There's a ton of content out there.
No matter what you're into, what weird subculture, there's a venue for your entertainment, be it movies, music, memes, shows, anything – and most of it is on YouTube.
To get even more meta on it, this is blog is content. (Cue Twilight Zone music.)
But through the endless sea of things to binge-watch, some of the creators are doing some sincerely cool things. They're making their marks in a crowded field of voices.
One of those folks standing at the crossroads of food and comedy is Sonny Hurrell, AKA That Dude Can Cook.
Hurrell is a rising star in the food creator community.
His videos across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have earned him subscribers in the millions.
While his videos are traditional how-tos on roasting a chicken or searing a steak properly, Hurrell's approach makes him different: he's dedicated to making people laugh.
Instead of the typical cooking steps A-Z, Hurrell gives his videos a sense of humor with his Sargent Gilbert, his pepper grinder, complete with a Fu Manchu, and googly eyes. He also has a bigger version called Master Sergeant Gilbert, the size of a small rocket launcher.
Hurrell takes vengeance upon his fridge with a swift series of kicks and punches straight out of Enter the Dragon when a recipe lands.
He will get a running start and land a kick to the front of his Frigidaire like he was fighting an enemy in the movies. "Man fuck that fridge," Hurrell said to me as we chatted on the phone.
I was interested in learning how he went from private caterer and chef to content creator with a fan base that's only growing.
Hurrell jokes about how he cooks his food and how he's self-aware and cool with making dumb jokes to keep the entertainment value high.
His sense of humor is straight from the pages of Kids in the Hall or Monty Python, and after speaking with him, it’s clear that this is only the beginning. “I want to do more comedy. I love making people laugh. I want my videos to have a personality.”
Despite his loose attitude, the chef isn't a guy throwing tacos together on TikTok but has worked in the kitchens under masters like Fergus Henderson and working in Holland. It was during COVID that he had to adjust. "I started a YouTube channel, but nothing happened. I had maybe two thousand subscribers. During the pandemic, I got back on and started cooking, making TikTok posts, and the next thing, my rosemary salt video had over a hundred thousand views."
And through his journey so far, he's taught millions to make better burgers, how to devil eggs, how to spatchcock chickens, and how to season our food correctly. All of these things matter.
One bright spot of the constant hum of social media is that if you're willing to learn, there's a lot of content out there that offers authentic instruction, and That Dude Can Cook is one of those channels.
Just check out his latest video here:
It was through the nature of necessity that Hurrell found his footing.
And soon, he's moving to Austin to level up, to see where he can take the idea of That Dude Can Cook. It'll be an excellent addition to the community in Austin to see another talented person cultivating their craft in a city brimming with talented people.
Between his characters of the sentient pepper grinder and the fridge that's the constant source of abuse, there's a heart of comedy there, and it's interesting to see.
How can he make new content, considering there are so many comedians in Austin now. What collaborations can they do? I'd love to see him cook for guys like Tony Casillas and Mike Eaton or go to the gun range to blow up the fridge with the one-man army, Gary Faust.
There are so many interesting people creating new media and pushing what form looks like, so it’ll be a cool moment to see how Hurrell makes his name when he’ll have endless options of pirates to choose from to make things with.
Whatever his plans are, we're ready to help because we're all in when it comes to funny.
