 Charlie John Villapando was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba to Criscianco and Eufronia Villapando. An independent child, his first job was at the early age of 12, selling subscriptions for the Winnipeg Free Press. High school consisted of dishwashing work at a nursing home, and his hobbies included basketball. By the time his graduation rolled around, Charlee found himself having the same problem most individuals his age had: lack of direction. He embarked on a gap year to find out what his calling was, and the year included working jobs at a pizza call center.
In 2002, his cousin convinced him to enroll at Red River College, where he took classes in culinary arts. Soon after, he took on a position as apprentice at the Fairmont Hotel, now called the Victoria Inn. From 2004 to 2005, he secured a steady position as a chef in Mooshiro, a Japanese restaurant. However, just as his career was beginning to take off, he was laid off in the fall of 2005. After this, he worked temporarily at Earl's for 6 months from 2005 to 2006. However, things began looking up when he was offered a position as a chef in the Cayman Islands, one of the world's premium vacation destinations, and at the same time, offered a space to be able to open his own restaurant in.. |
 Even though the Cayman Islands position seemed fruitful, Charlee decided to take a risk and become owner and head chef of his own restaurant. The space, once a biker's lounge, took around a year to tear out and renovate in order to become a suitable space for a family restaurant. With the help of his family and friends, Charlee's Restaurant opened its doors in late 2006, with a 74-person seating capacity in the main space and 20-person seating capacity in the lounge. Since then, due to the restaurant's overwhelming success, it has increased to a 100-person seating capacity in the main space and a 100-person seating capacity in the lounge. Today, Charlee's Restaurant remains a thriving business and an important part of the Filipino community, a place for families and friends alike to come and enjoy authentic Filipino food. |