Booking Family Style Meals up to 90 days in advance & events 10 months in advance!
About Us
Our Owner
Our owner, Celia Wayne, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and now resides in Orlando, Florida.
Celia learned how to cook from her VERY Polish family, and was often found covered in flour in her Grandma Helen's kitchen, sitting at her Grandma Ruby's kitchen table with a bowl of ice cream, helping prepare holiday meals with her mom, or making Polish sausage with her dad. Food was in her veins from early on.
After leaving Wisconsin and having been in the Orlando area since 2005, Celia worked in the entertainment industry for The Walt Disney Company for 8 years, and then moved into food and beverage. Along with working at Disney in one of their signature restaurants, she also worked in food and beverage for Hilton Worldwide, as well as chain restaurants, and local eateries.
She continues to bring the highest quality meals possible to families and residents in the greater Orlando area and surrounding counties, always keeping the idea of family and togetherness in mind. Cooking with Character prides themselves on putting people first, and bringing everyone together at the table over a good meal.
Humble Beginnings
Over a century ago, a woman by the name of Celia Czulinski immigrated to the United States from Poland as a child. Coming from nothing and not knowing English, she built up a restaurant business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her family, running numerous taverns and supper clubs, including The Verdict, Bonk's Hall, and The Blue Canary. While doing so, she started a family, had grandchildren, and great-grandchildren after she passed, one of which, is our owner.
All in the Family
Celia Czulinski passed down her love for not only making and serving wonderful food but instilling the message of family into her work. Food brings people together, no matter the occasion. Pictured here is her grandson, Dennis Wayne, the father of our owner. While not a chef, but rather a highly decorated police officer, it wasn't uncommon to see Dennis making people a plate of food in his home, always offering something to eat or drink to everyone he knew, and always doing it with a smile. While Dennis is sadly no longer with us, his love for family ripples through everything we do and create at Cooking with Character, and is the foundation of our company. We wouldn't be who we are today without Dennis.