|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Executive chef Felicia Grady is making quite the buzz with her catering, restaurant consulting, ServSafe proctoring, cooking classes in Indianapolis, and much more. As the secretary of the American Culinary Federation Board, a member of the Arsenal Technical Advisory Board, Minority and Hospitality Board, and Anderson Career Center Advisory Board, her many years of experience laid the groundwork for becoming a top chef.
Additionally, her acquired precision has inspired foodies, especially the youth, to self-advocate and take charge of their health.
From Criminal Justice to Cooking Classes in Indianapolis
After having a brief conversation, you’ll quickly learn that Chef Grady was born to cook. “I’ve been cooking ever since I was old enough to be behind the stove,” she says. “I used to go out in the yard when I was little and pick berries and make pies. I liked messing around with baking soda and seeing what it would do, so I’ve been in the kitchen for a long time.”
Although born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Chef Grady was influenced by the Southern cooking style of both her paternal and maternal families from Walnut Grove, Mississippi. “My aunties, all of them cooked. One cooked every Sunday, so we would go over there every Sunday and eat, and my mom cooked.”
The kitchen followed Grady throughout her adolescence and into high school, where she studied home economics. Although she had a knack for cooking, she was fascinated by the legal system and wanted to become a crime scene investigator. Therefore, she enrolled in Indianapolis’ Harrison College, graduating in 2010, where she received her degree in criminal justice.
Right after college, Grady decided that the culinary world was where she desired to be, and she immediately went to culinary school at The Chef’s Academy in Indianapolis.
“I went thinking, okay, this is going to be so quick. I’m just going to get whatever certification I need to get into the food business, but it turned into being much more than I had anticipated. The doors opened so wide, and I had no idea what all pertains to going to culinary school,” Grady explains.
Once she understood how vast culinary careers are, even understanding that a person can have a career in culinary without cooking food, she decided to embrace this new experience and learn as much as she could.
Becoming an Executive Chef, Restaurant Consultant and Educator
After completing The Chef’s Academy in 2012, Grady began working in the school systems, first with charter schools for two years and then moved to service the Indianapolis Public Schools system for three years. During this time she served as the manager who was responsible for all the related paperwork, feeding all the children, and all modifications for children with special diets.
Remember, when a chef works in the school system, she is responsible for hundreds of students. This experience helped Grady understand the importance of keeping accurate records and data. This is something that further helped train her to become an exceptional executive chef and culinary educator who teaches outstanding cooking classes in Indianapolis.
“People don’t realize the importance of paperwork and education when it comes to feeding the public.” Grady shares. “Paperwork will either kill you or save you. What I mean by that is, if I have a person come in and say, ‘You made my child sick.’ If I don’t have the paperwork to back up…I’m gone. You can’t prove it.”
Working in this type of environment sharpened Grady’s sense of accuracy and thinking on her feet. It is easy to understand why her acquired knowledge is so valuable and why she sits on the board of several community organizations.
In 2017, Grady decided to leave the school system because although the work was enjoyable, it was also mundane, she spent the next 18 months working for Second Helpings, a nonprofit organization that prevents food waste by producing nutritious meals.
Grady says, “To be honest, I wasn’t using the potential of my skill level, and we all know that when you don’t use it, you lose it.”
During this time, Grady saw a food show advertised on television, and she decided to go. This trip sparked memories of experiences she had in school, and she took the time while there to network and talk to different presenters who helped her brainstorm about other ways to use her culinary talents.
Like with many areas of life, time changed things. Grady realized how much the culinary industry was transforming and wanted to become more involved. Her next step was to be a certified educator. Despite needing nearly eight different certifications, she did it by enrolling in the American Culinary Federation’s Chef Certification Program.
RELATED: Culture, Adventure and Flavor in Indianapolis
Entrepreneurship and Creating Youth Cooking Classes in Indianapolis
In 2018, an opportunity presented itself for Grady in Anderson, Indiana, as a director of food services for a recovery facility called Bridges of Hope. The Indiana native eagerly took this opportunity and explained why some chefs move around in their culinary careers.
“Let me explain something about culinary and chefs. They don’t stay in places long because they won’t grow. So, if you have a fancy restaurant that everybody loves there is no cycle menu. It’s the menu. The menu stays. A restaurant may add something every year or take away something, but they never do a cycle menu. A cycle menu is a menu that you change weekly.”
After one year as the director of food services at Bridges of Hope, Grady started her own culinary business in 2019, and it is still today known as Plate It Up! Catering.
Grady says, “I’m a caterer. I’m a restaurant consultant. I’m a ServSafe proctor and instructor. I have dual roles with that, which means I actually teach the class and proctor it for ServSafe Certification through the National Restaurant Association.”
She shares that everyone who sells food to the public throughout the United States is required to have a ServSafe Certification, and Grady holds cooking classes in Indianapolis, where those in need can receive their classes and certification all in one spot.
Plate It Up! also has a bar service extension called Plate It Up! Pour It Up! Grady even has a home delivery food service that she is in the process of starting for seniors and currently has a terrific method for teaching youth how to cook.
“The main objective is to get them to learn how to feed themselves. Sometimes mom and dad come in after work or after 6:00 p.m. and I would love for them to know how to make themselves a healthy snack.”
The multi-talented chef explains more about the class and shares, “They learn to make a healthy snack, they learn recipe modifications (making bigger portion sizes smaller), kitchen etiquette, safety and sanitation and knife skills.”
Grady’s youth instruction is through the Skool community platform, Tasty Teen Collective. This community allows the children round-the-clock access to her when they are not in their in-person classes. It also allows the students to be among their peers to ask questions and brainstorm. Her desire for her students is to teach culinary skills for life.
After 15 years in the culinary business, Grady has just released her first award-winning cookbook, “It’s A Party in My Mouth, Let’s Eat.” The book features different recipes she created on her journey, growing from a culinary student to a professional chef. It is now available for purchase on her website Plate It Up! Catering.
Chef Gray has accomplished so much, and not to be forgotten is her Chef of the Year Award in 2022 from the American Culinary Federation.
Be sure to tune in when she hosts Facebook Lives called, “What’s in Your Fridge?” These segments show Grady going into people’s homes mindlessly and preparing a meal from whatever is in their refrigerator in just 45 minutes.
Also, later this year, she will introduce a line of salad dressing called Chef Drizzle and Dine, so look out for that.
For more about upcoming classes, events, Facebook Lives and more, follow Chef Felica Grady on Facebook, Instagram, and her website Plate It Up! Catering.
