Chef Susan Irby
Born in Marietta, Georgia, Chef Susan Irby may as well be from Alabama as that is where her fondest memories are from. “My family had an amazing lake cabin in Alabama. It was small and simple, yet we had the best times there. It was there we ended our day of water skiing and playing on the lake by cooking in our bikinis and having dinner. We skied until sunset and were starving. We had no choice! That’s really where “Bikini Cooking” and The Bikini Chef truly began.”
Susan’s chef inspiration came from her mother cooking both at home in Georgia and at the lake. “My mom was a great cook. She taught me not only the basics of cooking but that a healthy plate is a colorful plate. Each night for dinner we would have green, yellow or orange vegetables, white starches and rich proteins like beef, chicken, or pork.”
With her mother’s teachings in her heart, Susan’s passion for cooking took hold. Soon, Susan began working in premiere International restaurants under Master Chefs in Florence, Italy and France. Returning to the United States, Chef Susan began teaching cooking classes for gourmet markets and culinary schools such as Gelson’s, Whole Foods, Chef’s Inc, and Sur La Table as well as preparing dishes for the Women Chefs & Restaurateurs Organization, Young President’s Organization, World President’s Organization, Bloomingdales, Los Angeles Unified School District Nutrition in the Schools program, and Saddleback Valley College, among others.
Because The Bikini Chef loves salmon so much, she even donned a custom made salmon skin bikini to promote salmon as a healthy protein on behalf of the Scottish Quality Salmon board in London, England. “That was such a great experience. I truly do eat salmon nearly everyday so I was thrilled to help Scottish Quality Salmon in their battle to improve the perception of farmed salmon.”
Listen every Sunday on KFWB News Talk 980 at 8p to The Bikini Lifestyle with Susan Irby, The Bikini Chef for gourmet bikini recipes, kitchen and fitness tips… all the tools you need to live your Bikini Lifestyle. Recent guests include Wolfgang Puck, Billy Bush, Joachim Splichal, Divya Gugnani of Behind The Burner, Mireille Guiliano of French Women Don’t Get Fat, and Dr. Murad of Murad Inclusive Health Spa.