A day in the life of a 27-year-old private celebrity chef in Los Angeles

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Rachel AskinasiJan 7, 2023, 22:17 IST
A day in the life of a 27-year-old private celebrity chef in Los Angeles

Brooke "Chef Bae" Baevsky is a private chef to celebrities and athletes in Los Angeles.Courtesy of Chef Bae

  • Brooke "Chef Bae" Baevsky is a private chef for celebrities and other clientele in Los Angeles.
  • Baevsky shared with Insider what it's typically like to spend a day cooking for a client.
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Brooke "Chef Bae" Baevsky is a 27-year-old private chef for celebrities and bi-coastal elites.

Brooke "Chef Bae" Baevsky is a 27-year-old private chef for celebrities and bi-coastal elites.
Baevsky shopping for her clients at Erewhon.Courtesy of Chef Bae

Baevsky is based in Los Angeles, California, and has been cooking for private clients for four years.

She often gives her social media followers a peek into what life is like at her job through videos she shares on TikTok. Baevsky has more than 210,000 followers on the platform and some of her most popular videos have millions of views — her video about how much it costs to re-stock a pantry at luxury supermarket chain Erewhon (she spent $3,515) has 5.3 million views as of Wednesday.

She told Insider that every day on the job is a little different, but days spent cooking for just one client are pretty streamlined.

A typical day of work for Baevsky starts at 6 a.m. when she wakes up and makes a cup of matcha.

A typical day of work for Baevsky starts at 6 a.m. when she wakes up and makes a cup of matcha.
Baevsky typically wakes up at around 6 a.m.Courtesy of Chef Bae

The chef says she doesn't drink coffee — "gives me the jitters," she said — so her morning drink of choice is either matcha or kombucha, which she says boosts her energy and provides antioxidants.

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Then at around 6:45 a.m., she usually heads to a workout class, which she said she takes three or four times per week.

Then at around 6:45 a.m., she usually heads to a workout class, which she said she takes three or four times per week.
Baevsky at an early morning pilates class..Courtesy of Chef Bae

On this day, Baevsky headed to Beverly Hills for a pilates class with a friend. Sometimes, though, she said she swaps this workout for hot yoga instead.

After the class, it's time for some breakfast (on this day, a protein smoothie) and then she picks out her chef's jumpsuit of the day before heading to work.

After the class, it's time for some breakfast (on this day, a protein smoothie) and then she picks out her chef's jumpsuit of the day before heading to work.
Baevsky likes to wear denim jumpsuits to cook in.Courtesy of Chef Bae

Baevsky said she always wears a jumpsuit and sneakers to work. "It's my look and way more fun than chef whites," she said.

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Her first on-the-job stop of the day is at 9 a.m. visiting the celeb-favorite grocery store Erewhon.

Her first on-the-job stop of the day is at 9 a.m. visiting the celeb-favorite grocery store Erewhon.
Erewhon is a specialty grocer chain in California.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The chef spent around an hour and a half gathering groceries. She said she goes into the store with a set menu and a list of everything she needs for that day.

Her list is organized by aisle category for efficiency. "I'm at Erewhon several times per week, so I know exactly where everything is," she said.

While Baevsky says she goes in with a plan, she does allow room for inspiration to strike if she finds a new item she wants to incorporate into her menu.

She shops for her clients — and sometimes gets herself a treat — before heading to their house.

She shops for her clients — and sometimes gets herself a treat — before heading to their house.
Baevsky's cart at Erewhon on November 28, 2022.Courtesy of Chef Bae

"I'll sometimes treat myself to a green juice as I shop," she added. "I can't resist."

On this day in November, Baevsky knew she needed to make lunch and dinner for three people, plus ingredients for two meal-prepped meals, a snack, and a dessert. She spent $441.57 at Erewhon that day but spent even more — over $800 — just a few days later for another client. (Baevsky's clients reimburse her for all groceries and specialty items.)

"I took a pantry inventory at my client's house when I was there last," she said — that's how she makes sure not to waste money on duplicate items they might already have. She added that sometimes she'll bring ingredients from her own personal supply (like a specific vinegar or spice) if she only needs a little bit for one recipe.

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Sometimes, though, Baevsky doesn't have time to hit the stores herself. She has access to concierge services for things like caviar, truffles, and even Erewhon.

Sometimes, though, Baevsky doesn't have time to hit the stores herself. She has access to concierge services for things like caviar, truffles, and even Erewhon.
Caviar served on ice.Jean-Blaise Hall/Getty Images

"During the day I'll get special deliveries of ingredients," Baevsky told Insider. "I have a truffle concierge, a guy who does caviars for me, I have an Erewhon concierge number — which is hysterical — if I need an emergency Erewhon delivery."

On this particular day, her client had some friends over. So at 12:30 p.m., Baevsky made Superfood Veggie Burger Grain Bowls for their lunch.

On this particular day, her client had some friends over. So at 12:30 p.m., Baevsky made Superfood Veggie Burger Grain Bowls for their lunch.
Baevsky served grain bowls for three.Courtesy of Chef Bae

"This client loves healthy eating and simple ingredients in addition to tons of plant-based dishes," the chef told Insider.

The bowls she made featured quinoa, arugula, roasted sweet potato and eggplant, crispy chickpeas, and a honey tahini Dijon vinaigrette.

After she sets out the food for her clients, Baevsky takes a break to eat her own lunch before continuing on with work.

"I either pack a salad with seasonal veggies, protein, and my favorite maple tahini Dijon vinaigrette, or I treat myself to an Erewhon collard greens wrap," she said.

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The bulk of her afternoon is spent cleaning up lunch and meal prepping for the week or days ahead.

The bulk of her afternoon is spent cleaning up lunch and meal prepping for the week or days ahead.
Baevsky preps pomegranate chicken breasts (left) and Moroccan pearled couscous (right).Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Baevsky told Insider that her client's housekeeper and assistant usually help her out by cleaning dishes and setting the table for dinner.

The additional help allows her enough time to meal prep the client's dishes for the week. In this case, that list included an herby quinoa tabbouleh salad, pomegranate chicken breasts with fennel fronds and dairy-free labneh, Moroccan pearled couscous with braised fennel, baked falafel, and peanut butter cups with chia, flax, and hemp seeds in refined-sugar free dark chocolate.

She told Insider that each client has specific dietary and nutritional needs, to which she is sure to adhere.

She told Insider that each client has specific dietary and nutritional needs, to which she is sure to adhere.
Baevsky's homemade peanut butter cups (left) and baked falafel (right).Rachel Askinasi/Insider

"I work very closely with nutritionists, personal trainers, managers, agents, to make sure that the diet is exactly what should be going into their bodies," she said.

This includes designing a menu that fits their restrictions, pairs with any vitamins or supplements they may be taking, and accounts for every calorie and milligram of sodium.

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At 6:30 p.m., it was time for her client's dinner.

At 6:30 p.m., it was time for her client's dinner.
Baevsky's ginger and lemongrass Thai chicken meatballs on veggie salad.Courtesy of Chef Bae

Dinner was ginger and lemongrass Thai chicken meatballs served on top of raw peanut veggie salad, which was friendly to a Paleo diet.

She also makes desserts. On this day, she went with pie.

She also makes desserts. On this day, she went with pie.
Baevsky's blueberry pie with dairy free ice cream.Courtesy of Chef Bae

Just because her clients like to eat healthily doesn't mean they go without sweets. Baevsky made them a blueberry vanilla pie with dairy-free ice cream to cap off this meal.

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The day at her client's winds down after dinner when she puts away leftovers and labels containers for the week.

The day at her client's winds down after dinner when she puts away leftovers and labels containers for the week.
Baevsky labels all of the leftovers and meal-prepped dishes.Courtesy of Chef Bae

After dinner, Baevsky does the last of the dishes, runs the dishwasher, and labels all of the food storage containers that hold the week's meal prep. The chef notes the dish names and heating instructions on each one. This client's assistant follows a vegan diet, so Baevsky also includes that information so she knows what she can eat.

She said she heads home at around 7 p.m. and tries to get to bed before 11.

She said she heads home at around 7 p.m. and tries to get to bed before 11.
Baevsky doing her nighttime skincare routine before bed.Courtesy of Chef Bae

The chef says she'll typically wait until she gets home to eat dinner since she's always tasting what she's making for her clients.

To save herself from having to cook once she gets home, Baevsky likes to pre-make and freeze her own veggie burgers. For dinner, she'll usually eat one of those with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and fresh herbs including mint and parsley, which she grows at home in her hydroponic garden.

Baevsky has a pre-bedtime skincare routine she sticks to after a day of work. "All oily cooking grime needs to come off of my face," she said.

By around 10:30 p.m., the chef is asleep and gearing up for the next day.

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Baevsky said most of her clients find her through word of mouth, which is great for building trust.

Baevsky said most of her clients find her through word of mouth, which is great for building trust.
Baevsky photographed two of her client's dogs in the kitchen during her work day.Courtesy of Chef Bae

Trust and rapport are both very important to Baevsky, and she said she has that with all of her clients. "We're very close and I feel like family with them," she said. "I'm always in their home, I'm feeding them pancakes while they're in their pajamas in the morning, I'm cooking with their kids."

She said it allows her to get to know their individual tastes and figure out what they will love when it comes to meals.

"I really build up that trust," she continued, "and the culinary freedom comes from there."

Through juggling clients, organizing schedules, and keeping herself creative in the kitchen, Baevsky says she loves what she does.

Through juggling clients, organizing schedules, and keeping herself creative in the kitchen, Baevsky says she loves what she does.
Baevsky plating lunch for her client and their friends.Courtesy of Chef Bae

With a roster of more than 40 clients — around 20% of which are in New York while the rest are in Los Angeles, she said — Baevsky schedules her work up to six months in advance.

Sometimes, like the day she outlined for Insider, she's spending all day with one client. Other times, she's bouncing back and forth between neighborhoods and traveling up the coast to Malibu all in one day. If she has to meal prep for several clients in one day, Baevsky said she'll use a commercial kitchen and then deliver the food to clients' homes.

"Cooking is my love language," the chef said. So far, she says she hasn't gotten sick of it yet.

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