Andrea J. Carbine

Sr. Director

 

Andrea J. Carbine is an entrepreneur, chef, and consultant working in food for over twenty years. She has led teams and organizations of all scales in both the non-profit and for-profit food space. For her work, she was recognized with two James Beard nominations, a Local Hero award (Edible Magazine), and a Women of Excellence Award for Entrepreneurship. During her culinary career, she launched, operated, scaled, and sold her own entrepreneurial ventures, including multiple restaurants and a branded CPG product.

For over 15 years as an East Coast chef and consultant, she was recognized for her active role in supporting and facilitating the local food economy and farm-to-table restaurant movements. She assumed a leadership role in developing local crop buying programs and distribution networks and provided funding and support to local value chain development amongst regional producers, fisheries, and ranchers.

In 2017, she supported the development and launch of one of the first national brands of shared kitchen and incubation facilities for entrepreneurs. That work provided hands-on experience in designing and developing a multimillion-dollar venture.

Today, she leads food system planning and infrastructure projects for organizations, drawing on deep experience in the operation and management of shared kitchens, incubation and acceleration programs, restaurant and hospitality ventures, and supply chain resources in communities across the country. These experiences make Andrea an  exceptional strategist and consultant to food companies. She currently resides in the Midwest with her family.

 

 

 

 Whatcom County Food System Plan

New Venture Advisors supported Whatcom County staff and the Food System Committee in developing the Whatcom County Food System Plan, a 10-year roadmap for a more equitable and resilient food system. NVA led plan development, community engagement, and cross-sector strategy, integrating agriculture, fisheries and marine harvest, processing, distribution, and access to strengthen the regional food economy. (2023)

 Whatcom Local Food Campus

Whatcom Community Foundation continues to partner with New Venture Advisors to guide the development of the Kitchens@Millworks —a bold project uniting health, equity, and market access. Building on previous work with the Farm to Freezer program, the team developed an operational model, financial analysis, and partner strategy. NVA is evaluating expansion of farm-to-institution efforts and their potential relocation to the new campus. Advanced financial models support a multi-operator facility encompassing production, aggregation, retail, and community programs. (2026)