Today we’d like to introduce you to Erynn LaRae.
Hi Erynn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in a small town in New Mexico called Carlsbad, where I always dreamed of living in a bigger city and creating a life filled with more opportunities and experiences. I’ve always been a lover of creativity, people, food, and new experiences. I was a competitive dancer my entire life and also cheered, which taught me discipline, confidence, and how to connect with an audience from a young age.
I eventually moved to Texas and attended Texas Tech University, where I studied Digital Media and Entrepreneurship. After college, I moved to Austin and completely fell in love with the city. I got my Texas real estate license and have worked in real estate ever since, which gave me a strong foundation in entrepreneurship, networking, and building relationships. I also began modeling shortly after moving to Austin, which allowed me to continue pursuing my creative side and build experience in front of the camera.
Along the way, I also worked as a Platinum-level nanny and childcare specialist, which taught me so much about responsibility, communication, patience, and caring for others.
Eventually, I started pursuing my passion for food more seriously and began as a home chef. That passion grew into becoming a professional chef here in Austin, while also building my career as a food and dining creator and restaurant reviewer. In 2025, I was a finalist for Next Favorite Chef, which was such an exciting milestone and really reinforced that I was on the right path with my culinary journey.
Today, social media has become a major part of my career and how I make a living. I create food, dining, lifestyle, and Austin-focused content, work with brands and restaurants, and share experiences with the community I’ve built here. I’ve been able to turn my love for food, storytelling, creativity, and entrepreneurship into a career that feels genuinely true to who I am.
Outside of my career, I’m incredibly grateful for the life I’ve built personally. I have such a loving and supportive family, a wonderful partner who loves and supports me, and my little Pomeranian, Louis Vuitton, who I’m completely obsessed with. He is truly my baby and such a big part of my life.
I think what makes my journey unique is that I’ve had so many different experiences that have shaped me—from growing up in a small town, to dancing and cheering, studying digital media and entrepreneurship, modeling, working in real estate and childcare, and eventually becoming a chef and creator. Austin has really become home for me, and I’m proud of the community I’ve built here through my love of food, people, creativity, and this city.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Honestly, my journey has been a pretty positive one. I wouldn’t say everything has always been easy, but I’ve been very fortunate to receive a lot of encouragement, positive feedback, and support along the way. Moving from a small town in New Mexico to Austin was a big step for me, but Austin has been incredibly welcoming.
I also feel extremely blessed to have such an amazing support system behind me. My family has always encouraged me to pursue my dreams and supported me through every chapter, and having that foundation has made such a difference. I’m incredibly grateful to have people in my life who genuinely believe in me and celebrate the things I’m building.
As I’ve grown as a chef and food creator, I’ve been especially grateful for the community I’ve built here. People have been so supportive of my content, my culinary journey, and the restaurants and experiences I share. I’ve definitely had moments where I’ve had to figure things out as I went and learn how to balance all of the different things I do, but I’ve always viewed those moments as opportunities to grow rather than major obstacles.
Overall, I feel very lucky that my journey has been surrounded by so much positivity. I think staying genuine, working hard, and being open to learning has helped me continue to grow while enjoying the process. I truly feel blessed with the support system and community I have around me, and I don’t take that for granted.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work is really centered around my love for food, creativity, entrepreneurship, and creating experiences around dining. I’m the founder of The Boujee Foodie, where I share restaurant reviews, food experiences, recipes, and lifestyle content with my community. I’ve built my platform around discovering and showcasing great food while bringing my own personality and perspective into everything I create.
Alongside content creation, I’m also a professional chef and run my own meal prep business, which has allowed me to take my love for cooking beyond social media and build a culinary business around it. I specialize in elevated, approachable dishes, with a particular love for Italian cuisine, and I’m passionate about creating food that feels both beautiful and genuinely delicious. I’m also continuing to grow my modeling career here in Austin, which has been another creative outlet for me and has given me even more experience with branding, photography, storytelling, and working in front of the camera.
One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is being a 2025 Next Favorite Chef finalist. Being recognized in a culinary competition like that was incredibly meaningful because it validated something I had been building toward for a long time and gave me even more confidence in my abilities as a chef.
What I think sets me apart is that I’m truly a woman of many talents. I’ve always been someone who loves exploring different passions and turning them into something meaningful. I’m a chef, food creator, restaurant reviewer, model, entrepreneur, licensed real estate professional, and content creator, and I bring all of those perspectives together. I understand food from the kitchen, but I also understand storytelling, branding, social media, business, real estate, and what makes an experience exciting for an audience.
I think that combination allows me to approach food differently than someone who is solely a creator or solely a chef. I can create the food, tell the story behind it, experience it as a diner, and then turn that experience into something my audience can connect with. My background in real estate has also given me a unique interest in the business side of restaurants and hospitality, and I would love to eventually explore opportunities where I can combine my knowledge of real estate, restaurants, and entrepreneurship.
Looking ahead, one of my biggest goals is to continue building The Boujee Foodie into a recognizable food and lifestyle brand while growing my meal prep business into something much bigger. I want to continue reaching more people in Austin, supporting local restaurants, and eventually expand the brand beyond Austin as well.
Most importantly, I genuinely love what I do. I’ve been able to build a career around the things I’m passionate about, and I think that authenticity is what ultimately sets me apart. Whether I’m cooking, reviewing a restaurant, modeling, creating content, or building a business, I want people to feel my personality and my genuine love for food, creativity, entrepreneurship, and the community I’ve built here in Austin.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Over the next 5–10 years, I see the food and dining industry becoming even more connected to digital media, personal brands, and the experiences people have around food. I think audiences will continue looking for creators they genuinely trust to introduce them to restaurants, chefs, recipes, and new food experiences.
For me, I see that future as an opportunity to continue growing The Boujee Foodie into a much larger food and lifestyle brand. I’ve already started expanding beyond social media through my professional chef work and my curated menu on Shef, where I’m able to share my own dishes with customers in Austin. I would eventually love to publish my own cookbook, create my own food products, host hands-on cooking classes, and continue growing my meal prep business. One of my biggest goals is to build my meal prep business into one of the most recognized and trusted meal prep businesses in Austin, while continuing to reach as much of the Austin community as possible through my restaurant reviews and become a trusted voice in the local dining scene.
One of my biggest goals is to use my platform and success to give back as well. Food is something that brings people together, and I would love to find ways to help people who are food insecure or in need, whether that’s through food donations, community meals, charitable partnerships, or eventually creating programs of my own. I want my career to be about more than just building a brand—I want to be able to use what I build to make a positive difference in people’s lives.
On a personal level, I have so many goals I’m excited to work toward. I would absolutely love to meet and learn from chefs I’ve admired for years, like Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, and Emeril Lagasse. I’d love to learn from them, build relationships within the culinary world, and continue challenging myself as a chef. And who knows—maybe one day I’ll even get the opportunity to be on a cooking show!
I also love to travel, and one of my biggest dreams is to combine my love of food and travel by experiencing food cultures all over the world and sharing those experiences with my audience. I want to eat my way through different countries, learn from different cultures and chefs, and bring those experiences back to my community.
Ultimately, I don’t want The Boujee Foodie to just be a social media page. I want it to become a recognizable food brand, business, and community that continues to grow far beyond Austin while still staying rooted in the city and the people who supported me from the beginning. I want to build something that people recognize, trust, and feel connected to—from my restaurant reviews and cooking classes to my meal prep business, recipes, products, and eventually my own cookbook. Most importantly, I want to keep growing while bringing people together through food and creating opportunities to give back along the way.
Pricing:
- Meal Prep: Chef-prepared meals typically range from $12–$15 per meal, depending on the dish.
- Shef Menu: I offer a curated, Italian-inspired menu through Shef, featuring elevated, chef-prepared dishes with pricing varying by selection.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.provecho.bio/@theboujeeefoodie/site
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erynnlarae?igsi=MXU5MTUzdWU0enVmMA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://shef.com/order/wss/shef/erynn-larae-l-1?lp_var=referral
