8 of the hottest chefs to follow on TikTok and Instagram: from Alain Ducasse protégé Cédric Grolet and part-time Hermès model Roze Traore, to Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski, Salt Bae and The Donut Daddy

May 23, 2024

Chefs Roze Traore, Franco Noriega and Cedric Lorenzen offer culinary excellence – and then some. Photos: @rozetreore, @franconorhal, @cedrilorenzen/Instagram

Blame Emily in Paris’ Chef Gabriel or The Bear’s Carmy Berzatto – aka Lucas Bravo and Jeremy Allen White – for fuelling the internet’s thirst for chefs who look as good as the food they make

Now a host of real life cooks – some classically trained, some self taught – are gaining millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram, and boosting their business empires as a result

Attractive chefs may be all the rage on screen – think Emily in Paris’ Chef Gabriel or The Bear’s Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto – but thanks to social media, a handful of real-life cooks are getting a lot of attention right now too, with some private chefs achieving almost the same celeb status as the famous people they cook for.

On-screen characters Chef Gabriel from Emily in Paris and Carmy Berzatto from The Bear. Photos: Instagram

TikTok has only fuelled the trend, with hungry (or should that be thirsty?) diners across the world tuning in to watch the likes of The Donut Daddy baking shirtless or Cedrik Lorenzen being outrageous with a lemon. And then there are the up-and-coming Michelin-worthy chefs whose fans seem to find them as visually pleasing as the beautiful dishes they create.

Here are eight such chefs you need to know …

1. Cédric Grolet

Fans can dream of Cédric Grolet bringing his beautiful desserts to their breakfast tables. Photo: @cedricgrolet/Instagram

Getting his big break at renowned Parisian restaurant Le Meurice under Alain Ducasse, Cédric Grolet has gone on to be a star in his own right. At the time of writing, the tattooed 38-year-old has 10.4 million followers on Instagram and another 6.8 million on TikTok thanks to his knack for creating gorgeous desserts that look like tiny fruits.

2. Roze Traore

Roze Traore does both food and fashion. Photo: @rozetraore/Instagram

Traore cut his teeth on the New York dining scene after a youth spent between the US, Paris and the Ivory Coast. But the 6-ft-5 (196cm) 32-year-old is also a fashion model who’s walked for the likes of Louis Vuitton and Cole Haan, per Vogue.