Latest news with #BrookeBaevsky
Hindustan Times
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Private chefs are spilling the culinary secrets of the super-rich
'My celebrity client wants a $2,000 pizza,' Brooke Baevsky, a private chef, tells the camera. How do you prepare such a pie? Add lashings of caviar , figs and manuka honey, then dust everything with 24-carat gold flakes, which are tasteless in both senses of the word. The pizza was the appetiser for a posh dinner party in Los Angeles. Ms Baevsky—who says she cooks for royalty, sports stars and actors—made sure to record herself serving the pizza, lest anyone think it was satire. Known online as Chef Bae, she is part of a batch of private chefs offering their followers a chance to ogle opulence. Private chefs serve up their recipes with a side of celebrity intrigue. They give fans tours of gargantuan fridges and record trips to fancy food shops such as Erewhon and Citarella. Ms Baevsky says a client spent $20,000 to send her across the world to fetch some favourite chocolate and nuts. Emily Ruybal serves four-course menus on yachts in the Bahamas. All this draws in viewers: the hashtag #privatechef has been viewed nearly 5bn times on TikTok. In the summer many private chefs head to the Hamptons, an upscale coastal resort near New York. Private chefs such as Meredith Hayden (pictured), whose username is @wishbonekitchen, have gone viral for video diaries of 17-hour catering shifts. According to TikTok the 'Hamptons aesthetic', a style of decor inspired by the luxurious beach houses, is one of the trends of the moment. Menus in the Hamptons typically involve salad leaves rather than gold ones, harvested by hand from immaculate vegetable gardens. As Jill Donenfeld, co-founder of the Culinistas, an American private-chef agency, puts it, clients not only seek 'caviar and lobster' but also simple 'farm-fresh ingredients'. The firm's most popular dish is its 'burrata bar', in which the creamy cheese is heaped with toppings such as prosciutto, peaches and pistachios. Some clients ask chefs to make the dishes served at their favourite restaurants. The industry has benefited from its viral moment. The Culinistas, which pairs households with chefs, says business in the Hamptons this summer is up by 40% on the year before. (It costs around $50,000 to hire one of their chefs for the season.) The rich and famous are seeking out chefs they see on their Instagram feeds. In turn, private cheffing—a career long seen as inferior to chefs de cuisine—is being taken more seriously by culinarians. Yet not much is private about TikTok's private chefs. In a business that often demands discretion, Ms Baevsky notes how 'fun' it is to make videos with Hollywood clients such as Emma Roberts and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Some chefs are now celebrities themselves. Ms Hayden's 'The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook' is a bestseller. She has quit the long shifts and bought her own house in the Hamptons. Perhaps, in time, she will hire a private chef.
Economist
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Economist
Private chefs are spilling the culinary secrets of the super-rich
Culture | World in a dish Photograph: Getty Images 'M y celebrity client wants a $2,000 pizza,' Brooke Baevsky, a private chef, tells the camera. How do you prepare such a pie? Add lashings of caviar, figs and manuka honey, then dust everything with 24-carat gold flakes, which are tasteless in both senses of the word. Our titles this week use old ideas in new ways The region, associated with a relaxed way of life, has become a marketing tool It is not just 'The Pilgrim's Progress' and works by Ayn Rand Organised puritans are invading school libraries The Addams family has a secret—but it is not what you think Holiday-makers love them. So do storytellers
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The herb linked to reduced inflammation, lower anxiety, and reduced blood sugar
Cilantro is a polarizing herb. People either love it or hate it. For many, a sprig of cilantro can add much-needed flavor to a salad or in homemade guacamole. For others with a certain gene, it just tastes like soap. "It is estimated that four to 14 percent of the U.S. population has this genetic variation, making cilantro taste like soap," Brooke Baevsky, a private chef and CEO of In the Kitchen with Chef Bae, previously told "For everyone else, the leafy green tastes like a fresh herb." But, eating cilantro can provide you with some surprising health benefits. For one, including it in your diet can help to reduce inflammation that may result in autoimmune, neurodegenerative, gastrointestinal, and heart diseases, as well as certain cancers. Together, inflammatory diseases account for more than half of all deaths globally, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Rich in vitamin C, the plant, which produces coriander as well, has compounds that researchers say act as antioxidants. 'Due to the bioactivities of coriander extract, this herb can be considered a valuable functional food against obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes,' Italian researchers said in a 2023 study. It can also fight high blood sugar, which is one of the causes of inflammation. If you have diabetes, high blood sugar can trigger an immune response that damages tissues, nerves, and the heart. 'Type 2 diabetes and inflammation are intricately connected, with each condition exacerbating the other,' the University of Utah explained. Other research has pointed to cilantro as an effective tool for delaying epileptic seizures. 'Specifically, we found one component of cilantro, called dodecenal, binds to a specific part of the potassium channels to open them, reducing cellular excitability. This specific discovery is important as it may lead to more effective use of cilantro as an anticonvulsant, or to modifications of dodecenal to develop safer and more effective anticonvulsant drugs,' explained Dr. Geoff Abbott, a professor at U.C. Irvine, explained. While cilantro is a boon for the brain, it also comes with potential positive mental health effects. One animal study suggests that it may be as effective as Valium at reducing symptoms of anxiety. Although, more research is needed to understand how that may manifest in humans. Cilantro has been consumed for at least 8,000 years, and was found in the tomb of Egyptian King Tutankhamen. One of the oldest known herbs, its was used in Chinese potions, who believed it to provide immortality, according to the University of Wisconsin. While eating cilantro may not make you immortal, Abbott said it also has reported anti-bacterial effects. 'And, the best part is it tastes good!' he exclaimed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The herb linked to reduced inflammation, lower anxiety, and reduced blood sugar
Cilantro is a polarizing herb. People either love it or hate it. For many, a sprig of cilantro can add much-needed flavor to a salad or in homemade guacamole. For others with a certain gene, it just tastes like soap. "It is estimated that four to 14 percent of the U.S. population has this genetic variation, making cilantro taste like soap," Brooke Baevsky, a private chef and CEO of In the Kitchen with Chef Bae, previously told "For everyone else, the leafy green tastes like a fresh herb." But, eating cilantro can provide you with some surprising health benefits. For one, including it in your diet can help to reduce inflammation that may result in autoimmune, neurodegenerative, gastrointestinal, and heart diseases, as well as certain cancers. Together, inflammatory diseases account for more than half of all deaths globally, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Rich in vitamin C, the plant, which produces coriander as well, has compounds that researchers say act as antioxidants. 'Due to the bioactivities of coriander extract, this herb can be considered a valuable functional food against obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes,' Italian researchers said in a 2023 study. It can also fight high blood sugar, which is one of the causes of inflammation. If you have diabetes, high blood sugar can trigger an immune response that damages tissues, nerves, and the heart. 'Type 2 diabetes and inflammation are intricately connected, with each condition exacerbating the other,' the University of Utah explained. Other research has pointed to cilantro as an effective tool for delaying epileptic seizures. 'Specifically, we found one component of cilantro, called dodecenal, binds to a specific part of the potassium channels to open them, reducing cellular excitability. This specific discovery is important as it may lead to more effective use of cilantro as an anticonvulsant, or to modifications of dodecenal to develop safer and more effective anticonvulsant drugs,' explained Dr. Geoff Abbott, a professor at U.C. Irvine, explained. While cilantro is a boon for the brain, it also comes with potential positive mental health effects. One animal study suggests that it may be as effective as Valium at reducing symptoms of anxiety. Although, more research is needed to understand how that may manifest in humans. Cilantro has been consumed for at least 8,000 years, and was found in the tomb of Egyptian King Tutankhamen. One of the oldest known herbs, its was used in Chinese potions, who believed it to provide immortality, according to the University of Wisconsin. While eating cilantro may not make you immortal, Abbott said it also has reported anti-bacterial effects. 'And, the best part is it tastes good!' he exclaimed.
