Baking Dreams Come True: From Culinary Graduate to Pastry Chef

Growing up, Charmain Ware had “a rough life.” At 16, she ran away from home. A few years later, she was in a terrible car accident that left her bedridden for months. 

“My body was so beat up I couldn't even move,” she said. “I basically laid on the couch watching Food Network every day.”

Inspired by the shows and needing an outlet, Charmain took up baking. In it, she found far more than a hobby. 

“Baking helped me push through my anxiety. I found peace away from the thoughts of the car accident.” Little did she know her interest in food would be the beginning of an incredible journey.

By her late 20s, Charmain was working in nightclubs and bartending, but she was deeply dissatisfied with her life and career. “I didn’t want that to be my life.”  

Breaking Barriers

A friend told her about City of Refuge’s culinary program, The 180º Kitchen, and she immediately applied. Though she was “petrified” at first, the six-month course taught her the basics and laid the foundations of a culinary career. “It was honestly breathtaking to be there.” 

After graduating the program, she jumped headlong into the food industry.

“The knowledge that I was given at City of Refuge and the humility that came from it, I realized I could do anything that I wanted to do as long as I put my mind to it.”

After a short stint working as a prep cook for Cirque Du Soleil, she got a job at The Parish Brasserie and Neighborhood Cafe in Inman Park. There, under the tutelage of chef Zeb Stevenson, she fell in love with pastry. 

“Pastry to me is probably what painting was to Picasso or what music was to Mozart.”

Next, Charmain was hired to be a pastry cook at Restaurant 356 in the Porsche headquarters. She worked there for five years until the pandemic hit in 2020. 

Building Momentum

Charmain was out of work for an entire year when the opportunity of a lifetime came along: Executive Pastry Chef at Tiny Lou’s, the upscale restaurant at The Clermont Hotel. 

“I couldn't believe that I could have the opportunity to work in a place that I loved coming to.” 

Today, Chef Charmain is “blossoming,” and it’s in no small thanks to the vocational training she received at City of Refuge. 

“I really feel like City of Refuge was the major stepping stone to lead me to the path that I'm on,” she said. 

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