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Community Community Fishing with Qatargas cyanide financial P10remains a P16 experts speak common practice at seminar for the across the Pacific, members of Institute of despite being Internal Auditors (IIA), banned. Qatar Chapter. Friday, July 13, 2018 Shawwal 29, 1439 AH DOHA 34°C—40°C TODAY PUZZLES 12 & 13 LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 14 COVER STORY MMakingaking tthehe ccutut From prison to pioneer: A chef’s dream to transform one Chicago corner. P2-3 SUCCESS STORY: Chef Nichelle Benford, owner of Dream Chef Kitchen, stands beside a flowered covered chalk board replete with well wishes and congratulations from friends and supporters at her restaurant in Chicago’s Lawndale neighbourhood. 2 GULF TIMES Friday, July 13, 2018 COMMUNITY COVER STORY Life on a platter, soul food and all PRAYER TIME Fajr 3.24am Growing into the kind of woman who wouldn’t stake her Shorooq (sunrise) 4.52am Zuhr (noon) 11.40am Asr (afternoon) 3.04pm future on anyone but herself, Nichelle Benford is the kind Maghreb (sunset) 6.29pm Isha (night) 7.59pm of businesswoman who believes she can create space USEFUL NUMBERS to serve as encouragement to other entrepreneurs Emergency 999 Worldwide Emergency Number 112 Kahramaa – Electricity and Water 991 Local Directory 180 International Calls Enquires 150 Hamad International Airport 40106666 Labor Department 44508111, 44406537 Mowasalat Taxi 44588888 Qatar Airways 44496000 Hamad Medical Corporation 44392222, 44393333 Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation 44845555, 44845464 Primary Health Care Corporation 44593333 44593363 Qatar Assistive Technology Centre 44594050 Qatar News Agency 44450205 44450333 Q-Post – General Postal Corporation 44464444 Humanitarian Services Offi ce (Single window facility for the repatriation of bodies) Ministry of Interior 40253371, 40253372, 40253369 Ministry of Health 40253370, 40253364 Hamad Medical Corporation 40253368, 40253365 Qatar Airways 40253374 ote Unquo Qu te “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” — John F. Kennedy chef, Nichelle Benford. She’s done a Opened in January and expanded to By Alison Bowen lot of growing lately. Growing into the dinner hours this spring, Dream Chef kind of woman who wouldn’t stake her Kitchen (611 S. California Avenue) is a future on anyone but herself; the kind bright space on the corner of California Community Editor he fl owers by the door of of businesswoman who believes she can and Harrison, just off I-290. Benford, Dream Chef Kitchen aren’t create space to serve as encouragement 37, wants it to be a place where people Kamran Rehmat real. But on a dreary day to other entrepreneurs eyeing a corner come for a healthy meal, a seat by e-mail: community@gulf-times.com in March, they off ered a neighboured by empty lots. And a window, maybe even a setting for Telephone: 44466405 hopeful note of what might growing into the kind of person who nurturing bigger plans. Teventually grow. believed her story did not end on the “That’s always been my dream,” Fax: 44350474 Growth is important to the catering 2010 day when she was sentenced to Benford said, “to have a place where company and restaurant’s owner and prison. people can come and connect. And I’m Friday, July 13, 2018 GULF TIMES 3 COVER STORY COMMUNITY Just as Nichelle Benford has taken steps on a path toward rebuilding, she wants to offer that to others. Some of her six employees are recently out of prison, including on a spring day a man washing restaurant windows and a woman cooking salmon and sautéing IN BUSINESS: Chef Nichelle Benford owner of Dream Chef Kitchen in Chicago’s Lawndale neighbourhood, rings up customers orders during the lunch time rush at the restaurant. vegetables seeing it happening, now that we’re to be a leader. She noticed how to be redone, when men talked lending programme. When she with fresh fl owers. open.” women listened to her. down to her about plans, when chose a neighbourhood, Benford “Everybody deserves to On a recent afternoon, people “It made me really believe in girl men catcalled her as she parked in needed something she could aff ord. experience that,” she said. dining in for lunch sat by the power,” Benford said. “You don’t front of her business. That time, And she wanted a location like Benford’s catering business windows, chatting and smiling, just realise how strong you are until you she yelled back, angrily. But then this — one turn off the highway and provides a fi nancial foundation as she envisioned. go through stuff .” she collected herself inside her about 10 minutes to downtown. while the restaurant grows; people Benford’s menu is a mix of soul She was released in 2012. Since restaurant, and she walked out and “It’s so convenient,” she said. “You can also reserve the space for food and her experiments from then she’s nurtured the Dream introduced herself. “Talk to me like want to be accessible.” events. She hopes to eventually culinary school, like pot roast Chef Kitchen vision. She returned you’d talk to your mother or sister,” Hopefully, Shiller said, bottle and sell her dressings, with mashed potatoes and carrots, to her food roots, fi rst selling she told them. “(Dream Chef Kitchen) will play perhaps open two more Chicago served with gravy, or grilled savoury crepes from Model Chef, “I think a lesser person would a role in helping to revitalise the locations. Maybe even a communal avocado salad, dressed with a a food truck. Then, she created her have folded up shop by now,” community without gentrifying the kitchen for fl edgling chefs. refreshing mixture of honey and catering company. “I didn’t want it Shiller, Benford’s former lawyer, community.” During recent lunch shifts, a rice vinegar. to be regular food,” she said. said. “What she has is a desire to Benford grew up in the Roseland steady stream of customers picked But Benford is always thinking But Benford wanted space — she succeed and a dream and a vision neighbourhood, where as a child up orders to go and a handful of bigger. Not only for herself, but also was carrying grills up the three that she wants to fulfi ll.” she remembers options that were tables were always full — a group for other women, who might also fl oors to her condo every day. With From being a fi rst-time business mostly fast-food chains. She wants of men in suits sharing lunch, her feel encouraged to start their own the help of her former lawyer, owner to attracting diners in what for people what she did not have mother and a childhood friend business. For the neighbo’rhood, Brendan Shiller, she scouted Shiller calls a “food desert,” Benford — healthy options from a local toasting. Benford knows her to coax more life from behind locations, signed a fi ve-year lease has a lot of support. Launching a business. She believes strongly that customers and their order. storefronts that stand empty. For and began what became a yearlong restaurant requires resources, so people should not have to drive to “I remember their name, I other people just out of prison. renovation. Shiller connected Benford with the Loop to get a decent meal, to sit remember what they like,” she “I thought my life was over,” Many times Benford could have Chicago Neighbourhood Initiatives in sunlight by the window, to host a said. “I want us to grow with our she said about being sentenced to stopped. When the plumbing had Micro Finance Group’s micro- dinner party with friends at tables customers.” jail. Now, she said, “I’m building a Maya Fernandez, who works at legacy and living in purpose.” the law fi rm nearby, had brought Just as she’s taken steps on a her lunch to work but came by for path toward rebuilding, she wants a side of sweet potato fries and to off er that to others. Some of her a smoothie. Previously the only six employees are recently out of option was the Sharks Fish and prison, including on a spring day a Chicken across the street, she said. man washing restaurant windows Having healthy alternatives helps. and a woman cooking salmon And, she added, “It’s fl avourful.” and sautéing vegetables. Benford On a spring afternoon, Benford’s noticed the woman was good at mother, Rene Armstrong, was in math, and she began teaching her to town to celebrate her daughter’s calculate food costs. new restaurant. She and a “I feel like a leader develops other childhood friend ordered pot roast leaders,” Benford said. and collard greens, one of Benford’s In 2010, Benford was sentenced favourite dishes. Armstrong said to three years in prison on charges she was proud but unsurprised that of making false statements and Benford built this life after prison. obstructing justice. The charge Her daughter has always been a stemmed from Benford lying about hard worker, she said. And she is where her boyfriend was while he certainly not surprised she is a chef. was under investigation in an arson Armstrong recalls when her case seven years earlier. daughter was a toddler who loved Benson acknowledges making watching her grandmother cook. a mistake. She was humbled by One time, she entered the kitchen going from a life where she worked to hear the little girl casually ask, as a model and wore Gucci to one “Where’s the nutmeg?” in which someone else decided “She’s been doing this for a very what she wore and what she ate. In long time,” Armstrong said.

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