After a short-lived business career at AIG, Katherine Whitehead realized she was drawn to the communal feeling in a kitchen and working with her hands. Whitehead is one third of the culinary trio behind Portland, Oregon restaurant Aviary. She met one of them, Chef Jasper Shen at 5 Ninth in New York City and then worked with him again at Provence where she was the lead line cook. She left Provence to help open Bar Milano. Her last position in New York was as Pastry Chef and Sous Chef at Freemans. Together with Shen and Pliner, Whitehead made the cross-country move to Portland, Oregon to pursue their dream of opening their own restaurant. Now, as part of the opening team for Aviary, she is putting her voice and experience to the many details from design to menu, especially when it comes to the desserts. Whitehead has a culinary arts diploma from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts.