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Screenshot 2021 08 24 213252
Screenshot 2021 08 24 213252
Lifestyle

Reel Round-Up: Pasta Classics, Soufflé Pancakes, and Plant-Based Pastries

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Seton Hall chapter.

Welcome to Reel Round-Up, a weekly column where Kennedy Dierks highlights the top Instagram Reels creators.

Professional chefs, food bloggers, and home cooks alike have all found a home with Instagram Reels and the Reels Explore page, which provides a new(ish) tool to showcase their culinary skill and interact with followers on a more intimate level. Content creators have jumped on the many trends, kitchen hacks, and foodie must-haves that social media has to offer, and continue to use Instagram as a “home base” to share photos AND videos while growing their community thanks to the Instagram Explore page.

Here are eight Instagrammers whose Reels have made me scroll-crazy this week:

1. @stickaforkinme

Rachel is both a foodie and a travel junkie, and combines her passions for travel and food in her Reels. With restaurant recommendations, featured favorites, and, of course, dessert, Rachel will have you browsing Expedia for the next outbound flight. Check out this Reel for one of Rachel’s travel finds that’s almost too cute to eat.

2. @magnoliabakery

You may know Magnolia Bakery for their banana pudding, but now you know them for their addictive Reels which showcase their cupcake of the week, cake creation, and mesmerizing bite shots.

3. @fabiocarratelli

Based in Seattle, Fabio is a personal chef sharing his Italian heritage and passion for food of all kinds. With detailed footage, step-by-step directions, and ingredient lists, Fabio brings his favorite dishes to your Instagram feed, from drinks to dinner to dessert.

4. @maggiebakesgrace

Maggie is a 2016 Olympic Trials swimmer who loves to bake and believes that “food is fuel.” Maggie’s recipes are all dairy-free, and her Reels feature vegan copycats of Levain Bakery cookies, PopTarts, and Reese’s Eggs, as well as a slew of chia seed pudding and baked oats recipes.

5. @ikramgrill

Ikram Grill brings the Halal street food you know and love to both the West Coast and your Instagram. With drool-worthy shots of chicken shawarma and rapid-fire sandwich stacking, Ikram Grill’s Reels will leave you craving Middle Eastern street food.

6. @londonbruncher

Samah is a self-proclaimed foodie who shares easy-to-follow recipes, social media trends, and recommendations for her favorite restaurants around London. Her Reels will keep your eyes glued to the screen in anticipation of the final products, whether it be crispy garlic dip, 10-minute noodles, or vegan Pasta Al Limone(ish). Bonus content for the audiophiles out there: Garlic Bread ASMR.

7. @makeitdairyfree

Wondering how you get ^ that ^ kind of pull without animal products? New Jersey-based vegan couple Larisha and Andrew will make you forget that you ever relied on dairy with Reels including 20-minute-or-less weekly recipes (hello, 15-minute vegan mac), easy vegan desserts (now that hostess gifts are a thing again), and dairy-free copycats of your Chipotle faves (you don’t even have to pay extra!).

8. @thefoodfreakk

Inspired by the late, great Anthony Bourdain, Stephen’s goal is to ensure “more people are cooking today, and cooking with confidence, than there was yesterday.” With Reels that feature cooking fundamentals, and tutorials for American and international classics alike, Stephen ensures that your feed will be delicious.

I hope this list helps you find your foodie muse! Or, at the bare minimum, gives you more material to procrastinate with the rest of the week…Don’t worry, I’ll be right there with you, dreaming about the falafel, frozen bananas, and fish and chips of the weekend.

Until next week!!

Kennedy Dierks

Seton Hall '23

Hi! My name is Kennedy, and I'm a pre-med student majoring in Biology and minoring in Art History at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. I can eat my weight in ahi poke bowls, tikka masala, and Graham Central Station ice cream, and cannot live without Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. I love anything creative -- music, painting, writing, etc. (my art was featured in British Vogue!), and I'm convinced that I'd be Temperance Brennan from Bones in another life. I'm so excited to be a part of Spoon and share my love for food!