While most people in America are likely to stay at home more often, sometimes, we want to do something to pass the time.
We can watch videos of cats, look at memes, do yoga, or even jog around the house. But what if you can start on a hobby, like cooking meals or baking pastries? And after that, show your cooking to millions of followers around the world? This approach is what celebrity chef James Lamprey does by filming as he cooks unique food with his YouTube channel, FunFoods. But first, let us talk about the man behind the cooking.
James Lamprey was born on October 9, 1975, in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., as the youngest of three siblings. James was not supposed to become a viral chef. Like most boys in the 80’s and 90’s, he dreamt of becoming a professional football player. But his dream was cut short in his junior year in high school. It was when he suffered a severe injury that required multiple surgeries. James recovered slowly but surely; however, he did not recover in time for football season.
After high school, James did not have a career path yet. In college, he worked at an entry-level job at a Fortune 500 company by day and took classes at night. His hardships were fruitful as he later earned his degrees in business management and finance. After college, James continued to work hard and move through the ranks. While most chefs start learning and honing their craft in kitchens, he took an unconventional approach to do it online.
In 2010, James started his Youtube channel called “FunFoods,” where he experimented with fun and creative recipes of different sweets. He gained an audience that shares his passion for cooking. James later on, expanded his platform on Facebook, where he achieved great success. The most notable video was his recipe for Mountain Dew-flavored ice cream that garnered 30 million views. Because of this, he made more recipes with Mountain Dew as the main ingredient, and he became quite good at it.
Currently, James is an active user on Twitter and Instagram. He has also ridden the tide of new social media site TikTok where his reach greatly expanded. His success now did not just fall from a tree. He started by making an account on the former site, Musical.ly years ago. He did not put much effort into it until TikTok surged and become famous as it is now. James then made a separate account which mainstreamed his recipes among the TikTok audience. He has so far amassed a million followers and received more than 47 million views in a month. His popular viral recipes include shark-infested jello, Kool-aid slushies, cotton candy ice cream, and Skittles ice cream.
Not only does he have a remarkable presence online, but James also does live shows. In 2017, he hosted a decorating class at the Big Chocolate Show in New York. James has performed at the LA Cookie Con in 2018 and 2019, doing real-time cooking demos on the main stage. In 2018, he had the privilege of becoming a judge with Ron Ben-Israel and Chef Jamika at the LA Cookie Con cake decorating competition.
Food aficionados or simply ‘foodies,’ especially those who have a sweet tooth, would love James Lamprey for his journey into cooking food and his unconventional take on cooking sweets. He made a name for himself doing what he loved to do all this time. Perhaps, you would get inspired by him and make cooking your hobby too. If you want to know more about James Lamprey, visit his website at James Lamprey. You can look at his recipes on Youtube, on Instagram, on Facebook at FunFoods, and on TikTok. You can also reach him on Twitter.
