“Have the courage to live a full, healthy lifestyle! Your diet and lifestyle goals coincide with a positive attitude.” – Susan Irby
Certified in Food Healing and Fitness Nutrition, Susan Irby is one of the nation’s foremost experts in food nutrition and recipe creation. An award-winning author, media personality, and public speaker, Susan holds a particular expertise in the areas of individualized nutrition programs and recipe development. Her 20+ years in the culinary industry include teaching basic cooking techniques, nutrition and wellness for the active lifestyle have earned Susan recognition as a leading healing food and specialized nutrition lifestyle expert empowering others to better understand their personal health needs and enjoy lasting lifestyle change through her trademark 3-prong approach to mindful healing, health and an active lifestyle.
Susan’s Books
“It’s not what you eat today… it’s what you eat and drink day after day after day that counts.” ~ Susan Irby, CFH
Susan is an award-winning author of 9 books that include over 2,500 recipes collectively. Her 6-week Food Healing Nutrition Program has been celebrated with numerous success stories and led to the development of one of her favorite customized plan, the 6-week Food Healing Kitchen Makeover. While not a vegan herself, Susan’s food healing programs and education supports the plant-based diet approach that many of her clients adhere to.
Included in her published works are: Substitute Yourself Skinny, ranked twice by FOXNews.com in the Top 10 Best Diet Books and Amazon quinoa recipe top sellers, The Complete Idiot’s Guide Quinoa Cookbook.
Her Work and Awards
Susan’s work as a freelance wellness and nutrition author has been published for over 6 years running in Max Sports and Nutrition while other wellness features include prestigious media outlets such as FIRST for Women, Self, The New York Post, Bask, Jolie magazine and numerous media outlets both in the USA and internationally acclaimed outlets such as The Mail on Sunday and BBC Radio. She is the award-winning host of The Bikini Lifestyles® Show on Public. Television and was twice awarded “Best Health and Fitness Television Program” by The TASTE Awards. As the award-winning producer and host, The Bikini Lifestyles® Show also on 790n KABC Radio Los Angeles for 5 years.
An Internationally Recognized Leader
Internationally recognized as leader in the “food as healing” approach to a plant-directed healthier lifestyle, Susan has worked with noted schools, colleges, professionals, families and national grocery markets to demonstrate simple, delicious recipes with foods known to promote positive health. Susan also encourages self-care through spiritual wellness, a balanced diet of plant-based foods, fish, and an active lifestyle. Among the prestigious outlets include: Los Angeles Unified School District, Cooking Up Change, American Federation of Teachers, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, Whole Foods Markets, Gelson’s and Dole Foods. Susan has appeared on FOX11 Good Day LA, ABC7, CBS2, KCAL9, NBC, and nationally syndicated radio shows, international conferences, national magazines, newspapers, and websites.
An Award-Winning Television and Radio Host
Susan continues her passion as a journalist interviewing noted celebrities and individuals such as Venus Williams, Billy Bush, Wolfgang Puck, Giada De Laurentiis, Sara Moulton, Chef Art Smith, Gene Simmons, Bill Engvall, Duff Goldman, Barbara Fairchild, Nancy Silverton, Olympic Gold Medalist and LA Sparks’ DeLisha Milton Jones, Cincinnati Bengals’ Coach Chip Morton, Cincinnati Reds Coach Matt Krause, reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump, teen star Reed Alexander, Captain Mark Symonds of Windstar Cruises, and more culinary, fitness and celebrity stars.
College Degree, Certifications and Training
Susan holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia, is Certified in Food Healing, and is a Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist. She originally developed her culinary skills by working with master chefs in Italy and France. Susan is the creator of and driving force behind the successful brand, The Bikini Chef® which promotes “figure flattering flavors”. She is the creator, producer and host of The Bikini Lifestyles® Show and Healing Remedies and Recipes. Extensions of her brands include Bikini Cuisine®, and Bikini Cuisine Power Snax®. Susan resides in Southern California with the Love of Her Life, her dog, Homer and her companion.
Where bikini cooking all began…
Southern-born Susan Irby learned from the best, her mom! “My mom was, and still is, a great cook. My love for cooking came from her and my grandfather. At the age of 2, my grandfather introduced me to chefs and we toured restaurant kitchens for fun.” says Susan. “It’s no wonder I love everything food.” As the bikini cooking story goes, my family water skied on Lake Martin, Alabama from dawn til dusk. We’d be starving and end up cooking in our bathing suits. When I told these lake stories to guests at cooking class, they instantly nicknamed me the bikini chef and The Bikini Chef® brand was born.”
After teaching southern cuisine from my first book, Cooking With Susan, Southern Family Favorites, guests wanted to know what I ate on a regular basis that helped me to stay fit and trim. “My shift from cooking southern comfort foods turned toward creating comfort foods that are healthy and still delicious. I was cooking “bikini” before it was hip,” exclaims Susan. “Fans kept calling me The Bikini Chef®. The name stuck and has become the signature of my trademark Bikini Cuisine® which emphasizes delicious, metabolism friendly ingredients that nourish and heal the body while burning fat.”
Trained in Europe
Restaurant trained in Europe with Italian Chef Francesco Berardinelli and French Master Chef Marc Meneau, Susan has shared the culinary stage with Master Chef George McNeill, Ming Tsai, Todd English, Rocco Dispirito, and many well known chefs and celebrities.
Susan is an avid runner and completed her first marathon at 50 years of age. With 3 half-marathons under her belt, Susan has a goal of successfully completing 2 more marathons by age 55. She loves her rescue dog, Homer, and living a healthy, active lifestyle in Southern California. One of her fondest annual trips to this day is to Lake Martin, Alabama where bikini-cooking all began. As The Bikini Chef® it is her utmost desire for God to use the talents He has blessed her with to help others live a healthy, full, and pain-free life.
