PRESS KIT
Chef Justine Ma is a private chef, farmer, educator, and founder of Bougie Farmer, an elevated farm-to-table hospitality brand based in Hawaiʻi. With over 15 years of culinary experience, Chef Justine creates immersive dining experiences that celebrate local agriculture, cultural storytelling, and intentional living.
A James Beard Foundation alumna, Chef Justine has built a career at the intersection of food, farming, education, wellness, and luxury hospitality. Her work reflects a deep commitment to supporting local farmers, fishermen, artisans, and communities through thoughtful, ingredient-driven cuisine.
You can watch her television appearances on Food Network's Chopped and Amazon Prime's America's Test Kitchen to see her cooking on screen.
AUDIENCE & REACH
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Monthly social media reach: 250,000+
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Engaged audience interested in:
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Food and hospitality
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Luxury travel
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Sustainable living
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Wellness
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Agriculture
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Farm-to-table experiences
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Culinary education
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Food as medicine and holistic wellness
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BRAND PARTNERSHIPS
Chef Justine partners with brands that align with her values of quality, sustainability, craftsmanship, wellness, and elevated living.
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Partnership opportunities include:
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Recipe development
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Sponsored content
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Product integrations
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Experiential events
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Brand ambassadorships
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Culinary consulting
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Media appearances
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Retreat and hospitality collaborations
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Culinary demonstrations
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Television appearances
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Panel discussions
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Wellness and food education events
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Farm-to-table experiences
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Hospitality consulting
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Women's leadership and entrepreneurship
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CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2019-NOW
BOUGIE FARMER
Bougie Farmer is a luxury farm-to-table lifestyle and hospitality brand rooted in the belief that true luxury is access—to fresh ingredients, meaningful experiences, skilled artisans, and community.
The Bougie Farmer philosophy embraces the art of slow, intentional living while celebrating sustainability, craftsmanship, hospitality, and elevated culinary experiences.
Services include:
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Private chef experiences
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Farm-to-table dinners
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Luxury retreats
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Culinary education
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Brand partnerships
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Wellness and lifestyle experiences
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Experiential events and workshops
2024-NOW
Events
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2026 Hawaii Food + Wine Festival Featured Chef
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2025 Amazon Prime America's Test Kitchen Next Generation S2 Talent
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2024 Outstanding the Field Featured Chef
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2024 Emmy Awards Chef Team Leader
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2024 Competitor on Food Network's Chopped Talent
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2022-2025 Hawaii Food + Wine Sous Chef for Elizabeth Falkner, Esther Choi, Sherry Yard, Michel Nischan
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2023 Celebrity Chef Week at Beaver Creek Sous Chef Elizabeth Falkner
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2015 Taste of America Arizona Sous Chef for Michael Nischan
2012-2014
James Beard Foundation
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2026 JBF Legacy Alumna, Winter Cohort
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2012-2014 JBF Events + Kitchen Intern
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Andrew Zimmern
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Carla Hall
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Michel Nischan
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Elizabeth Falkner
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Esther Choi
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Marcus Samuelsson
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Richard Blais
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CHEF TALENT
Want to collaborate with Chef Justine?
Services may include meet-and-greets, cooking demonstrations or workshops, keynote speaking, guest judging, menu curation, or private high-end catering.
TESTIMONIALS
Discover what our clients have to say.
Betsy Tranquilli
"Chef Justine made the most incredible ‘ulu butter risotto for my husband and I as an anniversary dinner. The creativity of her thinking and her execution as a chef is top-notch. We are lucky to have someone on island like Justine to take advantage of all the abundance in agriculture in such delicious ways. I couldn’t recommend her more!"
Eileen Snow
"I recently had the pleasure of taking a cooking class with Chef Justine Ma at her farm on the Big Island. Justine has a wonderful way of teaching, and really includes her students in hands-on learning. She is patient and super knowledgeable. I came away with recipes and a working knowledge of how to make dumplings! I’m thankful Justine shared her family tradition with us. I enjoyed learning about her farm and everything she’s done to build a it literally from scratch. Chef Ma is one motivated woman!"
Nui Browning
"Justine caters exquisite experiences with delicious, locally sourced fare, much of which she grows herself. Aside from her delicious food, she is lots of fun to be with which makes her cooking classes, and small group events extra special! Highly recommend!"
Briana Williams
"What a beautiful time! This was my SECOND farm to table experience with Justine and definitely will not be the last. She is so knowledgeable, patient and easy to learn from. Her experiences are always the highlights of my weekend trips to Hilo-side. Cannot recommend Chef Justine enough!"
Rachel Frederick
"The experience Justine provided at our event was top shelf. As a Vegan she made sure to that my plate was stunning, she didn’t just give me a salad or a replacement meal, but she created a plant based twin! She knew how important it was to honor my dietary needs and not miss on flavor or presentation. I highly respect her for celebration catering or retreats, not many chefs would even try. Highly impressed!"
CONTACT US
Have a question or want to learn more about our services? Reach out.
For catering, private chef or cooking class quotes, please fill out the form. We are available for services primarily in Hawaii and open to other locations. Please include your address or venue to see if we can accommodate your requests.