Ché Houston has been baking and decorating desserts for almost 30 years. During that time, she’s also overcome addiction and housing insecurity. Through it all, she knew her potential and that she could one day help others.

“I always wanted to open my own business and tried many times,” explains Ché, founder of Ché René Macarons & More, which features French Macarons with Southern finesse. “When I was finally able to legitimize my side hustle, I outgrew my home kitchen within six months.”

That’s when Ché found PREP, a culinary accelerator platform that provides shared kitchen environments for food entrepreneurs, along with operational resources, consultation and other essential services like marketing, branding and networking.

“The team at PREP helped me maneuver my way through the food service industry and get my business rolling,” says Ché. “They also offer constant support and encouragement. They take the time to explain things; they push me; they see me for who I am and what I’m trying to accomplish.”

Ché is one of 280 members in the PREP culinary ecosystem that includes more than 200,000 square feet of commercial kitchen space locations throughout Atlanta and one in Austin, Texas. PREP also has multiple spinoffs, including three Truck & Tap restaurant locations; PREP Food Junction – a permanent station for food trucks; ChowDownATL – an online ordering and takeout platform for PREP members; and PH’EAST, a Far East Street Feast, inspired by the hawker markets of Asia that offers small food operators a place to set up shop.

“Our goal is to elevate local food entrepreneurs who desire to be part of a community,” explains Mitch Jaffe, PREP founder and CEO. “We offer the facilities, services, resources and network to remove barriers to entry and scale their business.”

PREP, in fact, has created some 800 jobs in Atlanta and continues to expand with the opening of its fifth shared kitchen location – PREP ATL South. It was during this expansion project that Mitch and Doug Marranci, PREP founder and COO, first connected with Invest Atlanta.

According to Mitch, the Invest Atlanta team helped PREP connect with city leaders, generate support and navigate the various approval processes. “From the very first call with Invest Atlanta, we felt welcome, supported and valued,” says Mitch. “The team took time to understand our business and have been active partners in identifying the services and connections that can help us achieve our goals.”

Doug says one of those goals includes serving as a conduit to Invest Atlanta services for PREP members. “The team at Invest Atlanta is focused and connected and has so much to offer small businesses,” he says. “We plan to showcase Invest Atlanta services in our new community space at PREP ATL South so our members have access to every resource available.”

For Ché, the PREP ecosystem goes far beyond providing a kitchen facility and resources to grow her business; it’s put her in a position to hire others on a similar life journey who are transitioning back into the workforce. “PREP helped me create a space and livelihood for people who are working towards their own long-term recovery,” says Ché. “It pulls at my heart. This business is bigger than me; it’s my purpose.”