From Fresca To Bourbon: Chef Nettie Frank and CITREVE Are Reinventing Citrus

Chef Nettie Frank has graduated from culinary school, launched a catering company, opened a bakery, competed on Cake Wars, published a cookbook, competed on Chopped and most recently, founded CITREVE in 2024. With a stacked resume like that, we had to get the nitty-gritty on her background as a chef and what inspired her to start CITREVE.

Frank’s career has taken her through nearly every corner of the culinary industry, but she’s quick to point out that the glamorous version people see on television isn’t necessarily the reality of being a chef. “When I went to culinary school, the Food Network didn’t exist yet,” Frank says. “When people see all the big, fun, produced shows, that’s exactly what it is: a television show. There are producers behind a lot of it.”

Behind the cameras, restaurant kitchens can be brutal, working holidays and pushing through endless prep and tickets.

“The kitchens will chew you up and spit you out faster than any other career,” she says. “You will be standing on your feet 12-14 hours a day. You’re going to be working your can off with 16 burners, tickets coming through. You’re working holidays, it’s not glamorous… It’s a grind.”

But the grind is also where Frank found the satisfaction that kept her going. After peeling 50 pounds of potatoes, she says, you might wonder, “Am I Cinderella or am I a chef?” But when someone takes a bite of your food and reacts with genuine excitement, the answer becomes pretty clear. “That’s when you’re like ‘YES!’ and it gives you more oomph to keep going,” she says.

That experience also shaped what Frank brought to CITREVE. Her philosophy is rooted in communication and teamwork, particularly between the front and back of house.

“When you have a cohesive front of house and back of house, the communication is so much better. The respect is there when you understand each other’s roles. It’s not that one is above the other; we are equals, and we are a team. That’s what makes it whole.”

CITREVE itself grew from Frank’s interest in sustainability and freeze-drying. While speaking at Catersource about sustainability for catering businesses, she began imagining how the same process could help caterers preserve excess food and ingredients.

“I spoke about how I was using my own freeze-dryer at home – preserving my own garden’s natural colors, nutrients, and flavors – and I used catering examples: ‘You have extra sauce left over from an event, freeze-dry it!’”

The response revealed something bigger. “People would ask me, ‘Where can I buy this product?’ and that’s when I realized there is a massive need here for catering businesses.”

That realization eventually became CITREVE, a name born from “citrus revived” and Frank’s love of citrine, a crystal she associates with abundance and gratitude.

The company’s goal goes beyond simply preserving citrus. Frank wants to show what freeze-drying can actually do, including restoring ingredients to a state where they can be used in ways that resemble fresh citrus.

“It can be revived back to where you can squeeze it like a fresh citrus fruit… I’m really excited to show the other options that can help in the industry that I love.”

When deciding what belongs in a CITREVE jar, Frank looks at what the culinary and catering industries need, particularly versatile flavors that work across alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. “It can go from Fresca to bourbon and hit all those arenas just perfectly,” she says.

For Frank, that range seems to be the point. After a career spent chasing new culinary challenges, CITREVE gives her another opportunity to take something familiar, rethink its possibilities and put it somewhere unexpected.

And for someone who has built a career on opening new doors, citrus might be just the latest, and most unexpected, place for Frank to see what’s possible.

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