Let These Three YouTube Shorts Creators Inspire Your Cooking Habits In 2022

We’re approaching the end of January and that’s right about the time many people notoriously start to fall off the wagon with their New Year’s resolutions. Whether you’re hoping to be healthier, wanting to journal more, or maybe spend more time in the kitchen, three weeks in is about the mark when many get busy with their routines and don’t always follow through with their planned resolutions. 

Well, if cooking or spending more time in the kitchen was on your list of resolutions, you’re not alone. Enter YouTube and some of the platform’s top stars who might be just the encouragement you need to keep on pushing to perfect your cooking skills and recipes. With viral rises to fame thanks to YouTube and it’s new Shorts feature (think their version of TikTok videos or Reels) these three superstars are cooking their hearts out on the Internet in hopes of inspiring and teaching those who want to learn new techniques and dishes in their own kitchens.

From a professional chef to an attorney who went vegan and still craved her family’s Korean traditions, and a storyteller whose only specialty was simple ramen at home — these three YouTube Shorts creators are constantly pushing their own limits and have shared what they were most proud of accomplishing in 2021 and what they hope to conquer in 2022.

Lisa Nguyen

Lisa Nguyen founded Telehue Food in 2018, which specializes in highlighting the stories behind the people and dishes of family-owned restaurants. During the pandemic, she started learning how to cook and now shares that journey with over 4 million people (2.83M subscribers on YouTube alone) from around the world. She hopes her content inspires other people to try cooking as well as to try foods found in other cultures. When Lisa is not in the kitchen, you can find her traveling in search of new food adventures.

What recipe were you most proud of in 2021 and why?

“Although I was excited to have made Beef Wellington for the first time in 2021, the recipe I was most proud of was of a potato casserole topped with sausage and an egg. The main reason is because I did not plan for that to be the end result of the dish, but I kept messing up little things that led me to the final product. And somehow it turned out delicious! It was how my 2021 went… making a bunch of what I thought were random mistakes that led to the end of the best year of my life so far.” 

What cooking challenge are you hoping to conquer in 2022 and why? 

“For a more general answer, I want to conquer my reservations while cooking. I want to go full-on into a recipe confidently, knowing that everything will work out. I think being more confident in the kitchen will allow me to be more adventurous with my cooking methods. But for something a bit more tangible, I want to successfully cook salmon in a stainless pan. I have had three sad attempts, but hopefully 2022 will be the year that I can cook a crispy salmon in the pan!”

Joanne Lee Molinaro aka The Korean Vegan

Joanne Lee Molinaro, better known as The Korean Vegan, is a Korean-American trial lawyer, born and raised in Chicago. Molinaro adopted a plant-based diet in January 2016 and began The Korean Vegan as a passion project later that year. Her popular YouTube channel incorporates her recipes with personal narration and in her debut cookbook, Joanne shares recipes and narrative snapshots of the food that shaped her family history to her 520K subscribers.

What recipe were you most proud of in 2021 and why?

“My favorite recipe is difficult, but, I’d say it was my Kimchi Cheese Fries. Because I love fries more than LIFE? And Kimchi is basically me.  hahahah. No, but seriously, for quotable purposes, I am very proud of this recipe because it married two of my favorite foods—the potato and kimchi—as well as the two sides of my cultural identity: American and Korean, all while still being plant based! It was also absolutely freaking DELICIOUS!”

What cooking challenge are you hoping to conquer in 2022 and why? 

“The cooking challenge I hope to conquer is to improve my knife skills, so that I can chop onions and garlic and bell peppers like a pro!”

Matt Broussard aka acooknamedMatt

Chef Matt Broussard known to his subscribers as acooknamedMatt could be found in several kitchens across Seattle as he was part of a restaurant group with 15 locations that very quickly felt the presence of the pandemic. Thanks to his restaurant career spanning as early as his high school year, he was able to quickly pivot and began creating cooking videos that he would post on YouTube and became an instant hit, now reaching 941K subscribers. 

What recipe were you most proud of in 2021 and why?

“I am most proud of my December Eggmas Series. These recipes challenged me to be creative using a single ingredient over multiple weeks.”

What cooking challenge are you hoping to conquer in 2022 and why? 

“I’m challenging myself to come up with something new every day to expand my knowledge and grow creatively and technically. This month I’m challenging myself to make a new soup, every day.”