Alumni Spotlight: Brooke Baevsky

Welcome to another installment of our Birthright Israel BEYOND Alumni Spotlight series. In this series, we look at our alumni’s “then and now” lives, celebrating their accomplishments, passions, and contributions to the world. We knew from the moment these remarkable young adults embarked on their Taglit-Birthright Israel journeys that they would walk diverse paths, forever making a positive impact on their communities and “beyond.”

In this edition, we had the pleasure of speaking with Brooke Baevsky, also known as @ChefBae. You might recognize her from her appearance on “Baking with Bubby” or our blog on Jewish influencers. 

Kosher Roots to Culinary Heights

Massachusetts native and Los Angeles import, Brooke Baevsky is a 2018 Taglit-Birthright Israel alum who is taking the culinary world by storm. 

As a private, celebrity chef, Baevsky reimagines classic dishes (like matzoh ball soup), and creates meals that are both delicious and healthful. Her recipes are largely plant-based, with generous amounts of leafy greens and fresh produce. Her client base includes stars like John Legend and Mindy Kaling; she has done Goop kitchen takeovers; and she has partnered with some of the largest food and beverage companies, including Starbucks and Nestle. 

Baevsky’s Jewish roots impacted her career path from day one. Growing up in a kosher home, Israeli and traditionally Jewish cuisine play a big part in the dishes—after all, Za’atar is her all-time favorite spice. The Trip

When Baevsky embarked on her Taglit-Birthright Israel trip in May 2018, it felt like a homecoming. Her friends, family, and fellow community members had all been on Taglit-Birthright Israel trips. Finally, it was her turn. 

“It is very much instilled in me, and there’s something so special about the Jewish community.”

She shared that, on Taglit-Birthright, she had “such an amazing trip and loved connecting with fellow Jewish people.” 

“I love the morals and the values of the Jewish culture and learning from Jews all over the world.” During her travels on Taglit-Birthright, she connected with other food-focused Jews. Lifelong Bonds

Baevsky bonded with her fellow trip mates—especially the foodies—and still meets with several of them whenever she’s on the East Coast. 

“Whenever I’m in New York City we always get dinner. They are some of my closest friends that I met on the Birthright trip.”

The squad breaks bread and enjoys reminiscing about their trip, discussing their careers, and catching up. These connections have not only enriched Baevsky’s personal life, they’ve also helped her build professional connections. 

“Some of them work for media companies—food technology companies—ones like Food Insider, which is amazing. And then a year or two after our Birthright trip, I ended up doing a feature with Food Insider, so, everything came full circle. It was a complete coincidence but you never know where people will pop up back in your professional career. Everyone on the trip was so driven and had a different career path. It was very interesting to network, too.”

Jewish people with common interests are bound to form bonds when their shared passions—in addition to being Jewish—are brought out and celebrated. Clearly, it was meant to be.

From Farm to Table: Tikkun Olam

One of the guiding principles of Judaism is Tikkun Olam, which roughly translates to “repairing the world.” And Israel takes repairing the world seriously, as a leader in Foodtech and Aggrotech 

Food is an appropriate vessel for Tikkun Olam because it is literally the energy that people ingest, and Baevsky’s time in Israel helped her understand the importance of the relationship between people and food, inspiring her to become a farm-to-table advocate and enthusiast.

“Israel is amazing…the food innovation and technology that I learned about on my trip.” Baevsky shares enthusiastically, explaining that they have everything from “environmentally friendly irrigation systems to incredible farming technology.”

“How they feed the entire population is outstanding.” She went on. “I learned so much about food supply chain cooking for the planet and for the people and I’m taking that with me. Throughout my career so much of my mantra as a chef is limiting the distance between farm and table. So how can we support our local businesses from proteins to produce very much? That is really the mentality and respecting the seasons.”

In Massachusetts, where Baevsky grew up, 25% to 30% of the population suffers from food insecurity. For Baevsky—who views food as a love language and a means to achieve health—the reality of her privilege was always top of mind for her. 

She has started several nonprofits, including the Henry Street Settlement as part of an after-school program for inner city children. “While a lot of the content that I put out is this expensive-recipe content for the wealthiest, most notable people, the concept of food insecurity to tikkun olam [is really close to her heart].”

Brooke Baevsky, Chef Bae, and Beyond

In addition to her trend-worthy and oftentimes viral content, Baevsky has a portfolio of partnerships. “I work with amazing health and wellness companies to do in-person events. I do partnership content across social media, which is really, really fun.” 

And when she “truly loves” a brand, she will invest. Food development, chef jumpsuits (coming out soon), and continuing to build her personal brand are all in the works for Baevsky, and a cooking TV show on a major network is in her five-year plan. 

As for restaurant recommendations, here are a few of hers:

• In Los Angeles, Craig’s
• In Tel Aviv, Cafe Bucke
• In New York, DOMODOMO for a dairy-free tahini soft-serve sundae. (Brooke is an ice cream gal.)

It was such a pleasure connecting with Brooke Baevsky about her Taglit-Birthright Israel experience, impressions of Israel, and how her time in Israel continues to impact her everyday life. We loved hearing about her love for farm-to-table food, her approach to Tikkun Olam, upcoming new beginnings, and more!