I caught up with Fran Chapman. She is in the kitchen at Chapman Chile Kitchen making her last batch of chili. “I am going to cook off what I have,” she said. “Once my supplies are gone, I’m not going to make anymore.”
The Chapman’s have been waiting for their landlord to develop the space next door so they could expand. So far the landlord has made no improvements. “All of our renewals are coming due,” she said. “This [expansion] was supposed to happen in September. I pulled up to the store the other day and there was a man urinating on the building and I realized we need a better location.”
They also need money to pay for help. “Up until now I have been doing it all,” said Fran. “I chop the onions, sell the chili, run the business, and take care of the [four] kids. I realized I was doing a lot of things not so well.”
Here is the deal: If you would like to get some chili, e-mail [email protected]. Whatever you do, call (214-887-8872) before you go to make sure someone is there. Fran is open to doing catering jobs. “We don’t want to go away,” she said. “If there is anybody out there looking for a good business, we have one.”
