William Cholewinski changes the world one meal at a time.
By Lee Hurley
Photos by Steven Ross
If William Cholewinski’s life story were recorded for television, and it probably should be, it would need at least three seasons of eight episodes each. Though the positive place he is in now is based on hard work, faith, and love, none of that came easy.
The Dream
When Cholewinski was seven his mom gave him an Easy Bake Oven she found in someone else’s trash. He was thrilled. Who knew that seminal moment would give him his livelihood and his mission in life. “I cracked the piggy bank open, bought two boxes of cake mix, and a new Easy Bake light bulb from the scratch and dent store,” Cholewinski says. “That was my first venture into the food business, selling Easy Bake Oven Cakes.”
Cholewinski’s family fell on hard times, and he went from being a middle-class boy growing up in Ohio and being dropped off in the family’s Cadillac, to riding the bus and standing in the free lunch line at school. Cholewinski saw his dad make sure everyone else in the family had food before he ate, and that example created the servant’s heart he has today. “I had been a couple of days without real nourishment, and I remember lying in bed with my stomach growling, and looking up, and Jesus was there. And he was just like, ‘It’s going to be alright, feeding people is going to be your responsibility.’ That didn’t make sense to me then, because I didn’t have any way to feed myself.”
Destiny
Fast forward, and Cholewinski and his wife Stephanie were living in Nashville when they were recruited to Birmingham to work for Full Moon Barbecue. “I was originally hired to be the catering manager, and three months later I was the general manager,” Cholewinski says. “It was a great experience, and I became very close to the owner.” But what Cholewinski really wanted was to do his own thing, to fulfill his destiny.
After a few fits and starts in other food ventures, including a stint using the bar and restaurant Zydeco’s kitchen in Birmingham, Cholewinski decided to open his own place in Alabaster and called it Chubbs Grub Station. “Our initial location was next to the Hallmark store in the shopping center where Crunch Fitness is,” he says. “I really don’t know how it all came together so fast, but after a few burgers went in to people’s faces, the word just started spreading. And a few days later, the line was out the door and wrapped around the Hallmark building. There were times when we ran out of burger meat. We’ve done the Food Network and the Travel Channel, and all that helped, but it’s really been our willingness to be our brother’s keeper and a part of the community that is the largest part of our success. Yes, our food and service are great. But at the end of the day, people support us, because we support them.”
Chubbfathers
Over a year ago, Cholewinski moved his restaurant—renamed Chubbfathers—into a brand-new location at 229 Kent Stone Boulevard in Alabaster. The name came from a pastor who knowing how much of a servant’s heart Cholewinski had, said to him one day, “You’re the closest thing to a godfather we have, so I guess that makes you the Chubbfather!” Moving to a new location was a dream for Cholewinski and his very involved family who got to build the restaurant to their own specs, but it was risky. “I got anonymous letters from other business owners and customers concerned that we were committing business suicide by leaving Highway 31 and all of its traffic to come back behind Publix and Dollar General.”
But Cholewinski was very calculated about the move. “We’re less than a mile from what’s going to be the beautiful new entertainment district. And I’m less than a mile from our high school campus, the new Rec Center and library, and all these other things. So if I wait until everybody wants to be here, as a little guy, I won’t be able to afford it.”
FEED THE PEOPLE
Before Cholewinski settled in Alabaster, he was riding down I65 with a load of equipment when the Lord told him to take what others give, and match it, and put that into food banks and food pantries in the area. All of this fortifying the dream he had as a child. And that’s where his Feed the People initiative came from. Customers who donate nonperishable food items get a free drink, and after 15 donations they get a free meal. But Cholewinski’s customers go way beyond that. “We get little kids that walk around neighborhoods during the summer collecting cans of food and come through our door with bags and boxes of food,” he says. “Not because they get a free meal, they’re doing it because it’s a generation of people who believe that they can still change the world and make a difference. They believe that there’s a purpose higher than just their existence and want to make a difference.”
The food collection efforts along with Chubbfathers own substantial donations have become so important and necessary that Cholewinski installed a cabinet on the side of the building that he calls the People’s Pantry with 24-hour access. “If someone needs something in their belly, even if that’s a can of beans or ravioli or a couple packs of ramen noodles for the kids, it exists to help a person get through the night to their next meal. And because there are no questions asked, we’re blessed with the ability to let folks maintain their dignity.”
One of Cholewinski’s sayings is, “Every day of our life we get to be on the right side of the dirt, we can make an active choice to be a victim or a survivor. I chose to survive and thrive.” But giving credit to Cholewinski is not something he cares about. “I don’t deserve credit for any of it. I’m really just doing what you’re supposed to do.”