother in the kitchen in her hometown of Chicago formed some of Charlie Chapel’s earlier memories. As she grew older, she began working in business and office management but never forgot the lessons her grandmother taught her. When her daughter moved to Indianapolis with her father, Chapel rethought living in Chicago without her child and decided to make a big change and move to Indianapolis.
She left Chicago with nothing but the clothes on her back and a few suitcases. With a dream of waitressing, Chapel earned a job as a waitress and began working. However, something was missing. A friend told her about the culinary job training program at Second Helpings, and Chapel decided to follow her instincts and applied to the program.
Originally accepted in Class 71 with Chef Sam Brown, Chapel had to withdraw due to personal reasons. True to her spirit though, she promised to return for the next class and finish what she started. Joining Class 72, Chapel and her fellow students began a whirlwind 10 weeks. “It was hard, but I was determined to finish for myself and my daughter.” During her time in class, Chapel learned skills, the science behind cooking, and other lessons. The class cooked for large events, such as the Meekum Car Show (“That was in our first or second week and we had to cook everything!”), Zoobilation (“We had to work hard and complete prep work by making large amounts of rolls and tenderloin), and Corks and Forks, as well as other events. Throughout this, Chapel and her classmates continued to learn and grow through the tutelage of Chef Brown. “He has acted as a mentor to me, and I still ask for advice from him. He told us that mediocracy is not an option and that we should strive for more than that,” Chapel stated.
After 10 weeks of basic training, Chapel graduated from Class 72. “Graduation was one of my favorite memories. I do remember though, that Chef Brown had me take off my graduation coat and go cook fried chicken for one of the guests as soon as the ceremony ended!”
After graduating, Chapel moved on to work at Aramark, Eli Lilly and Eskenazi Health, where she worked under fellow graduate Chef Scott Lawson, now the Culinary Job Training Instructor at Second Helpings. Skills she learned at Second Helpings assisted her in completing tasks within her job, including completing room service orders quickly and efficiently. After gaining critical experience at both places, she joined the staff of Market District, an upscale grocery store with a restaurant attached in Carmel, where she would soon influence another part of Second Helpings mission. After seeing the copious amounts of waste at Market District, Chapel spoke with her supervisor Jim about Second Helpings and how it rescues food about to be thrown away and makes it to meals. As a result, a relationship between Market District and Second Helpings began and grew and now, Market District donates hundreds of pounds of prepared food every week.
In addition to her full time work positions, Chapel began taking classes at Ivy Tech Community College in order to earn her Associates of Applied Science Degree in Culinary Arts. Raising her daughter and working full-time, Chapel has remained determined to complete her degree in order to become a certified culinarian and then to gain enough experience and certifications to become a chef. At Ivy Tech, her determination, hard work, and talent have resulted in several honors.
During her first year at Ivy Tech, Chapel entered a cooking competition run by the American Culinary Federation and open to anyone. “I entered it on a whim, and ended up winning!” The second year of the competition was sponsored by her employer, Market District and opened to Second Helpings graduates enrolled at Ivy Tech. Again, Chapel won with her Chicken Normandy, and noted how much she practiced before competing and winning. She also applied for and won a trip in May 2017 to France, where she and several others will spend 12 days on a guided culinary tour. “I am so excited!” she gushed.
For Chapel, the past three years has taught her to continually learn something new and better herself. “I’ve developed more discipline and tough skin. Second Helpings stays with you – saying the name ‘Second Helpings’ goes a long way with employers. It prepares you as well – I will always be first and foremost a Second Helpings graduate.”
“In addition, Second Helpings has made me more aware of food insecurity and has changed the way I look at cooking. Food has such a large impact on society, and Second Helpings’ ability to rescue food and feed the hungry, as well as having the culinary job training program, is huge. Everybody should know about Second Helpings”
For Chapel, the sky is the limit. “Look at where I started, and where I am now. I have a car and an apartment, am going to finish my degree in May and then going to France, as well as working and taking
care of my daughter.” With a heart full of goodness, Chapel seeks to open a nonprofit in the future focused on food and helping people, as well as teaching classes about healthy cooking, food deserts, and food access. “Food acts as a vehicle – it truly brings people together.”
Chapel’s end to her bio at graduation in 2013? “There will be many chapters to follow this forward of the biography of Ms. Chapel Chapel.” Without a doubt, she has since Second Helpings and will continue to add amazing chapters to her biography. Food has the power to change lives, and Chapel has shown that she only needed the tools to harness that power to use her talent and determination to change her life, her daughter’s, and future generations.