It's commonly thought that you know you've found your life's calling if you'd do your job for free. Chef Steven J. Oakley personifies that idea. His career began at age 16 when he offered his services to a suburban Chicago restaurant for free: "I just wanted to work, I wanted to learn," says Oakley. That emphasis on hard work and continual learning has culminated in Oakley arriving at the top of his profession in Indianapolis at the ripe age of 37. He was hired at that little restaurant outside of Chicago, The Cottage, and walked right into the big time. During his first week his boss, Chef/Owner Carolyn Buster, was featured on "The Great Chefs of Chicago," television program. Working his way up from picking herbs and mopping floors, Oakley had risen to the position of head line-cook before leaving to attend The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, where he graduated in 1990. That structured education didn't temper his need to learn from other chefs in other kitchens and he spent many weekends traveling to New York City to work in some of the most prestigious restaurants in the country, including The Park Avenue Café and Lutece—for free of course. He spent summers back in Chicago where he worked at the famous Charlie Trotter's. Following a brief stint at the Scottsdale Princess Resort in Arizona, Oakley returned home to Chicago where he worked for another landmark restaurant, Printer's Row, and again, Charlie Trotter's. Benvenuti, a venerable Indianapolis eatery, called him away from the windy city for good. He spent a year there before joining forces with Something Different Restaurant in 1993, where he spent nine years receiving many accolades including nominations for the prestigious James Beard Rising Star Chef's award and the restaurant's induction into the Restaurant Hall of Fame. And now, as Chef/Proprietor of OAKLEYS bistro, which he established in December 2002, he is living his childhood dream and hoping to help others do the same. Achieving many awards including being named "2005 Restaurant of the Year" and 2006 "Superstar" from the Indianapolis Monthly Magazine and "one of the hottest restaurants from coast to coast in Bon Appétit's 2004 Restaurant Issue, OAKLEYS bistro reflects its owner's passion for food and sharing it with others. But Chef Oakley's sharing goes beyond the traditional, evidenced by the Restaurant & Hospitality Association's Neighborhood Award to "honor restaurant operators who go above and beyond supporting their communities." The Association specifically recognized that not only does Oakleys bistro contribute a portion of its sales of products to Second Helpings, Indianapolis' only food rescue, job training and hunger relief program, but also Chef Oakley opens his kitchen for training and hiring students in Second Helping's culinary program which focuses on educating the un-employed and under-employed. From the Food Network - Simon Mall's "Super Chefs Live" and being invited as a guest chef for Cakebread Cellars' American Harvest Dinners and Epcot's International Food & Wine Festivals to being named one of Indy's Best and Brightest by the business community, Chef Oakley most cherishes the accolades from those who join him and his Team for lunch and dinner at OAKLEYS bistro.