A recent Institute of Culinary Education graduate gained over 300,000 Instagram followers in less than a year — simply by posting about his day-to-day life.
From learning how to chop an onion with Gordon Ramsey to exploring NYC’s ramen scene, social media is filled with culinary content. A popular trend, especially on TikTok, is “day-in-the-life” videos, offering an inside look into various professions, including what it takes to become a professional chef.
Steven Gao, known as @StevenMotoCooks on TikTok and Instagram, seized the opportunity when he enrolled at the Institute of Culinary Education's New York City campus in 2023.
Chef Steven graduated from Rutgers University in 2023 with a degree in computer science/graphic design. When reflecting back on his college experience, Chef Steven realized that his happiest memories were when he was cooking for his friends.
“While I enjoyed my classes, I didn’t want to work in graphic design,” Chef Steven says. “I loved making memories with friends while cooking. Even though I wasn’t a strong cook, I wanted to keep creating those happy moments.”
This desire led him to consider, and then enroll, in culinary school. He joined ICE's Culinary Arts program for the 2023/2024 term.
Once he started class, Chef Steven quickly realized that the hands-on instructional content was perfect for recording. Many students already take out their phones to document complex cuts and slices, so he decided to take his videos a step further. Drawing from his experience creating volleyball training videos in college, Chef Steven began documenting his culinary school journey with quick cuts and voiceovers to keep viewers engaged.
“I thought it would be interesting to document the whole journey,” Chef Steven says.
His content aimed to introduce people to the world of cooking and provide a glimpse into culinary school life. But the process also helped him learn more, as he reviewed and researched the topics for his videos, reinforcing what he learned in class.
“Depending on the topic, I’d research the history of a technique taught in class to ensure accuracy,” Chef Steven says. “Making the roux videos was particularly fun because I was deepening my understanding, which made the videos more informative.”
One video that did very well was his video on how to prepare different styles of eggs, which ranged from American to French style preparations. Generally, videos about filets, preparing chicken or steaks, and breakfast foods did well. Chef Steven thinks that's because those are ingredients many people cook with daily.
As his content evolved, Chef Steven started adding small screen captures of definitions and diagrams, allowing viewers to pause and explore deeper into the material. He also used text overlays to share his thoughts during certain moments, like when he tried a raw roux and had to keep a straight face while the text noted his struggle not to spit it out.
After creating over 100 videos and amassing more than 4.6 million likes on TikTok, Chef Steven has graduated from ICE and now works as a Chef de Partie at three-Michelin-starred restaurant Per Se, a New American and French restaurant created by Chef Thomas Keller.
Chef Steven says balancing his new role with content creation has been challenging, leading him to shift his focus towards longer-form content.
“Now that I’m at Per Se, I spend the whole day working and have less time to edit videos,” he says. “They understandably want me to focus on the work, so I’m working on longer content to educate people on cooking.”
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Looking ahead, Chef Steven hopes to immerse himself in professional kitchens and learn the business side of running a restaurant, with the goal of one day opening his own space. In the meantime, he continues to create content about cooking for family and friends, while reflecting on the global impact of his videos.
“I had people from India, China, Africa, and Singapore asking about ICE and the culinary school experience,” Chef Steven says. “It was nice to share what I was learning and provide my insights.”
