Pune: There is a surge of social media chefs who have mastered culinary skills and learnt the art of creating engaging short-videos — ranging from rural kitchens where local ingredients and age-old techniques shine, to fusion or comforting homemade meals in urban set-ups.Arya Kumar, a resident of Hadapsar, said, “My biggest weakness is food videos and I can spend hours glued to my phone. The videos that I end up watching are those where the food either looks irresistible or has a unique recipe. There’s so much food content that one is literally spoilt for choice.”Senior citizen Suman Dhamane (67), also known as Aapli Aaji on social media, has over 600k followers on Instagram and almost 1.7 million on YouTube. Based in Sarola Kasar village, Suman sits on a simple flat wooden stool and cooks on a wood fire — presenting her viewers with traditional recipes. Her grandson, Yash Pathak (22), helps her with filming and editing on his phone. “We started out on YouTube and then moved to Instagram. My Aaji’s style of conversation and unique content helps connect with viewers. Almost all videos are shot either at home or at the farm. Followers love the simplicity of the videos,” said Pathak. Traditional recipes like puranpoli, til gul and tilachi vadi have received a good response from viewers, he added.Food content creators said it could take days together to put together a good-looking ‘one minute video’ on social media. From recipe development to shooting and editing the final product — there’s usually an army of people required to shoot the visuals. “If the food in the video doesn’t look good, I don’t watch the video. Also, if the recipe is too long and complicated, it becomes difficult to follow. I like the short, fast-paced food videos,” said Gayatri Shinde, a resident of Aundh.Bangalore-based Richa Gupta, who runs her page My Food Story on Instagram, said, “People eat with their eyes first! It makes the recipe and the video execution equally important. I think the chefs who do well on social media are those whose personalities shine through and it helps them connect with the audience better.” Richa has been producing content for the last decade and has a professional camera and a team assisting her with shoots now.Many home chefs are also balancing their full-time jobs with their passion. Noida-based Aditya Kumar has been showcasing unique food recipes from Bihar. “Bihari food is a lot more than just litti chokha. I don’t have a team and I shoot on my phone. I have basic equipment like a few lights and a tripod. I try to make my content as authentic as possible and that’s how I connect with my audience,” he said.While some Instagram chefs have full-fledged kitchen studios, others use props to elevate their videos. Collaborations with brands can be challenging if content creators don’t partner with agencies or consultants, but some budding creators said brands approach them directly. Content coaches said that passion for food and a genuine connection with the audience are critical to success.Hyderabad-based content coach Ishika Pansari said she is approached by many aspiring creators.“The best thing that works for chefs is simple, but innovative recipes. The content also needs to be relatable — like good story-telling and voice-overs, etc. Seasonal content and recipes that can be made easily with a few ingredients at home also do well online.”Delhi-based Shruti Mahajan, who has 1.5 million followers on her Instagram handle Somewhat Chef, said she started making videos during the pandemic and has learnt shooting hacks along the way. “One needs to be consistent to be successful on Instagram. I post videos on 18 different food categories and dishes that are simple to make are the ones that do well. I try to showcase my recipes in 40 seconds,” she said.
