Phoenix chef Jennifer Caraway, owner of Joy Bus Diner, has won $10,000 on Food Network’s “Chopped.” Her charity, Joy Bus, delivers free healthy meals to cancer patients and others in need.

Call it good karma.

Joy Bus founder Jennifer Caraway, one of the Valley’s most caring and generous chefs, won $10,000 on “Chopped” on Tuesday’s episode of the Food Network competition.

“Holy crap, $10,000 is huge!” she said after beating three other chefs. “That literally means 1,000 more meals to someone in need. I’m so stoked.”

Caraway is the chef and founder of Joy Bus and Joy Bus Diner, on Shea Boulevard off State Route 51 in northeast Phoenix. The non-profit diner raises money for the foundation.

MORE:12 Phoenix restaurants where your dining dollars go to a great cause

When “Chopped” host Ted Allen asked her what motivates her, she explained: “My charity, the Joy Bus. We prepare and deliver free chef-inspired meals to homebound individuals.”

She told “Chopped” judges about her inspiration, a close friend who succumbed to cancer.

“I lost a friend in 2012, her name is Joy, that’s why it’s called the Joy Bus. I was making little treats for her to make her feel better and it was that that kind of inspired me to try to help people who maybe didn’t have the same support system that she had.”

In 2016, the azcentral.com Food & Wine Experience created a fundraiser to benefit the Joy Bus. Caraway has been a tireless champion for her cause, and “Chopped” was a way for her raise awareness.

“I like to create beautiful food to give people a little bit of joy in their life,” she said. “We bring super-rad, healthy food to homebound patients in need.”

This is how Caraway wowed judges.

First round: appetizer

Basket ingredients: Duck confit, baby turnips, biscuits and narutomaki.

Her dish: Duck confit tostada with guajillo and pasilla sauce. “I’m stoked with the duck confit, possibilities are endless,” Caraway said, noting she used to own a restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. “The duck confit is like a high-end carnitas.”

Judges’ reaction: “I think you made some beautiful flavors here,” Amanda Freitag said. Even though Caraway struggled with the narutomaki, “It was a good appetizer, very solid,” Scott Conant said.

Britz, Debora. “Joy Bus Diner chef wins 10K on ‘Chopped,’ brings attention to Phoenix cause” AZ Central, March 28, 2018.  https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/dining/2018/03/28/phoenix-chef-jennifer-caraway-joy-bus-diner-wins-chopped-food-network/466491002/

A year ago, Phoenix faced a grim financial future: The budget office predicted the city would face a $40-60 million budget shortfall.

But Tuesday, when Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher presented his proposed budget for the fiscal year that will begin in July, he painted a much cheerier picture.

Because of increases in tax revenue, department efficiencies and a controversial decision to increase the term of Phoenix’s pension debt, the city was able to get its budget back to into balance — and even managed to make out with a small surplus.

The city’s total budget will be about $4 billion. It anticipates the general fund budget — the part of the city’s budget that funds things like public safety, parks and libraries — will reach $1.3 billion.

That’s about $2.9 million more than the city needs to keep city programs operating at their current pace.

In his draft budget, Zuercher proposed that the additional money be used to fund new positions in the police and fire departments, homelessness programs, a sober-living home licensing process and a few other modest additions. 

But the city is hosting 15 public meetings to hear from the public about what they’d like to see in the budget.

Here are Zuercher’s recommendations:

Fire Department: $342,000

• Reallocating five vacant captain positions and one vacant battalion chief position into six firefighter positions. 
• Two new fire protection engineers, three fire prevention supervisors and three fire prevention specialists. 
• Partially fund new Fire Station 55, located at Interstate 17 and Jomax Road.

Police Department: $510,000

• Five civilian employees to assist with the department’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center.
• 13 new employees to assist with public records requests (these positions will be funded through reallocation of existing department resources).

Homelessness: $728,000

• Two additional homeless outreach teams to assist with the Phoenix C.A.R.E.S., a new city program to provide services to people experiencing homelessness and diminish the community impacts of homelessness.
• Two new administrative employees to help coordinate with homeless outreach teams.
• Two new park rangers to monitor and enforce park rules at flatland parks.

Boehm, Jessica. “Trees? Police? Extra library hours? Phoenix debates what to do with extra $2.9 million” The Republic, March 21, 2018. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2018/03/21/phoenix-debates-2-9-million-budget-surplus-trees-police-library-homeless/442832002/