Byron Talbott is one of the biggest chefs on YouTube.
He shares his talents with more than a million subscribers who eagerly flock to his channel
to check out his cooking videos.
Unlike a lot of people who have made names for themselves through social media, he didn't
become famous overnight through a viral video, but put in a lot of hard work to steadily
build up his impressive fan base.
From his early work in the kitchen to his plans for the future, here are some things
you may not know about Talbott.
Learning as a teen
Talbott knew from a young age that he loved to cook.
He began formally pursuing his career at the age of 17, when he started culinary school.
From there, he worked his way up, first as a dishwasher and cook, and later on as a chef.
Talbott's first job in the industry was working in the kitchen of a country club, and while
it wasn't glamorous, it affirmed that he was in the right career.
He told Yahoo,
"That was my foot in the door with the hands-on culinary experience: washing dishes, prepping
everything you could imagine, peeling onions and peeling potatoes.
So, definitely where the rubber hits the road, but it was fun."
Bridging the gap
While cooking credentials are not a prerequisite to having a successful YouTube food channel,
Talbott has them.
According to his website, Talbott graduated from the culinary program at Los Angeles Mission
College.
He worked in kitchens for a decade before he left the restaurant business in order to
focus on his growing YouTube channel, which he started in 2012.
He might have plenty of experience, but he still has respect for home chefs who mastered
their art without going to cooking school.
Talbott told Tubefilter,
"In this day and age some at-home 'chefs' are very food savvy and could teach me a thing
or two."
Talbott went on to explain that he thinks of himself as a cross between professional
chefs and talented amateurs, saying,
"I've always described myself as being the dude who's a bridge between the professional
culinary world and the home cook world."
One-man show
Talbott's wife, Rachel Talbott, is also a YouTube star.
Her lifestyle channel has over one million subscribers and covers everything from beauty
to food to music.
Having another seasoned pro living in the same house doesn't mean that Talbott gets
help with his own channel, though.
While he and his wife sometimes appear in videos together, Talbott does the hard work
on his channel himself.
He told Tubefilter,
"I conceptualize, cook, produce, film, edit, promote, etc.
[It] can be tricky at times, so being resourceful is key."
"When I started YouTube it was a whole new world, you know, figuring out all the semantics
with filmwork and figuring out cameras and all that good stuff."
Even though Talbott does everything on his own, the finished product looks like it's
been filmed and edited by a whole team of professionals.
Rachel's influence
Talbott's wife Rachel is the reason he started his YouTube channel.
He told New Rockstars,
"On some level I guess I always knew that I wanted a platform to share my passion for
food as a young chef, but didn't know how to achieve that without having to open a very
risky and expensive restaurant."
"Opening up a restaurant, owning a restaurant, being a part of that is crazy, and it's like
crazy love, but it's crazy."
Talbott was working at a Beverly Hills bistro while Rachel was working on her YouTube channel,
and when her fans found out she was married to a chef they requested that he start his
own food channel.
According to Talbott, he wasn't sold on the idea at first, but went on to say,
"With a little convincing from my wife I filmed my first video… and never looked back."
Overcoming shyness
You probably wouldn't guess it from watching Talbott's channel, but the chef is actually
a shy, reserved person.
The outgoing personality you see on his videos is something that he constantly has to work
to cultivate.
Fortunately, Talbott's motivation to showcase his cooking skills were enough for him to
confront his fear.
Today, Talbott seems like he has gotten over his stage fright, but he claims that the shyness
is still there.
He told Tubefilter,
"Believe it or not, I'm extremely shy and that was and still is challenging to work
through.
I'm still figuring out how to have a personality."
"Ho ho ho, I love this dessert."
Going bigger
What's next for Talbott?
He's keeping busy with his YouTube channel and his family life, but the chef has some
other things planned as well.
He's been teasing a cookbook for a while, as well as new ideas for his YouTube channel.
He told New Rockstars in 2014.
"I've always been fascinated with the science behind food, so I'd love to incorporate that
into my channel somehow.
A cookbook is a must.
Break some sort of Guinness world record with food."
"It's gonna be a cool book, so yes, I'll be making a book, and there will be lots of good
recipes in it."
Here's hoping that book comes out soon!