6 private chefs who are almost as famous as their celebrity clients: from the Kardashians’ TikTok-famous Filipina ‘Chef K’, to Beyoncé’s cuisinier Mike Shand and Madonna’s family chef Pia Hambour

May 1, 2024

Khristianne Uy, Kelly Ruben and Kenny Gilbert are private chefs to the stars – and famous in their own right. Photos: @chefk; @diningbykelly, @silkiesjax/Instagram

It’s not surprising the likes of Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Adele employ private chefs, but in recent years – thanks to social media – the cooks themselves have become stars

From TikTok-famous Brooke Baevsky, aka ‘Chef Bae’, to chef Pia Hambour, who had to prove to Gordon Ramsay she was Madonna’s chef by giving the star a call, here are the names you need to know

If you’re a millionaire star juggling several projects, children and fittings for your next red carpet event, the one thing you probably don’t have much time for is meal prep. Enter the personal chef, whose only job is to keep you fed on the most delicious – and nutritious – meals possible.

The reason celebrities need private chefs: Kendall Jenner’s cucumber cutting skills left a lot to be desired, as seen in a 2022 episode of The Kardashians. Photo: @enews/Instagram

That’s right: everyone from Beyoncé to Kim Kardashian has a private chef, but in recent years something has happened to bring these cooks into the spotlight … TikTok. The platform’s userbase has fallen in love with the behind-the-scenes insights of chefs to the stars, who share everything from recipes to shopping trips, and occasionally drop hints about who they’re cooking for, too.

So which private chefs have gained fame just like their celebrity clients?

1. Khristianne Uy

Chef K has revealed that the Kardashian-Jenner family usually indulges in a grilled cheese sandwich. Photo: @chefkla/Instagram

Better known as Chef K on TikTok and Instagram, Uy began cooking for Kris Jenner, but gradually transitioned to feeding Kylie, Khloé, Kourtney and Kim too, according to the Huffington Post.

Sometimes they’re like, ‘Ah, chef, you’ve been here 21 hours, but can you whip up another late-night snack?’

Khristianne Uy

Originally from the Philippines, 42-year-old Uy now has almost 193,000 followers on TikTok at the time of writing, and recently revealed what it was like to work for the Kardashians – though the family didn’t come off in the most flattering light.

“Sometimes they’re like, ‘Ah, chef, you’ve been here 21 hours, but can you whip up another late-night snack?’” she told Page Six in February. She also revealed that Kourtney is vegan, Kim hates coriander, and Kendall can’t eat spicy peppers.