Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Nicole Lee of West Hollywood

We recently had the chance to connect with Nicole Lee and have shared our conversation below.

Nicole , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me is a mix of creative work, operations, and client communication. My mornings usually start with reviewing menus, checking in with chefs on my team, and confirming logistics for upcoming services. Things like grocery lists, dietary preferences, and schedules. I’m very hands-on with ensuring everything runs smoothly before a chef ever steps into a client’s home.

A big part of my role is overseeing operations confirming menus, aligning on dietary needs, reviewing grocery plans, handling invoicing, and ensuring everything runs smoothly on the backend. I work closely with my chefs, who customize menus based on each client’s preferences and dietary goals. I stay involved at a high level to make sure everything aligns with our brand and standards.

I also spend time on business development and brand partnerships, content strategy, and administrative work like contracts and client onboarding. Some days include filming or planning content when it aligns with partnerships or brand work, but overall my role has shifted into leadership, systems, and growth. Making sure the chefs are supported and clients feel taken care of from start to finish.

No two days look exactly the same, but the constant is creating structure behind the scenes so our chefs can focus on cooking and our clients can enjoy a seamless, personalized experience.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Nicole, the founder of Eats by Nicole. I started off as a personal chef, cooking all of the meals myself and working closely one-on-one with clients in their homes. Over time, as demand grew, I realized I wanted to build something bigger than just myself in the kitchen.

Today, Eats by Nicole is a team of professionally trained chefs who share the same values I do, high-quality ingredients, thoughtful cooking, and meals that feel both nourishing and enjoyable. We specialize in in-home meal prep and intimate dinner parties, creating highly personalized experiences tailored to each client’s lifestyle and dietary needs. I oversee the operations, client experience, and overall culinary standards to ensure every service reflects our brand.

What makes our work unique is the balance between structure and personalization. Each menu is custom-designed by our chefs based on the client, rather than being pulled from a fixed rotation, which allows us to provide a truly elevated, full-service experience.

We’ve grown from our original home base in Los Angeles to serving clients throughout Orange County, and we’re preparing to expand to the East Coast in the new year, with plans to launch in New Jersey and New York City. Right now, I’m focused on scaling thoughtfully, building strong chef teams, refining systems, and continuing to raise the bar for what in-home personal chef services can look like.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
A part of me that has served its purpose and that I’m actively learning to release is the belief that I had to do everything myself in order for it to be done “right.”

In the early days of my career as a personal chef, that mindset was necessary. I was the one cooking every meal, managing every client, and personally executing every detail. It allowed me to build trust, refine my standards, and deeply understand what makes a great experience.

But as my business has grown into a team-based company, holding onto that level of control was no longer sustainable or supportive of growth. Releasing it has meant learning to trust, empower, and lead a team of chefs who share the same values, care, and commitment to quality that my brand was built on.

This shift has required me to step into a different version of myself. One rooted in leadership, clarity, and confidence rather than overextension. Letting go of the “I must do it all” version of me has created space for the business, the team, and myself to evolve in a healthier, more aligned way.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear that held me back the most was self-doubt. For much of my life, I had a strong intuition that cooking was my calling, but I didn’t fully trust it. I was afraid of failing, of not being “good enough,” and of walking away from a more traditional path for something that felt risky and creative.

It wasn’t until my early 30s that I finally allowed myself to commit to cooking professionally and change career paths. Even now, as the business has grown, I still experience imposter syndrome at times. But I’ve learned that doubt doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path. Often, it’s just a sign that you’re growing and pushing yourself into something bigger than what’s familiar.

Learning to move forward despite that doubt has been one of the most important parts of my journey, and it’s ultimately what allowed both me and my business to evolve.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
I don’t believe the saying “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” I think it’s a bit misleading. You can deeply love what you do and still feel tired, overwhelmed, or burned out at times. Passion doesn’t cancel out hard work, if anything, it often intensifies it.

When you’re driven by passion rather than necessity, you tend to push yourself harder, care more deeply, and pour more of yourself into the work. That can be incredibly fulfilling, but it also requires boundaries, support systems, and self-awareness to sustain it long term. Loving what you do makes the challenges worth it, it doesn’t make them disappear.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I usually know I’m out of my depth when there’s suddenly a lot more to learn than I initially expected. But instead of seeing that as a negative, I’ve learned to view it as a signal that I’m growing.

Cooking and running a culinary business is a career of constant learning. There’s always a new dietary need, technique, method, or operational challenge to understand. When everything feels unfamiliar at once, that’s often when I pause, zoom out, and remind myself that learning curves are part of the process, not a failure of it.

When that feeling hits, I try to break things down into smaller, more digestible steps so it doesn’t become overwhelming. I focus on what I can learn or solve first, and take it one piece at a time. Over time, I’ve realized that feeling “out of my depth” usually means I’m stepping into something meaningful, and those moments tend to lead to the most growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eatsbynicole.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eats.bynicole/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eatsbynicole
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eatsbynicole
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/eats-by-nicole-los-angeles?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EatsbyNicole