Frankie Celenza’s face has graced the screens of many foodies, either through his quick Tastemade videos (that are conveniently found on Snapchat), or his Frankie’s World series on Youtube. Everyday, he ranks up views by both teaching new cooking strategies, in addition to the history of certain types of food.
However, food wasn’t always the central focus of Celenza’s life. According to his ‘About‘ page on his website, before he began cooking, his focus was on creating music, as well as, photography and video editing.
In 2001, Celenza “began digging up (his) Italian-American family history and heritage,” which is where he realized that food is what “brought families, cultures and the ages closer together since the beginning of time.”
It was important to Celenza that time and care was dedicated into crafting his cooking show. Mostly because “one cannot taste or smell through the screen.” He focused on the musical aesthetics, in additions to his onscreen presence. Due to his hard work and dedication, “Frankie Cooks” has won five New York Emmy Awards.
Tastemade
Through Tastemade, a place that has changed the way people view entertainment, as well as food, Celenza has created “over 100 ‘Recipe Cards,'” in addition to traveling to Hawaii, Italy, Las Vegas, and New York City, shooting food and culture related content for his show “Frankie’s World.”
The content Celenza produces for Tastemade revolves around recipes, including ways they can be altered.
Frankie’s World
In his show “Frankie’s World” Celenza focuses on the history food that most people probably don’t consider. He discusses Italian food myths, the uncovers the truth of pretzels, and several others, ranging from ramen to snow cones.
However, in Celenza’s videos, he doesn’t just lecture his audience about the history of types of food, he allows for interaction. It’s obvious that there is a lot of time and work spent into every production, which is what makes it worth watching.
Celenza’s overall goal is to “empower his audience to break free from the constrictions of set recipes and allow for free flowing culinary ideas.” He mentions how “this is no different than a musician improvising a solo,” and that with cooking he’s offered a “‘choose your own adventure’ style.”
If you have even the slightest interest in food, Celenza is definitely worth checking out. He’s changing the face of food, in addition to the meaning behind it, one ingredient at a time.