Charles Webb (chef)

Webb was raised in San Antonio, Texas, as an only child. His parents had a turbulent marriage, often arguing about money. When Webb's parents eventually decided to get divorced, his father a tattoo artist, left and did not return for more than a decade. This forced his mother to work long hours every day in retail to make ends meet. Whilst growing up, Webb would sell his artwork to raise extra money for his family. Webb started to experiment with food from an early age, although less out of curiosity but more a means of survival. Learning to prepare his own meals became a necessity, and his mother only allowed fresh ingredients in their kitchen, resulting in a small boy making homemade Tacos di picadillo from scratch.[3]

Webb's early life challenges with money, led him initially into a career in business in an effort to gain financial stability. After graduating from the European School of Economics in Rome, Webb ended up working in finance on Wall Street for Openheimer & Co. After standing on a street corner on September 11, 2001, and witnessing the attack on the World Trade Centre, Webb saw the world change forever and felt the need to "... change and do things I absolutely love and are absolutely passionate about and leave the world a better place". Shortly after this Webb quit his job on Wall Street, and spent a year in New York's restaurant scene, which he then followed by a sabbatical in Brazil. By his mid-twenties, travelling full-time around the working in the food and beverage industry as a means to pay for his travel. During his time travelling, Webb worked at a number of restaurants around the world,[4][5] such as Mercer Kitchen in New York, Noms in Copenhagen, Princess Iolanthe in the South of France, Scoozie in Chicago, and Casas Brancas in Buzios, Brazil. Webb later attended culinary school at Gambero Rosso in Rome, and then relocated to Chicago to launch Avanti, his gourmet catering company.[6][7]

• Esther Arjona (12 September 2017). "Panama, first destination of 'Ringmaster'". La Estrella de Panama. Retrieved 5 August 2018.

• Official website