It's A Woman's World: Caterer + TV Personality Cathy Cann of Cat's Kitchen

Photo credit: Maya Porrino Photography

If you caught an early episode of Next Level Chef in 2025, you may have noticed Stratford resident, Cathy Cann, who made the cut of 15 total contestants and just one of five home cooks who competed on season four.

Aside from getting to cook for Gordon Ramsay, Richard Blais, and Nyesha Arrington, Cat has her own company, Cat’s Kitchen Co, offering personalized private chef and catering services and her own mobile food trailer.

After meeting her at our second It’s A Woman’s World event and hearing about her time on Next Level Chef and about her catering company that’s coming off its busiest season yet—and a Connecticut Restaurant & Hospitality Association CRAZIES nomination for Caterer of the Year—I figured you should all get to know her, too.

So, let’s get Cat’s story, from how she first fell in love with food, to starting her own business, getting a taste of television fame, and what she’s cooking up in the very near future.

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How did you first discover your love for food and for cooking?

My love and curiosity for food started at a really young age. My mom taught me how to cook traditional Haitian food, and I honestly feel like she selfishly wanted to retire from the kitchen early, so I was appointed the family cook! But that is really where my love of food stems from: cooking for the people I love, bringing everyone together, and having food be at the center of special celebrations and memories.

That love was reignited when I was pregnant with my son. My sister started calling me Martha Stewart meets Betty Crocker and I found myself becoming increasingly passionate about cooking, experimenting, and creating. It was around that time that I made the decision to leave my career path as a development associate working in campaigns and pursue the restaurant industry. My mom nearly gasped!

I spent several years working in restaurants, and I truly loved so much about the industry. But eventually, I stepped away because I wasn't sure where my career was going or if there was a place for me to continue growing within it. It was a difficult decision because hospitality had become such a big part of who I was.

I transitioned back into nonprofit work, spending a little over than two years as a grant writer. Then life took a turn that I never could have anticipated.

My brother was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disease that temporarily left him paralyzed from the neck down and on full life support. At the same time, my children's father, Carlos, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and began weekly chemotherapy treatments. And then the pandemic hit.

The world stopped, but caregiving didn't.

I was navigating being a mother, a caregiver, and trying to hold everything together while watching the people I loved go through some of the most difficult experiences of their lives. Caregiving stress is REAL. I lost a lot of myself in the process and the weight of everything felt incredibly heavy.

But I found myself leaning back into food and the kitchen in a way I hadn't in years. It became my place of peace. My creative outlet. Somewhere I could breathe, create, and feel like myself again.

So, when I say cooking saved me, I mean that literally.

My journey with food has never been linear. It has taken me through different careers, life experiences, heartbreak, uncertainty, and some really beautiful moments. But looking back, I can see how each chapter brought me closer to where I was meant to be. I truly believe life has a way of pushing us toward our purpose, even when we don't recognize it at the time.

What did you do prior to a career in culinary? And what made you say, I’m going to do this?

I touched on some of my career journey above, but before Cat's Kitchen, I worked in nonprofit development, campaigns, and grant writing, with several years of restaurant experience in between.

The funny thing is, my brother had been encouraging me to start a food business for YEARS. He saw something in me that I honestly didn't see in myself. I never really believed I could run a food business. I would think, "What do I know about owning a business?!" I knew food, I knew hospitality, and I knew how to take care of people, but turning that into something of my own felt like an entirely different conversation.

When the world started opening back up in early 2021, my brother was hosting a networking event. He called me and told me his caterer had canceled and he needed a solution. Now, anyone who knows me knows that if someone needs something, I am probably going to jump right in. And if I am going to do something, I am going to do it to the best of my ability. So, I put together a tapas menu, purchased some beautiful risers and platters, flowers, and decor, and created the entire food experience for his event.

People were blown away and kept asking who catered.

My brother proudly responded, "Oh, that's my sister!"

I ended up catering another one of his events because I had so much fun the first time. I was genuinely exhilarated. Everything came together with such ease and joy, and I remember thinking, "Wait a minute...I REALLY love doing this."

By April 2021, people were starting to inquire about my services. And that is when the reality of it all hit me. Okay, this is fun, but what do I do now? Do I actually start a business? Am I really doing this?

I spent that weekend praying and asking God for direction. I wanted to know if this was truly the next step for me. That Monday morning, I had three inquiries come in, and I booked my first official catering gig.I remember thinking, "Well, I guess that's my answer!" And that was it. Cat's Kitchen was born.

I didn't have some elaborate business plan or a perfectly mapped-out five-year vision. I had a love for food, a background in hospitality, a willingness to work hard, and a whole lot of faith. Sometimes you just have to take the leap and trust that the rest will come together. When you do something where the center of it is love coupled with determination; anything is possible.

And here we are, finishing our fifth year, with hundreds of events under our belt. Still blows my mind!

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Take us on the journey of starting Cat’s Kitchen.

Starting Cat's Kitchen was really an extension of everything I had experienced up until that point. My love of cooking, my restaurant background, my passion for bringing people together, and my desire to create something meaningful all came together in a way I hadn't anticipated.

I started with small events and opportunities that came through word of mouth. I was learning as I went, figuring out the business side, building relationships, refining my menus, and discovering what kind of catering company I wanted to create.

Having worked in restaurants, particularly high-end establishments and front-of-house operations, gave me a foundation that I didn't fully appreciate until I started my own business. I understood the importance of hospitality, the systems behind successful events, the guest experience, and all the little details that make an occasion feel special. I wanted to bring that level of care and intention into my own company, but with a personal touch that felt uniquely Cat's Kitchen.

Over the years, the business has grown organically and primarily through word of mouth and referrals, relationships with clients and venues, and the incredible people who have continued to trust us with their celebrations.

We've gone from intimate dinners and small gatherings to weddings, corporate events, and celebrations for hundreds of guests. We've built a wonderful team, developed relationships with venues throughout Connecticut, and created experiences that I am genuinely proud of.

One of the most rewarding parts has been watching Cat's Kitchen evolve beyond just me in the kitchen. It has become a team of people who share the same commitment to service, presentation, and making people feel taken care of.

And honestly, I still have those moments where I stop and think, "How did we get here?!"

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What can people expect from working with you for their special event, in terms of the experience and the menu?

The biggest compliment I receive from clients is the level of intention and trust we build throughout the planning process. That means everything to me.

I think a big part of my growth came from taking the leap into high-end restaurants and front-of-house hospitality early in my career. I was able to learn how successful restaurants and event teams operate, understand the importance of systems and execution, and see firsthand what makes an experience memorable for a client and their guests.

I remained curious and made it a point to learn every part of the industry. That knowledge had a direct impact on how I approached my own events from the very beginning.

But what truly sets Cat's Kitchen apart is that we don't believe in cookie-cutter events.

Every menu and experience is thoughtfully curated around the client. We consider their vision, their personalities, their favorite flavors, the atmosphere they want to create, the flow of the event, and how everything will come together visually and experientially.

Food is obviously a huge part of what we do, but the experience surrounding it is just as important.

One of my favorite examples is a wedding we catered where both the bride and groom worked for Pixar. They wanted their love story to shine through, so we created a menu where each dinner offering was inspired by Pixar movies. It was such a fun and personal way to incorporate their story into the celebration.

That is what I love most about this industry. Every client brings something different to the table, and I get to take their ideas and turn them into something tangible, beautiful, and delicious.

Whether we're creating an intimate dinner at someone's home, a wedding, a corporate gathering, or a large celebration, I want people to feel that we genuinely care about what we're creating for them.

For me, this is so much bigger than showing up with food. It is about connection, hospitality, and creating moments people remember long after the plates have been cleared.

We have to talk about Next Level Chef. What can you share about being cast, auditions, and being on the show?

Of course! Man, what a journey that was!

Once again, I feel like certain opportunities have a way of opening up at exactly the right time.

I actually first auditioned for the very first season of Next Level Chef and that didn't work out. I was also contacted about MasterChef and went through that process, eventually being sent home as an alternate. I was crushed.

A month later, just when I had pretty much given up hope of hearing anything else, I got another call about Next Level Chef. The timing was wild because had I made it onto MasterChef, I wouldn't have been able to participate in Next Level Chef. I remember thinking, "Okay, maybe this is actually meant to happen!"

After another year of auditions, submitting videos, photos, and going through the entire casting process, I finally got the call that I had been cast!

I have to give a huge shoutout to the casting team because they really believed in me throughout the process. It was such a journey, but seeing all those auditions and conversations finally lead to that moment was incredible.

Being on a cooking competition show is WILD. Nothing can truly prepare you for it. The pressure, the time constraints, the cameras, the environment, and having to create something on the spot while trying to keep your brain from completely short-circuiting...it's an experience!

We filmed in early 2024, but the season didn't air until 2025, so it was surreal watching everything unfold long after we had wrapped.

I learned so much about myself, not just as a chef but as a person. You are pushed creatively, mentally, and emotionally in ways that are difficult to explain unless you've experienced it.

But honestly, one of the greatest things to come out of the show was the people.

Our cast genuinely became a family. And for lack of a better term, we trauma-bonded! Haha. We still keep in touch, support one another, and have collaborated on dinners across the country. It is amazing to have a group of people who understand that experience and continue to cheer each other on.

Who knew a cooking show would give me lifelong friendships?

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What was good about it and what didn’t you like?

I would absolutely do another cooking show! Although, I would probably choose a different format next time. Haha!

What I loved most was the opportunity to challenge myself creatively. These competitions force you to think quickly, trust your instincts, and produce something thoughtful and delicious under pressure.

I love being pushed outside of my comfort zone. I am always looking for opportunities to grow, refine my skills, and become a better chef.

I will forever be a student of food. There is always something new to learn, a technique to master, a cuisine to explore, or a different way to approach an ingredient.

The competition environment definitely tests you, but it also reminds you how much you are capable of when you trust yourself.

And while there are certainly aspects of filming and competition that are challenging, I am grateful for the experience and everything it taught me.

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When you’re not in the kitchen, throwing a party, or on TV, what are you doing?

Honestly, as of right now—trying to remember what a day off feels like!

I love being outdoors, spending time in nature, taking long walks, or being at the beach. I love going out and trying new restaurants, spending time with friends, dancing, and sitting in the sauna.

But my absolute favorite day off after a grueling event week is a little combination of all those things, followed by me completely cocooning on my couch and binge watching a really good TV show. There is something so satisfying about having absolutely nowhere to be after weeks of running around, creating, cooking, and making sure everyone else is taken care of. Sometimes the best form of self-care is just being horizontal on the couch with a good show and food!

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What’s coming up for you personally and for Cat’s Kitchen?

Man, I have A LOT of fun goals!

This has been such a wild and rewarding year for Cat's Kitchen. It has motivated me to continue growing, perfecting my craft. To continue owning my role not just as a chef, but as the business owner and visionary behind this company.

We are closing out our fifth year in business, and I still find myself in awe of that.

Over the past five years, we've catered more than 350 events, from intimate dinners and weddings to corporate gatherings and every beautiful moment in between. The relationships we've built with our clients, venues, and community have been such an important part of our growth, and I am incredibly grateful for every person who has trusted us along the way.

My vision is to continue building Cat's Kitchen into one of the leading catering and hospitality companies in Connecticut and the Tri-State area. Think hospitality group, but with catering at the heart of it! I want to continue expanding our offerings, developing our team, creating new opportunities, and pushing the boundaries. I see so much potential in what we are building, and I am excited about the possibilities ahead.

Personally, I want to continue growing as a chef and creative. I want to travel more, experience different cuisines and cultures, collaborate with other chefs, and keep finding ways to challenge myself. I also want to be intentional about enjoying the life I am building. It is easy to get caught up in the next event, the next goal, or the next big thing, but I want to make sure I am taking in the beautiful moments along the way.

And of course, I have to give a huge shoutout to my team. I am so incredibly grateful for the people who show up, work hard, bring their talents, and help bring these experiences to life. Cat's Kitchen would not be what it is without them.

When I think about where we started and where we are today, I still get emotional. I never could have imagined that a few tapas platters, some flowers, and a last-minute catering opportunity for my brother would lead to all of this. I don't think the feeling of gratitude and disbelief will ever leave me, and honestly, I hope it doesn't. Because at the end of the day, I still love what I do. I still get excited about creating a menu, seeing a beautiful tablescape come together, and watching people enjoy something we've worked so hard to create.

That feeling is what keeps me going.

And I have a feeling we're just getting started!

Follow Cat on Instagram @catskitchenco and for inquiries visit her website at catskitchenco.com