Without the opportunity to visit some of our favorite dining spots, and some favorite foods disappearing from fast food menus, many of us are finding ourselves exploring our culinary side — sometimes with mixed results. As we locate our inner chefs, let’s all look to Instagram and TikTok star Kobe Eats as an example. The pint-sized baby chef’s cooking videos have gone viral, and it’s easy to see why. The little guy seriously loves cooking, and his joy is infectious when his little face lights up as he laughs his way through a recipe, gladly sampling every ingredient along the way.
“He has so much fun doing it and such a big, animated personality, I decided to record it to share originally with friends and family,” little Kobe’s mom, Ashely Wian, told TODAY. “I wanted them all to see his excitement in the kitchen and also illustrate all the things he’s learning.”
What started as a way of sharing videos with loved ones has blown up into a bonafide internet sensation. Chef Kobe currently has more than a million followers on Instagram, placing him in the company of celebrity chefs like Jose Andres (514,000 followers) and Guy Fieri (1.4 million). Meanwhile, Kobe’s TikTok page currently has nearly 395,000 followers and over 5 million likes.
A Wide-Ranging Menu
Viewers of Kobe’s videos can expect to see the laughing baby preparing a wide range of meals. From pepperoni pizza to more elaborate creations like the Turkish dish menemen, Kobe is developing a diverse recipe book at an age when most of us were just trying to stand up.
@kobeeats I made my first Turkish dish tonight! Menemen! I also ate an entire tomato it was really good! Both the meal and tomato 🤣 ##fyp ##cookinghacks #
♬ original sound – kobeeats
“Kobe had 100 different foods by the age of one,” his mom said. “People loved seeing him try new foods when we started at six months, so it then evolved into him preparing those foods.”
Wian told TODAY that the reaction to Kobe’s videos has been overwhelmingly positive, and that it’s been gratifying to know that Kobe “puts a smile on so many faces all over the world during such a difficult time.”
As she told the outlet, “I love that this quality time with my son turned into something inspiring for the world. These silly videos of us cooking together turned into something we never imagined!”
