New York, NY — August 20, 2018 — BuzzFeed’s Tasty today named world-famous chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson as its first-ever Executive Chef-in-Residence, a role in which he will lead a new class of culinary talent who will develop and star in Tasty original series across platforms in a multi-year deal. Ranging in backgrounds from James Beard-nominated chef JJ Johnson to rising digital talent, the diverse group of eight chefs will drive the brand’s biggest expansion yet into original series and new formats, building on Tasty’s growing slate of programming on Facebook Watch and YouTube. Tasty currently reaches over 500 million people per month worldwide and attracts more than 2.1 Billion average monthly video views.
“The Tasty Talent Program marks a crucial next step in the evolution of the brand. In today’s competitive media landscape, a lasting digital brand needs four key elements to realize its full potential: scale, brand recognition, ad effectiveness and talent. After turning an innovative video recipe format into a global food brand, Tasty is expanding further into episodic shows with a exciting group of chefs who will bring diverse, fresh, and often underrepresented points of view to the food world,” said Ashley McCollum, Tasty’s General Manager. “Marcus is a phenomenal talent driven by his passion for food and curiosity about the world. He’s worked with Tasty since day one, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have Marcus as the leading face of this brand.”
In addition to Samuelsson, the Tasty chefs include acclaimed Harlem chef and restaurateur JJ Johnson, whose restaurant FIELDTRIP will open in Harlem this fall; Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins, Executive Chef/Partner of San Diego’s El Jardin and Top Chef and Top Chef Mexico alum; Kanchan Koya, a mother and Harvard Biomedical Sciences PhD who explores the science of spice through her platform Spice Spice Baby; and emerging chefs from the Tasty team, including Alix Traeger, Alexis deBoschnek, Rie McClenny, and Vaughn Vreeland. The chefs and creators represent a range of authority and accessibility from world renowned chefs like Marcus to our own Tasty creators who have no classic culinary training like Alix.
The new chefs will expand the brand beyond its well-known recipe videos into original series in partnership with BuzzFeed Studios. Tasty has more than 70 billion lifetime video views across all of its pages and more than 9 million subscribers on YouTube, where it has more than doubled its audience in the past year. Tasty talent will create long-form premium content across BuzzFeed’s O&O properties and social platforms, external development projects for TV and SVOD partners, and appear in established Tasty shows and formats, with several premium longform projects in development and production.
Tasty reaches more than 500 million people globally per month and can be viewed across social platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snap; through Tasty.co and the Tasty app; through its New York Times-bestselling cookbooks and the Tasty One Top, a smart induction cooktop that is integrated with the Tasty app and in real life at the Tasty stands at Madison Square Garden. Tasty also has an exclusive line of kitchenware available at Walmart’s throughout the US. The growing Tasty portfolio includes additional brands Proper Tasty, Tasty Demais, Tasty Miam, Einfach Tasty, Tasty Japan, Bien Tasty, Tasty Vegetarian, Tasty Grill, and Tasty Jr.
About the Tasty talent:
Marcus Samuelsson is the acclaimed chef behind restaurants worldwide including Red Rooster Harlem, Red Rooster Shoreditch, and Marcus B&P. Samuelsson was the youngest person to ever receive a three-star review from The New York Times and has earned five James Beard Foundation Awards. Samuelsson co-produces the annual week-long festival Harlem EatUp!, which celebrates the food, art, and culture of Harlem. Samuelsson recently debuted his new TV series titled No Passport Required with VOX/Eater and PBS.
Alexis deBoschnek works across recipe development and new formats at Tasty as a Senior Culinary Specialist. After a quick stint in the fashion industry, she worked at Eater, Tasting Table, and EAT Club while attending culinary school in Los Angeles, CA, prior to joining Tasty.
Joseph “JJ” Johnson is a James Beard-nominated chef best known for cooking Pan-African flavors. Chef JJ is opening FIELDTRIP in Harlem this fall, showcasing heirloom rice from around the world together with his signature bold flavors. JJ's signature style of transforming simple cuisine with bold flavors and unexpected ingredients was inspired by the Caribbean flavors he grew up with, combined with global tastes acquired from his travels. He is also the co-author of new cookbook From Harlem to Heaven.
Kanchan Koya is the founder and author of “Spice Spice Baby,” a platform and cookbook that highlights the healing power of spices. Born and raised in Pune, India, Kanchan moved to the United States to pursue Molecular Biology at the University of Texas, and obtained a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Harvard. When she’s not experimenting with spices or spending time with her kids, Kanchan is a health coach.
Rie McClenny studied Culinary Art at the International Culinary Center in New York and worked as a chef in the restaurant industry in New York City and Los Angeles, before joining BuzzFeed as a recipe developer and producer for Tasty Japan.
Alix Traeger moved to Stockholm, Sweden to launch a travel and food blog and work as food stylist after graduating from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Health Sciences. She joined Tasty as a video producer and brings a passion for traveling--visiting over 30 countries--to her lens on cooking.
Vaughn Vreeland graduated from Elon University with a degree in French and Cinema Studies. After spending a year in Thailand, he honed his craft in baking and pastry Lucettegrace Patisserie in Raleigh, NC prior to joining Tasty.
Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins is the Executive Chef and Partner of El Jardín, a new regional Mexican restaurant in San Diego, CA, who learned under chefs including Denise Roa, Gavin Kaysen, and Javier Plascencia before appearing Top Chef season 15 and Top Chef Mexico. Claudette finds inspiration from frequent visits to Mexico, as well as from her husband and teenage children, with whom she resides with in San Diego.
About BuzzFeed:
BuzzFeed is the world’s leading tech-powered media company, with a cross-platform news and entertainment network that reaches hundreds of millions of people globally. The company produces articles, lists, quizzes, videos, original series; lifestyle content through BuzzFeed Media Brands including Tasty, the world’s largest social food network; original productions across broadcast, cable, SVOD, film and digital platforms for BuzzFeed Studios; original reporting and investigative journalism through BuzzFeed News; and BuzzFeed Commerce, which develops social commerce products and experiences, as well as licensing and other strategic partnerships.
Contact:
Shira Mahler
shira.mahler@buzzfeed.com
ASSETS:
Talent Images and Group Shots: https://we.tl/t-t0em7ddQnI
Promo Video: https://youtu.be/RFFjpOzpd8Q
Embeddable Promo Video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/RFFjpOzpd8Q
Tasty Logo: https://we.tl/t-KiuPrTS3Xy