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

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.

“What cooking represents to me is love, community, passion and finding ways to share all of our creativity by using what mother nature has provided for us,” he told Time magazine, after being named one of their Next Generation Leaders last year.

3. Antoni Porowski

Antoni Porowski starred in reality TV show Queer Eye. Photo: @antoni/Instagram

Queer Eye fans will know Porowski as the resident food and wine expert, and will already be aware that his good looks and modelling gigs for the likes of Hanes have caused many to question his cooking skills.

Antoni Porowski with his Queer Eye co-stars Tan France (left) and Jonathan van Ness (bottom). Photo: @antoni/Instagram

However, a profile in The New York Times titled “Antoni Porowski Can Cook” and his Instagram page seem to have silenced the haters for now, proving he’s more than worthy, despite having no professional training.

4. Gianluca Conte

TikTok star Gianluca Conte entices his audience with a skimpy apron ‘fit. Photo: @itsqcp/Instagram

LA-based TikTok sensation Conte – better known as QCP – is the son of a successful Italian restaurateur and once told the New York Post he can earn almost six figures from sharing a single post to his 12.7 million TikTok followers. The 24-year-old cooks wearing an apron and little else, and just released his first book with Penguin, Italian/American.

5. Cedrik Lorenzen

Cedrik Lorenzen loves creating carb dishes – and anything moist, apparently. Photo: @cedriklorenzen/Instagram

Declaring himself “100 per cent self-taught”, Cedrik Lorenzen creates stunning pasta dishes, but seems to have the most fun with dessert, with videos that veer into the realm of soft porn on a regular basis.

Most of Cedrik Lorenzen’s content is verging on NSFW – and his followers love it. Photo: @cedriklorenzen/Instagram

No wonder he has a combined 8.4 million followers across Insta and TikTok at the time of writing.

6. Franco Noriega

In addition to cooking and managing his own restaurant, Franco Noriega is also a professional underwear model. Photo: @franconorhal/Instagram

Widely known as the “naked Peruvian chef” due to his shirtless appearances on talk shows, Franco Noriega studied cooking at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan before opening his restaurant Baby Brasa in the city’s West Village in 2016. And, as Noriega’s bio on his own website points out, he’s “not your average chef” thanks to his “sculpted physique and a passion for both food and fitness”. Those who want to watch him in action can catch him on the Food Network’s knowingly titled Hot Dish with Franco, per Variety.

7. Salt Bae

Kurdish chef Nusret Gökçe became famous after videos of him flexing his muscles while seasoning food went viral. Photo: @nurs_et/Instagram

He may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s no denying that Kurkish chef Nusret Gökçe put the butch in butcher when he became famous for flexing his muscles while seasoning meat. Social media promptly christened him Salt Bae – and the rest is history. The 40-year-old has since built a restaurant empire off the back of his fame – though not everyone is happy about him charging US$100 for a burger.

8. Anthony Randello Jahn

Anthony Randello Jahn, also known as The Donut Daddy. Photo: @thedonutdaddy/Instagram

Anthony Randello Jahn calls himself The Donut Daddy and makes restaurant quality dishes for his millions of followers in the most overtly sensual way possible because, he tells Forbes – he’s well aware that sex sells. But to what end?

Anthony Randello Jahn has two businesses running in Melbourne, Australia, including Levain Doughnuts and Jamm’d Dessert Bar. Photo: @thedonutdaddy/Instagram

Ultimately, the chisel-jawed Aussie says he is trying to drive traffic to his Melbourne outlets, Levain Doughnuts and Jamm’d Dessert Bar.

Icons and Influencers

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