Michelle had a hard time finding desserts and restaurants that used Filipino flavors she loved as a kid so she decided to create her own. Kabibi translates to “shell” in Tagalog, the Philippines national language. The name is in reference to Michelle’s nickname Shelly.

The bakery is inspired by the flavors and dishes Michelle’s mom made for her as a child. Her mom helped inspire the bakery as she had always wanted to open a Filipino restaurant, but never had the chance too. With Kabibi, Michelle wishes to make her mom proud with the Filipino flavors of their culture.

Kabibi is currently a micro bakery operating out of Michelle’s home kitchen. High quality ingredients are thoughtfully sourced with many coming from local farmer’s markets in the Los Angeles area.

About The Chef

Michelle Nicholas spent her childhood in north central Washington before spending her teens and college life in Vancouver, Washington. Her earliest memories of baking come from when she was five or six years old. She baked an empanada with melted chocolate chips and raspberry jam. However, she remembers the dough was equal parts water to flour and the not fully cooked through. Her parents were troopers though and ate the whole thing though!

As Michelle got older, her dad and her would bake cookies during the holiday season to give to neighbors and friends. It was always a highlight of her childhood. Throughout the years, her dad helped nurture her creativity both in the kitchen and outside of the kitchen.

For college, Michelle was supposed to go to an art college in Seattle, Washington. Ultimately, she decided to go down another path and took a year off to explore her options — And explore she did. Her year off led her to rediscover her passion for food and baking. She baked for friends, family, and anytime she could. This led to a small stint of a series of posts dubbed #latenightbakingwithmichelle.

Michelle eventually went on to receive her associates of science in baking and pastry management from Oregon Culinary Institute. The experience there changed her life and it helped open doors to new places.

For the next ten years, Michelle worked at custom cake shops and high production facilities, but ultimately landed in the restaurant industry. She has had the opportunity to work under celebrity chef Ludo Lefebvre’s restaurant Petit Trois, famous patisserie Laduree Paris, and Michelin guide restaurant Perle Restaurant.

Michelle has a deep love for desserts and strives to honor her heritage and where she comes from in her baking. She currently resides in the Los Angeles county area with her husband, Ryan, and their dog, Kyber.