Christian Remde – a food videographer in Austin, Alex Kakoyiannis who works for a culinary agency, Sara Roberton, Creative Director at KLRU TV and Aaron Franklin, owner of the infamous Franklin BBQ all came together to discuss the popularity of culinary on the web.
How did culinary become a hot topic on the web?
- documentaries in early 2000s food inc & super size me
- There has been a shift in the last five years – culinary has become a culture
everybody eats
“Anyone who cooks something can put it on the web,” said Franklin
“People started to fall inlove with the journey and the process {of cooking},” said Kakoyiannis
People often emailed Franklin’s BBQ inquiring about how to cut and serve it. Eventually, they determined it would be easier to film the instructions and provide a link instead of writing it out. The restaurant paired with PBS to start a web series called BBQ with Franklin, through this project, it was discovered that passion for BBQ is not just limited to Texas, but actually worldwide.
The good thing about using the web as a platform is the micro niche groups start here, these are the communities that are the most active and engaged. It allows for the transition of a personal documentary to the commercial approach.
on Youtube, it’s all about the content. “Chefs and culinary people are finding it easier to make their own content and are then able to choose how to publish it,” said Remede. “YouTube allows for a large barrier of entry.” Using Youtube also gives an unlimited long tail, to which there is no end to when content can be consumed. Content on the web involves one of three things:
- Utility
- Community
- Entertainment
Why are people fascinated by culinary?
- nostalgia
- seeing gorgeous food
- it provides joy, you are able to share and feed people
- great shraing vehicle
- community aspect – building a connection with a restaurant creating an interactive, personal experience
How do you shoot food?
“We wanted to shoot it on location and we used DSLRs because they are easy, portable and worked with a small spacing issue,” said Robertson.
Remede tries to envision shooting it as he is eating it, choosing visually what he wants to eat.
The panel concluded with this and the discussion about food’s popularity on the web and it’s relationship to big brands and a discussion on what’s next for this culinary creative idea? If you have the skills for cooking food and shooting video, putting your projects online is a great way to reach out to a community and dial into a niche market.
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I’m not the best cook, but this is definitely a panel I would have liked to attend. I especially liked the quote by Aaron Franklin “Anyone who cooks something can put it on the web.” Like I said, I’m not the best cook, but I do like to try when I have the time. I have gone to Youtube to see it (a recipe) visually being prepared rather then just reading it. This way I feel as if I’m taking a cooking class from the comfort of my home, and if I burn something it’s not as embarrassing. And I agree that these food passions aren’t just limited to specific regions but are worldwide making these videos or TV programs highly useful.
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I completely agree with Kristie. I am by no means a master chef, but I have recently wanted to become a better cook, and I would definitely turn to YouTube to watch a recipe be put together, rather than just reading it. When I read this post, I kept thinking of one of my favorite movies, “Julie and Julia,” that came out a couple of years ago. Good example of how someone with very novice cooking skills documented her cooking journey through a blog and gained a following that eventually lead to a book and movie. While that’s not going to happen for just anybody, but it holds true that “anyone who cooks something can put it on the web.”
Thanks, Brittany. Great post!