Daily Inspiration: Meet Suzy Bauer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzy Bauer.

Hi Suzy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Suzy, I am an Australian Chef and Businesswoman living in Los Angeles, California. I am the Head Chef and Owner of YouAreTheRecipe. YouAreTheRecipe is a Private Catering and Meal Prep service based in Beverly Hills. We host private events, complete with three courses, fine dining service and a theme. We also offer a meal prep service that we deliver to 6 regular clients on a weekly basis, with a new menu coming out monthly. Many of our clients are professional athletes, so the meal prep delivery schedule can vary during the off-season. For our private events – we aim to take the stress and obligation of hosting off the client and take care of everything from setup/sanitization, service, specific food requests and create any type of mood or atmosphere that the client is aiming for.

The journey of YouAreTheRecipe is an interesting one! I first came to America when I was 19 years old, living and working as an AuPair for a former Private Chef turned Flight Attendant. I had always been the cook of our family, catering small gatherings and family events from the age of 14; but this live-in experience taught me so much about service, fine dining, trying new flavors, textures and service styles. I traveled extensively with my host family and was able to experience Michelin-star restaurants from all around the world, strengthening my passion for incredible food and seamless service. Fast forward to 2015, I immigrated to the U.S. and began working at an esteemed personal injury law firm in downtown Philadelphia. Cooking still being my passion, I held cooking classes once a month at my home in South Philly. Teaching up to ten students how to make pasta from scratch, bake a whole fish, classic English roast dinners, Valentine’s desserts night, etc. During Covid in October 2020, our Philadelphia Office closed, giving me the option to move to our head office in Little Rock, Arkansas – OR – pursue my career in the food and service industry.

So in November of 2020, I began selling everything I owned and moved to Los Angeles to launch my business. After moving and getting settled, YouAreTheRecipe was officially launched in April of 2021, with some of my first clients being players and staff members from the Detroit Pistons, and Los Angeles Chargers. I have been successful in servicing professional athletes and health-conscious clients since the launch of my business due to our flexible delivery schedule, macro-based meal planning using only organic and locally sourced ingredients and our professionalism. Today – I am working on releasing my first cooking eBook, cooking around 35 hours per week for our consistent meal prep clients, confirming private event bookings up to August 2023, and working part-time under contract cooking for a wonderful family in Playa Del Ray.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have learnt that anything that’s worth it is never easy! And that has rung very true to both my personal and professional life. Sourcing specific and exotic ingredients to meet client’s needs is definitely a struggle at times, but is part of the ups and downs of food service and supply/demand. Moving to another country, and then another state, on my own has certainly been difficult at times, but I am really grateful of the supportive team behind me and my wonderful clients. Although from the outside looking in, my fairly sudden success after moving to Los Angeles may seem like it happened overnight, but in reality, this has been around six years and my life savings in the making. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into securing a new client, making sure their macro and dietary requirements are met, and cooking/delivering based on their schedule. However, no matter the struggles, this is the most passionate and fulfilling role I have ever been in.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We specialize in private full-service pop-up events, drop-off catering and macro-based meal prep! Every pop-up event we host is customized and themed. Myself and my service staff are experts in catering to something as classic as a 3-hour romantic birthday dinner for two, to a family reunion with 2 meals a day for 3 consecutive days – we do it all! What truly sets us apart from others is our ability and willingness to customize anything in order to suit our client’s needs. We really strive to create an atmosphere of happiness and hospitality for each one of our client’s events, making sure they have the best dining and service experience possible; even for our drop-off catering and meal prep delivery, with each meal you can taste the love and effort that went into it.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
People are always surprised at my ability to recreate cuisines from different cultures from around the world. Sometimes I still surprise myself, too! I am able to read a recipe once, or taste a dish once, then decipher the flavor pallet used and recreate it. Jerk Chicken is one of my favorite foods, I love testing my cooking ability to recreate foods as authentically as I can to respect their origin.

Pricing:

• Private, Pop-Up Dinner/Brunch – from $85 pp
• Drop Off Catering – $35 – $75 per tray
• Weekly Meal Prep – $15 – $19 per lunchbox or platter
• Weekly Meal Prep *DAILY DEALS* – 6 Lunchbox for $75 / 6 Platter for $100

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected])
• Instagram: @youaretherecipe
• Other: TikTok – @youaretherecipeusa
• Phone Number: 562-221-7947