How a Cleveland Girl Built the Chef Bae® Brand

Every brand has a story.

For Chef Bae Sherri Smith, that story began in Cleveland, Ohio.

Long before the cookbooks, catering events, celebrity clients, social media followers, and Chef Bae® products, there was simply a love for food and a desire to serve people through cooking.

Over time, that passion evolved into a career spanning more than two decades and eventually became the foundation of the Chef Bae® brand.

Growing Up in Cleveland

Cleveland played an important role in shaping Chef Bae Sherri Smith's early appreciation for food and community.

Like many families, meals were often connected to:

• Family Gatherings

• Holiday Traditions

• Sunday Dinners

• Celebrations

• Community Events

These experiences helped create an understanding that food has the power to bring people together.

Turning Passion Into a Career

As Chef Bae gained experience in the culinary industry, cooking evolved from a personal passion into a professional career.

Her work eventually expanded into:

• Private Chef Services

• Catering

• Recipe Development

• Cookbook Publishing

• Content Creation

• Culinary Products

• Culinary Education

Each step created new opportunities to grow both personally and professionally.

Moving to Atlanta

Atlanta eventually became home and played a significant role in expanding the Chef Bae® brand.

The city's strong food culture, entrepreneurial community, and entertainment industry created opportunities to connect with clients, brands, creators, and culinary professionals.

Atlanta also provided opportunities to grow as a chef and entrepreneur while reaching new audiences.

The Rise of Social Media

As social media platforms grew, Chef Bae began sharing recipes, food content, cooking techniques, and culinary inspiration with audiences online.

Over time, this content reached millions of people around the world, building a community of more than 3 million followers and generating billions of video views.

What began as sharing food eventually became a platform for education, entertainment, and community.

Building the Chef Bae® Brand

As the audience grew, the business continued expanding.

Today, the Chef Bae® brand includes:

• Cookbooks

• Seasonings

• Sauces

• Recipes

• Catering Services

• Private Chef Experiences

• Digital Products

• Educational Resources

Each part of the brand reflects the same mission: bringing people together through great food and hospitality.

Becoming a Federally Registered Trademark

As the Chef Bae® brand continued growing, protecting the name became important.

Chef Bae® became a federally registered trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

This milestone represents years of work, creativity, and dedication invested into building the brand.

Staying Connected to Cleveland Roots

Despite building a career in Atlanta, Chef Bae Sherri Smith remains proud of her Cleveland roots.

The values learned early in life, including:

• Hard Work

• Family

• Community

• Hospitality

• Resilience

continue influencing the Chef Bae® brand today.

Looking Toward the Future

The Chef Bae® journey continues evolving.

Future opportunities include expanding culinary products, educational resources, media partnerships, and new ways to connect with the Chef Bae community.

The foundation, however, remains the same:

Great food, authentic connections, and a commitment to serving others.

About Chef Bae Sherri Smith

Chef Bae Sherri Smith is a Cleveland-born, Atlanta-based celebrity private chef, cookbook author, entrepreneur, recipe developer, and founder of the federally registered Chef Bae® brand. With more than 20 years of culinary experience and a social media community of over 3 million followers, she continues inspiring audiences through recipes, cookbooks, catering services, seasonings, sauces, and culinary education.