Today we’d like to introduce you to Sachiko Baez.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The first time I realized I wanted to be a Chef and own my own restaurant, I was around seven years old. My family would spend the summers at Virginia Beach. Most of my cousins were older than me so I would play restaurant by myself. I’d gone to etiquette school so I knew proper place settings and I would decorate the table. I was the server, the Maître d’, and the busser. One day my Uncle Takashi passed by and noticed what I was doing; he then asked if this was my restaurant. I responded “Yes!”. Soon after, my family caught on and my Japanese grandmother along with my cousins became the customers at my restaurant which my uncle named “Boolie’s Cafe”. I would go around to my aunts and uncles and take their orders. I wasn’t yet old enough to cook in the kitchen, but I watched. I knew from that moment that I wanted to be a Chef with my own restaurant. My Japanese grandmother was my biggest influence. My grandparents met in Japan and fell in love. My grandfather was an African American WW2 Army Vet and was stationed in Japan. My grandmother at age 19 married my grandfather and fled Japan not knowing that she was going to experience segregation in the deep south of Birmingham, Alabama where my grandfather’s family lived. My grandmother taught herself English. She learned Japanese food from her grandmother in Japan and had to learn “soul food” southern cooking for my grandfather. Funny thing, my Japanese grandmother could cook southern food better than anyone and she became known for her cooking everywhere she went. In the early 70’s my grandparents opened a tiny restaurant called The Cherry Blossom. It was the best Asian-American fusion fast-food, take-out joint in town! A hole in the wall with a constant line outside. You know the kind! My great Aunt owns a tea room in Japan.
My Aunt and Uncle, also became restaurant owner’s of Crawdaddy’s in Harrisburg, Pa. My cousin Kyla Crawford owns her own Catering company as well. Surrounded by good cooks in my family, food has always been a huge part of my life. One of my fondest memories is playing a game with my Uncle Hiroshi. We would pull everything out of the refrigerator and attempt to create a new dish. Most things turned out to be really tasty. When I was old enough to start cooking on my own or under supervision, I would bring my little notebook into the kitchen and my Japanese grandmother would tell me all the ingredients she was going to use. Then I would watch her make dinner while taking notes of all the steps she took to create said meal. I am currently working on a family recipe cookbook to keep all of grandmother’s recipes in the family for generations who did not have the opportunity to know her and enjoy her great meals. During my high school years I was certain that I wanted to be a pastry chef. I still love to bake sweets but that quickly changed when I attended culinary school. I grew up in Pasadena. In high school, I took a tour of Le Cordon Bleu Pasadena. Julia Childs was from Pasadena so I never looked further than Le Cordon Bleu for my culinary education. The school’s incentive at the time was: maintain an A average for the opportunity to have a chance of helping Wolfgang Puck at the Oscar awards. I was sold! I dreamt of the day where I could work for Wolfgang Puck at the Oscars. After High School I went straight to culinary school. I wanted to get out of California for a change so I decided to go to Le Cordon Bleu in Atlanta, Georgia thinking the same Oscar’s opportunity would be there. I was disappointed to find out there was no offer to work for Wolfgang Puck at the Atlanta school. Nevertheless, I was determined to get back to California and work for WP. During my last days in culinary school, my teacher asked what I had planned for my future. I told him that I was going back to Los Angeles to work for Wolfgang Puck. He looked at me and laughed. He then said, “Ha! Wolfgang Puck would never hire your black a**.” This comment only gave fuel to my fire. I returned to Los Angeles, the stars aligned and I landed an internship with Wolfgang Puck Catering for six months under the mentorship of Matt Bencivenga. After my internship, I was hired on as a cook. I worked several Oscar Awards, blockbuster movie premiers, Emmy Awards, Writer’s Guild Awards, and the list went on. I became a traveling cook with the WP catering group. When I turned 21, I crossed over to Wolfgang Puck fine dining under the mentorship of Lee Hefter. The first restaurant I worked in was an Asian fusion at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood called Red 7. At the time it had been Wolfgang’s seventh restaurant.
From there, I traveled and worked in New Jersey at the Borgata Hotel at Wolfgang Puck American Grille. I then moved back to California and worked at Spago Beverly Hills and became a part of the opening team for Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at LA Live. From there, I became part of the opening team for Hotel Bel-Air where I stayed and worked my way up the ranks becoming the first African American female Chef in Wolfgang Puck’s Fine Dining West Coast Region. (I sure hope that teacher is reading this!) Due to Covid-19 pandemic, restaurants started closing and indoor dining restricted. Like many, restaurant staff, I too had been laid off from work. The fall/winter of 2020, I decided to create Lily Bea’z Catering. Named after my daughter Sayuri, which means “Beautiful little Lily” in Japanese. The idea behind Lily Bea’z was to bring “fine” dining delivered to the safety of your home. I offered Holiday & Special Occasion meals for families through a take-out/delivery, contactless or private chef service. I only use the highest quality ingredients. The meat, seafood and produce, all the same quality you would enjoy from 5 star or Michelin Star fine dining restaurants and in the comfort of your own home. Business was non-stop over the holiday season through to Valentine’s Day. I offered Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, NYE meals for intimate gatherings delivered to the home. Business was a success! Families that suffered so much loss and devastation during the pandemic found my catering to be comforting and a blessing (comments from customers). Doing what I absolutely LOVE and filling homes with delicious homecooked meals brought me joy! During such a dark and difficult time, catering and being of service, keeps me busy and helps me navigate through the challenges of the pandemic. I’ve also enjoyed hosting safe, contactless pop-ups on the weekends around town selling my jazzy Gumbo and homemade Lemonade. I’ve received so much support from family and friends and made new customers for life! It is wonderful how we all come together and find ways to work with restrictions during the pandemic. I am truly grateful to everyone who has supported my catering business.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would say the most challenging for me was being a woman in the kitchen. I was often the only woman, let alone African American in the kitchen. It was hard to find my way at times. Though through my experiences, however challenging, they have shown me that I can overcome obstacles set before me, trailblaze and become a leader and an inspiration. As I’ve grown as a person, I see how nothing can really take my power away. My personal growth gives me peace of mind so I can be the best version of myself no matter where I’m at or what I’m doing.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I love being a chef and creating food that warms people’s hearts and fills them with a memorable culinary experience. I am so grateful for my many mentors, peers and the world class training I received. I am a traveling foodie both domestic and abroad. Travel has influenced the diversity and versatility of my talents as a chef.
If my story and my work, inspires, then that is one of the greatest rewards I can ask for. I look forward to getting back to life without the restrictions caused by the pandemic. Showcasing my culinary talents, sharing my love for cooking and continue to create great, lasting, collaborations in the culinary world is my most exciting focus at the moment.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love Los Angeles! The diversity, the creativity, the vibe. Los Angeles lets you find yourself, or lose yourself in a cool way, that is. No reason to ever feel “stuck” in a rut. Except for, of course, LA traffic! You can do or create whatever you want here. I believe Los Angeles offers so much opportunity for so many. I always make my way back here, because there is no place like LA.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Lilybeazcatering
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Lilybeazcatering
