Jesse Brune (born 1980)Andrew Belonsky, "Jesse Brune Fights Fat, Fur," Queerty, June 30, 2008. is a celebrity chef, personal trainer and lifestyle coach. He is best known for his roles on the reality television series Work Out on Bravo, Private Chefs of Beverly Hills on the Food Network, and Home Made Simple on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). He is the co-founder and executive director of Project Service LA.
Early life and education Brune was born and raised by Southern Baptist parents in Renton, Washington.Florangela Davila, "Renton’s Jesse Brune grows up, and buffs up, on Bravo’s ‘Work Out’," Seattle Times, April 13, 2008. He studied dance at the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, before moving to California in 2000, at age 19, in pursuit of an acting career. He studied acting for two years at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, and then moved to Los Angeles to focus on getting commercial work.Neil Woulfe, "Meet Hollywood Hottie Jesse Brune – He’s Got A Lot Cookin’," Radar Online, February 12, 2012. Told by his management company that in order to become a successful actor he needed to pretend to be straight, he rejected the advice and decided to change course and become a chef. In 2005, he enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Los Angeles. While there, he became certified as a personal trainer and started teaching boot camp classes.Becki Danchik, "Sweating Bullets with Jesse Brune," OutImpact.com, July 9, 2008.
Career
Chef and personal trainer In 2006, while he was finishing up culinary school, and after developing a following teaching at Barry's Boot Camp, Brune was cast as one of the trainers on the Bravo reality television show Work Out, about the goings on at a high-end Beverly Hills gym run by Jackie Warner.Jeff Walsh, Oasis, April 13, 2007. Featured as both a trainer and a chef, he was on the show for its entire original three-season run. After it ended, he moved back to Seattle to launch a new business venture, but with the economic downturn, he lost a key investor. He decided to return to Los Angeles, where he began studying Buddhism, meditation and spiritual living, and working as a personal lifestyle coach.
Brune appeared as a chef on Private Chefs of Beverly Hills on the Food Network for both seasons. The show, which premiered in December 2009, follows six chefs in Beverly Hills as they cater events for high-end clients."Jesse Brune: The Fenuxe Interview," Fenuxe, November 18, 2010.Greg Hernandez, "Wednesday Morning Man: Jesse Brune!" Greg in Hollywood, October 13, 2010. Starting in 2011, he has spent three seasons as a resident chef on Home Made Simple on OWN."Home Made Simple: Featured Expert: Jesse Brune," Oprah.com. Retrieved May 22, 2014."Chefs Ben Ford and Jesse Brune Share Their Top Healthy Cooking Tips," Fit Bottomed Eats, November 8, 2013. The show was nominated for a 2014 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Show.Andrea Wang, "Daytime Emmy Awards 2014: Complete list of nominees," Los Angeles Times, May 1, 2014. In 2015 the show won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Show.
With a focus on healthy alternatives and organic cooking, Brune's recipes have been featured in Us Weekly,Allison Corneau, "How to Make Chef Jesse Brune’s Pan Seared Avocado Appetizer," Us Weekly, January 6, 2012. and his fitness tips have been highlighted in Life & Style and OK! magazines. He has worked as a spokesperson for Nair for Men, taught classes at Epicurean and other culinary schools, and teaches spin classes in Los Angeles.
Inspire Spiritual Community Inspire Spiritual Community is a Los Angeles-based spiritual community focused on supporting members of the LGBTQ community, helping them find peace of mind and transform their lives for the better. Founded by Brune and Jennifer Hadley, the nonprofit was launched in 2010, with Brune serving as executive director."Chef Jesse Brune Shares His Passion in the Kitchen," Best of You Today, June 17, 2010.
In 2015, Project Service LA changed its name to Inspire Spiritual Community.
Personal life Brune is openly gay. He came out of the closet in 1995, at the age of 15. He married writer Christopher Horan on February 15, 2014, becoming Jesse Brune-Horan.
Television appearances Year Series Network Appeared on 2006-08 Work Out Bravo Seasons 1-3 2008 The Bonnie Hunt Show Syndication 1 episode 2009-11 Private Chefs of Beverly Hills Food Network Seasons 1-2 2011 The Doctors CBS 1 episode 2011 Anna & Kristina's Grocery Bag OWN 1 episode 2012 Marie Hallmark Channel 1 episode 2011-13 Home Made Simple OWN Seasons 1-3
References
External links Official website Inspire Spiritual Community website