When Notorious Foodie first began posting about meals in 2018, it was a personal blog with little expectation of reaching a broad audience. He shared restaurant reviews and his own kitchen experiments without a grand strategy, just documenting what he was eating at the time.
For four years, growth was slow and steady.
Then the pandemic hit, restaurants shut down, and the creator turned the camera on his home cooking. That shift changed everything. Suddenly, videos meant to fill the void of dining out resonated with audiences stuck at home. The numbers started climbing, and what began as a side project became a cultural phenomenon.
Today, Notorious Foodie averages nearly 500 million views per month across platforms, reaching an audience that spans multiple continents. With more than 20 million followers on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook, he has turned his identity from a food blogger into one of the most recognizable names in culinary content.
The global scope of that reach came into focus during a trip to Japan. While skiing in Yamagata, a small city in northern Japan, he wandered into a hole-in-the-wall sushi restaurant where no one spoke English. As he tried to figure out the menu, the chef behind the counter pulled out his phone and opened Instagram—directly to Notorious Foodie’s profile.
Though they couldn’t communicate with words, the chef mimed one of his signature towel throws and laughed. “It was surreal,” Notorious Foodie recalled. “A chef in a little restaurant in rural Japan knew exactly who I was and had watched the content.” Encounters like that happened repeatedly during the trip, a reminder that food transcends cultures without requiring a common language.
A growing business at home has matched recognition abroad. In September, Notorious Foodie officially launched Notorious Cookware, a line of restaurant-grade tools designed for home chefs.
The first release, a premium end-grain chopping board, sold out during its limited test launch. Built from a combination of acacia, sapele, maple, and oak, the piece quickly stood out as both functional and aesthetic—a product sturdy enough to withstand daily use while polished enough to sit on the counter as a permanent fixture. “A good chopping board is the foundation of everything you cook,” he explained. “It’s literally where every dish begins.”
The cookware line reflects the same philosophy that has guided his content. He avoids gimmicks and focuses instead on essentials that actually make cooking easier. A chef’s knife, debuting in November, follows that same approach. Modeled on Japanese design and constructed with a VG-10 steel core, the knife combines durability with precision.
Notorious Foodie has been clear that he doesn’t want tools that look impressive on a shelf. “The sweet spot is making tools that feel premium in the hand, perform at the highest level, but also have a design language that makes you proud to own them,” he said.
His evolution from food blogger to product developer hasn’t changed the way he approaches content. Rather than chasing social media trends, he focuses on dishes he actually wants to eat.
Many of his recipes begin with meals he’s tried at restaurants before re-creating them at home with his own spin.
That exact authenticity extends to his restaurant reviews. He rarely accepts invitations, choosing instead to highlight chefs and menus that genuinely interest him. If he doesn’t enjoy something, he offers constructive perspective without sensational takedowns. “No one gets better from constant praise,” he explained.
Discipline learned from professional kitchens also informs his home cooking. While he isn’t militant, he credits small changes—such as mise en place, cleaning as you go, and respecting the ingredients—for turning chaos into flow. Those lessons now shape his brand as much as the dishes themselves.
Looking ahead, Notorious Foodie sees his cookware as more than just another influencer-driven line. He envisions Notorious Cookware as the go-to name for premium, restaurant-grade essentials that fit seamlessly into everyday kitchens. “Five years from now, I want Notorious Cookware to be the brand people think of when they want tools that last,” he said.