Twins by birth. Chefs by trade.
Erika and Francesca Bender discovered their love of cooking early in life, being an
ever-present duo in their Grandmother Virginia's kitchen - Italians love to cook! Upon
high school graduation, they enrolled at Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of
Culinary Arts in 2006. In 2007, both Erika and Francesca were accepted into the
university's baking and pastry arts program, which The American Culinary Federation
describes as "one of a kind" and has given the program its highest level of
accreditation.
In 2008, they were offered positions as chefs at the historic Omni Bedford Springs
Resort; an AAA Four-Diamond resort. Francesca served under the executive pastry
chef creating pastries and dessert for the entire resort. Erika served as a line chef at the
resort's 1796 Room, a fine dining restaurant. The sister's duties also entailed serving as
the chefs for the Springs' Frontier Tavern, which served up to 400 dishes daily.
Wanting to fulfill their dream of operating their own culinary business, they left the
Springs in 2009 and began to focus on building Chef By 2.
They started off small, offering seasonal desserts and pastries with the occasional
event cake. Within a few short months they were inundated with catering and cake
requests. To meet demands, the twins remodeled their basement into a fully functional
commercial kitchen.
Since then, Chef By 2 has created stunning and exquisite wedding cakes for parties of
more than 400 people, and catered events of up to 100 people. Their brand has
become known for modern flair with a traditional touch.
