Episode 29 With Charla Draper

Charla Draper is a culinary phenom, who has held a variety of positions in the world of food. She is a Food Expert, Writer/Publicist, and Food Stylist. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Charla’s interest in cooking emanated from her two grandmothers, who were both excellent cooks. She watched them in awe, and after trying out a number of other things, Charla soon learned that she wanted to cultivate a career in the culinary arts. After college, Charla landed a coveted position as a Home Economist in the Test Kitchen of Kraft Foods. It was there that she developed a strong foundation and an understanding of the proper way of testing recipes. She states, it was the perfect testing ground for building a career in the field. She eventually left Kraft and began working for Campbell Soup Company in Camden, New Jersey in their Test Kitchen. Shortly thereafter, Charla was offered a job as Food Editor at Ebony Magazine, a publication that had not done a lot around the coverage of food. Additionally, Ebony had very few food advertisers. As a result, Charla played a key role in developing (with a lean staff) the Food Department. She and her staff ran innovative contests; they found numerous creative ways to involve the readership, and they focused a great deal of their time on the cultural aspects of African American cooking. Charla also served a Food Editor at Southern Living Magazine, where she found it to be a much more formal environment. Charla is currently the owner of It’s Food Biz!” The mission of her business is to provide consultancy services to businesses on how to market their services and develop a strong presence in both the community and on a number of media platforms. She and her business have been recognized by the Museum of Food and Drink as one of the key African American contributors to American cuisine. Also, through her business Charla has developed a Chicago Public Relations Plan for “The Story of The African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, From The Washingtons to the Obamas. The plan was curated to increase awareness about the huge contribution and the service rendered to American presidents. Charla’s public relations/media expertise has been contracted by The American Institute of Wine and Food, The Wisconsin Dairy Council, The Grits and Greens Conference, along with a multi-city media coverage project for The Pillsbury Bake-Off Recipe Contest. As a member of the prestigious Les Dames Escoffier and the organization Food Executive Women, Charla is excited about her next venture – to concentrate on writing her own cookbook. Charla’s words of council for African American women age 50+ who want to get into the culinary arts is to read as much about the business, develop networks and mentors and believe in yourself. Charla is currently working on and promoting The National Soul Food Month Series in June 2021. It is a series of virtual programs recognizing the 20th year anniversary of National Soul Food Month. Programs are scheduled virtually during the entire month of June. Some of the workshop topics include “Soul Food Then and Now”, “Slimmed Down Soul”, From Family to Iconic Dessert Fame” and “Soul Food Beyond the United States”. A cadre of outstanding speakers are slated. For more information, please visit www.nationalsoulfoodmonth.com Charla can be found on Facebook as Charla Draper; Instagram @charlaldraper; Chow,ChowandSoul.com; itsfoodbiz.com