From historically accurate recipe recreations to deep dives into local fare, there’s a glut of popular food content out there. But while the foodie social media market may be oversaturated, that also means there are a lot of well-established creators—like the following—who can teach us what it takes to land jobs and make it big.
1. Max Miller: Tasting History
Authenticity oozes from food influencers like Miller of Tasting History, whose multimillion-subscriber YouTube channel began with a novice chef and an idea. After a chance introduction to “The Great British Bake Off,” Miller developed a passion for history and food that soon had him making cooking videos with a focus on each dish’s history. With videos spanning centuries of historical and cultural food topics (look to titles like “What Medieval Fast Food Restaurants Were Like” and “What Food Was Served at Wild West Saloons?” to get an idea), Tasting History attracts a broad audience that appreciates Miller’s unique spin on cooking content.
Miller’s particular blending of food and history draws in a wide range of fans who appreciate the cooking influencer’s enthusiasm for his craft. This passion is palpable in Miller’s content, which has certainly contributed to Tasting History’s success over the years. As the channel itself has grown, so, too, has Miller’s footprint in the wider foodie world. With the addition of his cookbook, “Tasting History: Explore the Past Through 4,000 Years of Recipes,” and a new gig co-hosting the competition series “Clash of the Cookbooks,” Miller’s audience continues to grow.
2. Alexis Nikole Nelson: @blackforager
Fans of Nelson love her infectious positive energy, commitment to accessible foraging, and unique blending of food knowledge, science, and history. While many of the top food influencers online keep their business in the kitchen, Nelson brings the outside in, centering much of her content around environmental sustainability and a reconnection with nature.
Nelson was able to draw in pandemic-era viewers with too much time on their hands toward her content. But while fear of imminent collapse may have been part of Nelson’s initial success, what’s kept her going and growing is the forager’s genuine passion for her work. Her commitment to foodie education even won Nelson the prestigious James Beard Award for social media in 2022.
3. Joshua Weissman
L.A. native Weissman has been in the kitchen since the age of three and hasn’t really left. What began as a passion at home quickly transformed into work at highly regarded restaurants Odd Duck and Uchiko. Weissman combined this culinary expertise with a modern online personality to create a 10 million-subscriber YouTube channel focused on combining quality cooking and entertainment.
Weissman’s general attitude and vibe has been a huge part of his success, which he’s continued to build upon over his years. The chef’s influence has spread with the publication of two New York Times bestselling cookbooks—“Joshua Weissman: An Unapologetic Cookbook” and “Texture Over Taste”—along with collaborations with Williams Sonoma, Drew Barrymore, and Harper’s Bazaar’s Food Diaries.
Recipe for Success: How to Become a Food Influencer in 5 Steps4. B. Dylan Hollis
Vintage recipe purveyor Hollis moved to the U.S. from Bermuda to become a jazz musician, not a chef. But the idea during the pandemic to make the weirdest old recipe he could find—a 1915 pork cake—allowed him to find his calling as a foodie influencer. Hollis’ animated personality and curation of wacky recipes from a bygone era consistently make him a favorite among his fans.
While Hollis’ journey to social media celebrity may have begun in his home kitchen, the popular chef has since expanded his reach with an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” and the publication of two New York Times bestselling cookbooks, “Baking Yesteryear” and “Baking Across America.” Because of his comedic chops, Hollis is especially popular on TikTok, where quirky short-form content can thrive.
5. Pailin Chongchitnant: Pailin’s Kitchen
The chef behind Pailin’s Kitchen—formerly Hot Thai Kitchen—knew she loved food from an early age, and her subsequent years of experience in home and professional kitchens make her an authority on delicious cuisine. With the desire to demystify Thai cooking for her online audience, Chongchitnant shares recipes and techniques that can help chefs of all levels.
The Pailin’s Kitchen YouTube channel has amassed more than 2 million subscribers over the years in no small part to the quality of Chongchitnant’s work. Her recipes resonate, as evidenced by the continued popularity of her cookbooks “Hot Thai Kitchen: Demystifying Thai Cuisine with Authentic Recipes to Make at Home” and “Sabai: 100 Simple Thai Recipes for Any Day of the Week.” In 2024, the food influencer began the “Sabai Talk” podcast with cohost chef Hong Thaimee to discuss and share all things Thai cooking.
6. Nagi Maehashi: RecipeTin Eats
Author, chef, and entrepreneur Maehashi is a household name in her home country of Australia. With recipes meant to be creative, quick, fresh, and efficient, she attracts home chefs of varying skill levels who love her easy and tasty meals. RecipeTin Eats doesn’t just owe its popularity to its star chef, however; the foodie influencer’s blog wouldn’t be complete without the presence of her big, loveable golden retriever, Dozer.
Maehashi owes her success largely to her infectious, down-to-earth personality and recipes that match. Over the years, her influence has grown with the publication of two bestselling cookbooks, “Dinner” and “Tonight,” as well as the launch of the nonprofit RecipeTin Meals. The food bank prepares and delivers homemade meals to underprivileged and vulnerable communities in Sydney.
7. Jon Townsend: Townsends
There’s a unique charm to a YouTube account like Townsend’s, which focuses on documenting and recreating a variety of aspects of 18th century living. This includes finding and making historical recipes from the period in an 18th century replica kitchen, complete with open flame and lacking all modernity—no sink, no refrigerator, no running water. The channel’s nearly 3 million YouTube subscribers come back again and again to learn about history from a uniquely culinary perspective.
Host Townsend didn’t begin his channel with the goal of becoming a food influencer. Initially, it was a way of advertising his family business’s reproductions of Revolutionary War coats; however, this quickly evolved into a channel of mini-documentaries about foodie life in a time long past that captured audiences for its authenticity and commitment to historical preservation.
