Brooke Siem is an award-winning chef, consultant, and writer with 15 years in the food & restaurant industry. She specializes in custom meal planning & preparation for professional athletes and elite performers, as well as research & development for CPG startups.
Her other accomplishments include winning Food Network’s “Chopped,” co-owning New York City’s Prohibition Bakery from 2011-2017, and being named as one of Zagat’s 30 Under 30 Culinary Game Changers (back when she was under 30.)
She lives wherever the work takes her.
Background
Born in Nevada, Brooke’s first introduction to cooking came as a toddler, when she served her parents a hearty stew of mud, grass, and pond water. This seedling of a gesture would eventually grow into a lifelong connection with food and nourishment.
After graduating from Middlebury College in 2008, Brooke moved to New York City and attended the Institute of Culinary Education. While in school, she talked her way into the kitchen at Bar Boulud and began toiling away in the basement, sautéing lardons and shucking oysters. When a coveted opening appeared at WD~50, Brooke jumped at the opportunity to learn cutting edge techniques in a Michelin star kitchen.
When the harsh environment of restaurant life began to take its toll, Brooke spent a season winemaking in Long Island’s North Fork. This introduction to the world of wine and spirits—and hundreds of hours experimenting in her kitchen—would eventually lead to Brooke to create her next venture, Prohibition Bakery.
Specializing in boozy cupcakes, Prohibition Bakery opened its doors in the Lower East Side in 2012. It quickly became the go-to establishment for upscale events, garnering press and accolades from the New York Post, Giada De Laurentes, Forbes, and more. In 2014, Brooke and her co-founder were named as one of Zagat’s 30 Under 30. In 2015, they published a cookbook based on the bakery, Prohibition Bakery.
In 2017, after winning Food Network’s “Chopped” (Season 32, Episode 6) Brooke sold her half of the bakery and left New York City. She spent a year traveling around the world, cooking with grandmothers along the way. This time—along with personal experience with antidepressant withdrawal—inspired Brooke’s second book, May Cause Side Effects.
Upon returning to North America, Brooke pivoted to food writing and recipe development for clients like EatingWell Magazine, Tasting Table, and ButcherBox. From 2018 to 2021, she was the lead recipe developer for Working Against Gravity, an athlete-focused personalized nutrition company.
Today, Brooke specializes in private performance cooking for professional athletes. This elite service is designed to support professional athletes both in and out of season, ensuring that they have the custom nutrition required to perform at the highest level—all shipped right to their door, no live in chef required.
Because of the bespoke nature of this work, Brooke only takes a handful of select clients per season. To inquire about Brooke’s availability, click here.