Fab Five Food Personalities on YouTube

Article by Maximo Lazo and photo by Kristy Leung

Coined after one of the greatest college basketball teams ever, I’m delighted to compose my own Fab Five team of YouTube chefs/personalities. It is fair to say that since the beginning of quarantine, I have scrolled through many days worth of food channels and videos, have discovered and capitalized on too many local fast food deals, and have somewhat learned to effectively (although not efficiently) prepare food at home. With that being said, I’ve come to realize that there are some very special chefs on YouTube who have beautifully integrated their personalities into their cooking videos, and have left people, such as myself, in amazement of their work. Because of my committed viewership to such channels, I’ve learned a lot about developing my skills as a home cook, and I’ve been more motivated to cook at home as opposed to going out to eat. The only downside is that it still takes me WAY longer than it should while I am preparing food, but it’s been fun for me and has helped relieve my family of preparing food for themselves on more than a few occasions. 

The following chefs all hold real estate in my head for their unique personalities and jaw-dropping meals, and the following list comes in no specific order of greatness. So without further ado: 

Cooking with Kirby - Smoking & Grilling Specialist

Cooking with Kirby has been one of my leading inspirations throughout the quarantine season, and has instilled in me a love for tacos. The Grillmaster Uncle ties in my love for smoked & grilled meats, with Mexican cuisine that will have you running to the local store for corn tortillas and guajillo chiles. Since my recent dutch oven purchase, Kirby has left me no choice but to invest in a smoker. I also highly recommend anyone to watch his videos about preparing salsa;you’ll learn that the small extra amount of effort pays off for real.

Fun Fact: During the summer, I was taking a Spanish course and I thought it would pay off a little bit when I walked into my local Hispanic store to pick up some Cooking with Kirby recipe ingredients, but I froze in my tracks after muttering “hola”.

1. SIMPLICITY: ★★★★★
2. GRILL VIBES: ★★★★★
3. COOKING WITH FIRE: ★★★★★

Find at: https://www.youtube.com/user/kirbysmusclecar

Farideh Sadeghin - Culinary Director at Munchies

Farideh Sadeghin is the brilliant mind behind the Munchies channel, which has featured plenty of incredible cooks such as Marcus Samuelsson, Isaac Toups, Samin Nosrat, and Action Bronson. With such fabulous guests, it could be simple for the Average Joe to forget that Farideh really holds the channel together with her energy and enthusiasm, as she even hosts a playlist on the channel titled, “The Cooking Show with Farideh: Season 1”. 

Most recently, I have taken a shot at her Chicken and Dumplings recipe, which has warmed the hearts of my family members throughout the past few cruelly cold days. Watching her videos are like watching a feel-good movie, and I am so happy that her recipes can smoothly translate to an enjoyable experience of cooking at home.

1. ENERGY: ★★★★★
2. MAKES CHEFFING LOOK SO FUN: ★★★★★
3. HILARIOUS: ★★★★★

Find at: https://www.youtube.com/c/munchies/playlists 

Babish Culinary Universe - Bringing You Every Movie Meal Ever

A pioneer of YouTube cheffing, Binging with Babish, is the YouTube personality you didn’t realize you loved until you find yourself binging his videos. He is a monotone, sarcastic, and innovative chef with the kitchen setup of my dreams, and I am proud to have watched his channel grow from thousands to millions of subscribers (Max called it). His channel features a variety of video playlists, and his “Basic with Babish” segment has really helped me practice cooking essential dishes like chilis and pastas.

Some of the staples of his channel are the dishes that he has recreated from popular movies and TV shows, even having brought to life the famous Krusty Krab burger. What makes these videos unique is his demonstration of the entire process from beginning to end, as he’ll often create everything from scratch: bread, pastas, grinded meats etc. 

1. CLEVER SARCASTIC VOICEOVER: ★★★★★
2. MOVIE REMAKES I ALWAYS WANTED: ★★★★★
3. DOES THE MOST: ★★★★★

Find at: https://www.youtube.com/user/bgfilms 

Kenji Lopez-Alt - The Human Encyclopedia

Most recently, I have been unable to stop watching Chef Kenji videos, as he somehow entertains people with countless cooking stories, details, and facts, while simultaneously putting on a tremendous performance in the kitchen. It’s unbelievable that he manages to scriptlessly capture our attention with his tidbits and anecdotes all the while cooking with a GoPro on his head, and before you recognize it, the dish is done. 

What started as silent late-night cooking videos in Kenji’s POV, turned into free access for many to virtual masterchef classes with a former Chefs Illustrated editor. If you ever wondered about the most efficient way to dice an onion, the reason behind different yolk colours, or the Turkish debate on onions in Menemen, he will somehow have something to contribute to that idea.

1. KENJI COOKING = SCIENCE + ART: ★★★★★
2. DAD JOKES: ★★★★★
3. LEARN SOMETHING EVERY VIDEO: ★★★★★

Find at: https://www.youtube.com/user/kenjialt 

Food Wishes - OG Chef John 

Chef John is the strangely soothing voice behind the Food Wishes channel, and I’ve even heard other YouTube personalities (such as Kenji and Babish) reference his work from time to time during their videos, which really proves to me that he is one of the Founding Foodie YouTube Fathers. With an unfairly vast range of dishes on his channel, you can find practically anything that you are craving, and his steps in recreating a dish are so simple to learn! An important notice: be ready to find a multitude of recipes you’ve never heard of, but will begin to find yourself yearning for.  

What might be most unique about Chef John is how in-tune he is with the foodie trends. For example, during the past few months there has been an explosion of coverage on beef birria, and fans know to let Chef John know about this so that he’ll have a video prepared for the people ASAP. He’s trusty, he’s reliable, and he’s always got an amazing recipe up his sleeve. 

1. SOOTHING VOICE: ★★★★★
2. VOLUME OF CONTENT THROUGH THE ROOF: ★★★★★
3. DISHES I NEVER EVER HEARD OF: ★★★★★

Find at: https://www.youtube.com/user/foodwishes 

That concludes the list of inspirational YouTube chefs that I believe have been running the game lately, and I’m positive that there are plenty more personalities that will leave me hungry for more! Until then, hope you keep an eye out for these channels - and maybe you’ll be able to learn a thing or two from them as I have!