Catherine is the visionary, leader and mentor to the many of the OKB members and a pillar of the Brantford Brant community. Many people know Catherine, yet they don’t know the OKB story and how the commercial kitchen came to be.

Catherine is the owner/operator of The Jelly Girls, a successful jam, jelly and condiment business. For many years, Catherine was hauling her jars, ingredients and fruits into approved community kitchens to prepare her delicious jams. It was a labour of love, yet one that as The Jelly Girls product grew, the more work it became carrying the ingredients in and the finished products out.

An idea was stirring about in Catherine’s creative mind for several years, “If only I could create a space where I and many food creators, chefs, caterers and bakers could all work under one roof in a commercial kitchen together.”

The idea swirled around for a few years. The Jelly Girls business continued to grow and many local food startup chefs were seeking a kitchen space to call home and Catherine couldn’t stop thinking about how this idea could come to life. With the support of a variety of experts in commercial kitchen builds, the right people came together and the journey of creating a space where food builds community, began.

Today, Catherine leads OKB, a collaborative community kitchen, food incubator, event space and home to many local chefs, bakers, caterers and food creators.

Catherine continues to build her vision of a shared commercial kitchen filled with respect, safety and learning for all those who wish to call Our Kitchen Brantford their culinary home.