Meet Chloe Chappe | Private chef, food writer, and zine maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chloe Chappe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chloe, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Balance is definitely important to me as a private chef with a freelance schedule. My work/life balance is always changing. I’m schedule and routine oriented and always try to carve out time for rest and socializing. But sometimes work comes up at the last minute or a client has a schedule change and the time I’ve set aside for friends or rest, gets pushed to the side which can set off my equilibrium a bit. I do enjoy that I have flexibility and the option to choose when I work. I’m my own boss at the end of the day and that is both a blessing and curse in moments where I am the only person who can make the right choice. Which is where my equilibrium comes in handy – my work ethic, rest and socializing benefits me, body and mind.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I create in a few different mediums – cooking, writing, and zine making. Cooking is my main and most active creative practice. It’s an art that is all about the process of creating and experience of sharing it. The effect lies in the memory that it creates. I find a lot of joy in hosting, feeding, and sharing. I’ve been hosting pop-up dinners and lunches once a year since 2016 and the planning of those events is always one of the most exciting parts of my year creatively. I feel proud when I look back on each menu and see how I’ve grown as a chef and as a host.

My zine making practice is connected to my cooking – they are tangible versions of how I express my artistic ideas. I love all things analog and want to create records of memories not in the digital realm. I see my zines are my baby steps towards a cookbook that I hope to write one day.

Moonbeam Kitchen is my private chef business as well as the project through which I release my zines and host pop-ups. I’ve been developing these different prongs of creativity and work over the years and it makes me happy to see how they all come together.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love to be an LA tour guide for friends visiting! I would take my friend to go see a movie at one of the revival theaters in LA like Vidiot’s or any theater with programming by American Cinematheque. For food, we would go to get tacos at Sonoratown, a delicious meal at Quarter Sheets, have ice cream at Awan, a glass of wine at Cafe Triste, try some pastries at Petitgrain and then more pastries at Bakers Bench enjoying the garden. I love to take guests to book stores, so I would want to go to Now Serving to look at cookbooks, Arcana to look at art books, and peruse the books at Sideshow Books and chat with Tony, the owner. I go to the Hollywood Farmers Market every Sunday and always love to take friends in town. And for nature, I would go for a walk around the Hollywood Reservoir and a hike at Franklin Canyon.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my private chef community of women! They’ve taught me so much about this industry and have been a constant source of support and information over the years. I’ve met each of them working together in kitchens and at private events and now have a group of friends that just happen to be colleagues as well.

Website: https://moonbeamkitchen.com

Instagram: @moonbeam_kitchen

Image Credits
Image 1 by Emily Feretti
Images 2, 3, and 8 are by Lauren Lotz
Images 4 is by Lauren Tom
Images 5, 6, and 7 are by me