The food influencers to follow on TikTok

What has multiplied during the pandemic is a new generation of international food stars who, unlike star chefs, have no background in the restaurant industry, but only a lot of passion and the ability to create short and engaging videos that entertain and, at the same time, teach even the most clumsy among us how to juggle dishes and pans. Everyone has their own personal style. There are those who, like @emilymariko and @andreacapodanno, have an almost Zen attitude and those who have decided to let out all their exuberance, as did @thepastaqueen and @itsqcp. They all have legions of followers, conquered with simple, delicious recipes, often taken from the home tradition or revisited with vegan ingredients. Looking at any of their profiles means instantly increase the salivation and awaken the appetite, but the only way to taste that special pasta or that luxurious hot chocolate is to roll up your sleeves and try your hand at cooking in first person, trusting that @cooker.girl and the other food influencers will be at our side to assist us and give us tips. 

Just a few weeks ago TikTok announced the launch of a food delivery service called TikTok Kitchens that will be launched in the next few years in the States and then, perhaps, in the rest of the world. The news didn't surprise all the millions of viewers who are glued to the screen every day to watch and learn the recipes of their favorite creators. The numbers released by the platform are impressive: only #food counts more than 218 billion videos, #italianfood more than 2 billion totalizing billions of viewers daily.

Here's a list of food influencers to follow on TikTok.

@cooker.girl 

Her name is Aurora Cavallo, but everyone knows her as @cooker.girl, a name chosen in homage to Gossip Girl, one of her favorite TV series. She's 20 years old and started cooking when she was 14, inspired by her grandmothers who, since she landed on the Chinese social network (with a carbonara with a surprise ending), have been the most enthusiastic among the more than 640K followers won over by Aurora's heart-warming cuisine. The secret of the success of this young girl who studies Gastronomic Sciences at the University of Pollenzo? Simple and familiar recipes, made special by a personal touch, such as the classic Piedmontese bonet or homemade tortellini, "immature" versions of the dishes proposed by her favorite chef, Giorgia Eugenia Goggi, who works at Masseria Moroseta.

@andreacapodanno

Listening to his videos is like listening to #ASMR tracks. Andrea Capodanno whispers his vegan recipes with an almost disarming zen attitude. From curried chickpeas with coconut milk to stuffed pumpkin, from sautéed caramel cupcakes to sweet and sour artichokes, everything this 25 year old from Monza offers is easy, fun, tasty, colorful and easy to try to make at home, between one scroll of Instagram and another, a call with your boss and play Uno with your roommates.

@littleveganwitch 

If you're wondering how traditional regional Italian cuisine can coexist with vegan diet, then you don't know Annalisa aka @littleveganwitch. Some examples? Seitan with Cannonau, a reinterpretation of the typical dish of Barbagia based on wild boar; seadas; pici with artichokes or vegan nutella, a cream made with cannellini beans, coconut oil and cocoa powder. In addition, between one recipe and another, the little witch with the bangs offers little tips to approach a sustainable and cruelty-free lifestyle.

@the_pastaqueen

On TikTok she is @thepastaqueen, but Nadia Caterina Munno is much more than that. She is a skilled content creator who has been able to revisit, in a social and contemporary key, the Italian spirit as told by the aesthetics of Dolce and Gabbana and the movies starring Sophia Loren, featuring an irresistible mix of vivid colors, tradition, good food, family, exaggerated gestures and a strong accent. Her signature "ingredients" hair toss or the way the Roman now based in the States pronounces the word "gorgeous" are the pagan rituals of her Italian cuisine cult, which she pays, to the delight of her over 2 million followers, with soffritto, tomato puree, ricotta, pesto, bruschetta and, of course, lots and lots of pasta. A fun fact: her most viewed recipe, over 6M, is Spicy Vodka Pasta. And, while you're watching Nadia cook, remember the words of the one and only @thepastaqueen of TikTok: "Pasta, Drama, I am Italiana".  

@itsqcp

TikTok legend has it that @itsqcp earned the name "Pasta Guy" when his spaghetti with meatballs hit over a million views (now hovering around 5.3M). Now that little record, thanks to dishes that have become hits like his homemade ravioli or rigatoni alla Gricia, which have reached 20.2M and 14.3M respectively, seems very far away. The secret to Gianluca Conte aka @itsqcp's success? Shouted recipes with vaguely Italian imprinting, muscles in full view, a winning smile and clear Italian-American origins (it seems that his father is from Naples and owns several restaurants in North Carolina) emphasized to the point of becoming a caricature that would put the entire cast of Jersey Shore to shame and that, using the pretext of comedy, has often been accused of racism.

@wholesomehedonista 

Emily Daniels aka @wholesomehedonista is perhaps the chicest of TikTok's food influencers. The other signature feature of this 26-year-old from Brighton? Combining health and pleasure. Hers is indulgent food made with healthy and wholesome products, mainly fruits and vegetables, but absolutely appetizing. Just take a quick look at her profile to feel the salivation rise: hot chocolate with cream, chocolate pecan pie bars, smoothie bowls, chocolate caramel dates, brownies, coconut butter macadamia cookies and white chocolate, ...all made without dairy, refined sugar or animal ingredients.

@okonomikitchen 

When she was in high school Lisa Kitahara aka @okonomikitchen started cooking simple vegan dishes like smoothies, pasta dishes and lots of salads. Then, when she got to college, homesickness drove her to recreate her mother's cooking and the foods she loved growing up in a vegan version and share them on TikTok. The experiments she's most proud of? Vegan egg yolk, eggplant eel and recipes based on Natto, traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans "that many people don't know about or are afraid to try because of the look and smell."

@alessio.pellizzoni 

"I cook badly and I'm not funny, but everyone has their defects, come on". With these few words and a pinch of irony, Alessio Pellizzoni introduces himself to his followers. More than 707K of them he has conquered with easy and tasty recipes, perfect for an out-of-town university student taken by the munchies. Some examples: the hamburger spaccodevasto, the pasta of Gigi Hadid, the spaghetti all'assassina or potato skin chips. His trademark? "Shaky shaky", a recurring catchphrase that he repeats every time he has to beat, emulsify or blend something.

@emilymariko 

Her credit? Turning rice and salmon into the coolest and most essential ingredients in the diets of tiktokers and Gen Z. Emily Mariko, a 30-year-old Japanese-Californian youtuber and tiktoker living in the Bay Area, is the most hypnotic and basic of food influencers. You can't help but stop in front of the screen, watch her open the refrigerator and pull out ingredients, chop up a leftover grilled salmon, pour a drizzle of soy sauce or some kimchi on the plate, slice up an avocado and, finally, taste her lunch. Everything is easy, clean and minimal. Not only the food, the kitchen or the background noises (pure ASMR), but also the clean and nice face and the outfit in balance between normcore and athleisure. Basically a visual master on how to be aspirational and relatable at the same time.

@cookingwithbello 

Born and raised in Maniago, a small town near Venice, Angelo Coassin aka @cookingwithbello became passionate about cooking when he was just a child and helped his mother and grandmother in the kitchen. Since then he has put food on his back to focus on his other passions: dancing and acting. When the pandemic broke out, like many, he dusted off his plates and pans to prepare simple Italian recipes, a sort of comfort food to help him get through the complicated period he was spending in London. In a short time, his joyful and funny videos have gained 7M likes.

@eatsgiulia 

Giulia Tomelleri's recipes are tasty, international and super easy. A roll of puff pastry, sautéed peppers and onions, an egg, and voila...here's a savory snack or a quick and tasty meal. Or take a sweet potato, bake it to soften, cut it down the middle and stuff it with dairy flakes, artichokes in oil, olives, take a bite and yum! Pick a video at random and let your own taste guide you.

@dilettasecco 

Her croccantella recipe has become a real trend on TikTok, but also all the other dishes shared by this young Tuscan girl who learned to love cooking from her grandmother are easy, delicious and copied. The ones she prefers to prepare? She reveals them herself: "the simplest ones, within everyone's reach, thought for a mom or a dad who come back tired from work and have to prepare dinner in a few minutes, or for students away from home who want something simple but tasty to prepare".