Charla Draper is a nationally recognized home economist and owner of IT'S FOOD BIZ! Charla has significant food industry experience including test kitchen management, public relations, and radio and television spokesperson for several leading consumer brands. She is a former food editor of Southern Living and Ebony magazines. In addition she has written for Fast and Healthy, and City & Suburban Styles magazines, and the Chicago Sun-Times.

IT'S FOOD BIZ! is a consulting firm specializing in marketing services for food products. Charla uses skills developed in previous industry positions to assist clients in achieving objectives for their products. Clients include: The Pillsbury Company, the National Pork Board, Lawry's Foods, Reynolds Metals, and McDonald's.

Charla has an undergraduate degree in home economics from Bradley University and earned a graduate degree in Marketing Communications from Roosevelt University in Chicago. She is active in professional organizations including the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Culinary Historians of Chicago, and is a former board member of the Southern Foodways Alliance.

Charla has appeared on the "Today Show," WMAQ-TV "Morning News Show," and the WLS-TV "Chicagoing" program. She has also been featured in "Cooking Light," "Careers In Focus," textbook and Bradley University alumni magazine.