When Susie Jimenez left the Valley she intended to become a chiropractor but the suggestion of friend Shannon Cotta to attend the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco changed the trajectory of her life.
Now a nationally recognized chef and TV personality, Turlock native Susie Jimenez made a rare Wednesday appearance at her sister’s shop in Ceres, Hand Creations, to promote her new line of signature spices – Orilla (cocktail edge blend), Chispa (chile citrus finishing dust) and Susie’s Blend. For anyone who dropped by during the two-hour open house she offered tastes on foods such as mashed potato tacos and melon balls.
Jimenez, a 1997 graduate of Turlock High School, said her sister Letty Jimenez had remodeled her floral shop for public events and so she decided to “launch my spices here so that she could start selling local products.”
The spices compliment the offering of chocolates and honey for sale at the shop.
“I created these spices about 20 years ago because all my clients hate putting the powders together and they’re like, ‘it’s too much work,’” said Jimenez. “And so, I just decided to make it easy and make it Susie’s Blend, and I was making it for them as jars, and I was just charging them for what it cost, and then finally, I was like, you know what?”
She classifies the different spices as spicy, sweet and tangy.
Assisting her at the Ceres appearance was husband and manager, Ceres native Gabe Adame. The 1996 graduate of Ceres High School spent 23 years in the U.S. Air Force.
After graduating from culinary school in 2001, Jimenez flew to Aspen and never came back to live.
“It wasn’t for any reason except for that I could make lots of money and cook whatever I wanted there. People have no budgets there.”
The couple does return to visit family and rekindle old relationships.
“I love coming back,” she said. “I mean, a friend of mine I have not seen in 31 years has stopped by. It’s nice to come back to my hometown and have all my friends support me, so of course, I’m gonna come back.”
That friend was Esperanza Jackson who was best friends with Susie since the eighth grade.
Jimenez has enjoyed fame as a chef that started when in 2011 she was a finalist for the Food Network Star in season 7.
“The sandwich guy is the only one who beat her and out of 50,000 people Susie was the runner up, which was pretty cool,” said Adame. “It changed her life.”
In 2014 Boxxi magazine named her one of top Latin female chefs in America.
Susie has been featured on Scott Leysath’s hit show on the Outdoor channel and Sporting Chef channel. She is also part of the “Hunt, Fish & Feed” program that feeds first-responders and military veterans all the United States.
She also appeared on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and 4th of July.” Fieri reportedly said of Jimenez: “Susie is so excited about the kind of food that she does. I like her food, I like her energy, I like her smile. I’d want to watch her.”
Today the couple splits their time between homes in Aspen, Colo., and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico where she writes for Gringo Gazette newspaper. The couple tries to come back to Ceres and Turlock four times a year to visit family, said Gabe. But their lives are extremely busy as they also own a catering company and security company.
She has built a career as a recognized chef, including preparing meals for celebrities and high-profile clients and appearing on multiple TV programs. Jimenez has been the private chef for comedians Kevin Hart and Dave Chappel; actors Antonio Banderas, Lisa Kudrow, Damon Wayans, Aubrey Plaza, Goldie Hawn, Courtney Cox and Busy Phillips; Clark Hunt, the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs; and music artist Bozzy. She and Gabe have been invited to the million-dollar wedding of Gracie Hunt, daughter of Clark Hunt and the 2021 Miss Kansas USA.
Leti Jimenez, who opened her downtown Ceres floral shop in 2003, remembers encouraging her sister to go for culinary training.
“I said, ‘Look, we only have one life. You don’t want to regret anything. You don’t have kids. I would do it. Why not?’”
When she came in second place in the Food Network competition, Susie was “kind of down” but her sister persisted in the encouragement.
“I said look, you’ve been on TV. You’ve had the exposure. You know this is a door for you. Don’t allow all these things to put you down. There may be different doors.”
With five floral shops in Ceres all competing with one another, Leti is trying to “reinvent” her business. She has created an area to host events, such as the Nov. 13 Thanksgiving Paint & Sip featuring pumpkins where participants can sip and paint pumpkins; and a Dec. 11 Christmas Wreath Workshop. Cost of both is $30 but details are available at Hand Creations, 209-531-2307.
Besides being sold at Hand Creations, the spices may be ordered from her manufacturer online at socochileco.com. More information is also available on susiejimenez.com
