Hey! I’m Chef Max

I’m Maxine “Max” Delarue

32-year-old culinary rebel living in Austin, Texas

If you’re someone who gets excited about bacon-wrapped everything, cheese pulls that defy gravity, and turning your kitchen into flavor paradise, then we’re already best friends.

I didn’t grow up in some fancy culinary dynasty. My grandmother owned a legendary corner po’ boy shop in New Orleans, and my father was a line cook who treated every plate like a performance piece, but me? I was the family rebel who got kicked out of culinary school for putting bacon in crème brûlée.

Spoiler alert: it was AMAZING.

Instead of following traditional rules, I spent my twenties living in a converted food truck called “Max’s Madness Mobile,” traveling the country and learning from street vendors, dive bar cooks, and hole-in-the-wall joint masters. One night in a Memphis parking lot, I tried creating what I called a “Bourbon Maple Bacon Volcano Burger” – it was complete chaos, took three attempts, and nearly set my truck on fire. But when I finally nailed it? That first bite changed everything.

I realized the most memorable meals weren’t served in fancy restaurants with white tablecloths – they were the ones that made you stop mid-bite and say “HOLY BACON, what IS this?!” Those are the moments when food becomes pure magic.

My Cooking Philosophy

I believe cooking should be BOLD, INDULGENT, VIRAL, and absolutely EPIC. You don’t need a culinary degree or a $500 knife set. You just need a little courage, a sense of humor, and maybe a playlist that makes you want to dance while you’re flipping bacon.

I’m all about recipes that make people stop scrolling and say “I NEED that in my life!” – the kind that work even when you’re interrupted by life, your kids, or your dog deciding to stage a kitchen rebellion. Every recipe I create goes through what I call “the Tuesday night test” – tired cook, hungry family, real kitchen constraints. If it doesn’t survive that, we start over.

Mistakes? Oh honey, I’ve made PLENTY. I once tried to smoke a brisket in my apartment oven because I was “feeling innovative.” My smoke alarm became my kitchen timer for three hours, and my neighbors still bring it up at block parties. But every disaster taught me something new – and sometimes made for the best stories.

The truth is, the most memorable food moments aren’t perfect Instagram shots – they’re the messy, over-the-top, “did-we-really-just-put-bacon-in-ice-cream?” adventures that become family legends.

Today, I create recipes for real people with real lives and real schedules. My goal is to help you turn your kitchen into entertainment central – where every meal becomes an event, every bite tells a story, and every recipe is designed to make someone stop scrolling and say “I NEED that in my life!”

Whether you’re making your first bacon-wrapped grilled cheese or tackling a towering burger that requires architectural engineering, I’m right here cheering you on. We’re building a community of food rebels who believe cooking should be as fun as eating, and that the best recipes are the ones that become family legends.