Chef Katie and Chef Andrea first crossed paths in 2017 while working for a large catering company. At the time, Katie was part-time, working to grow her Private Chef business, while Andrea was an executive pastry chef  and making desserts for Katie’s events. By 2021, Andrea transitioned away from catering to launch her own small business, AP Flour, offering a wide range of confections for special orders, restaurants, and celebrations like birthdays, weddings, and holidays. Katie was Andrea's first client, working closely with her to create desserts for private dinners.

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As they continued to stay in touch, they often shared their frustrations and challenges working in rented commissary kitchens. Katie had been working on a business plan for a public cooking class workshop for nearly eight years. Realizing this small idea was evolving into something bigger, she decided to add a commissary kitchen to the plan. Seeing the potential for something truly special, she invited Andrea to join her as a partner, and that’s when the idea of The Spice Cabinet—now known as Chef’s Collective—was born.