This week is all about getting close. Last edition we talked about building a series; this time it's something you can't really fake - the creators who get right up to the camera, right into the food, and make you feel how much they care about it. One chef is doing it better than just about anyone right now, so we'll get into who he is and why it's working, then run through the usual from the world of food creators.

Let's get into it.

Who's Slater?

44k followers to 379k in a year.

Ben Slater (@slaterchef) is a proper chef - and a fan favourite in the Clubb office - someone who's cooked and developed food professionally for years before any of this social media fame. He started last summer sitting at around 44k followers on instagram. He's now closing in on 380k. Take a look at the climb:

The takeoff lines up almost exactly with the moment he leaned all the way into a format that's entirely his: getting right up to the camera and talking about food like he means it. And he means it. He gets close and he gets passionate - almost sensual about whatever's in the pan. It's pure, unfiltered enthusiasm, and it's magnetic.

But none of that would land without the cooking. Slater makes proper recipes - clever, unexpected ideas you'd never land on yourself as a home cook, the kind that only come from someone who really knows their way around a kitchen and loves to tinker. He takes you on an actual culinary journey, and however long the video runs you do not drop off. Take his pea soup: it should lose you halfway through, and instead he carries you all the way and then casually drops a worldie of a toastie at the end like it's nothing. You can't look away, and the comments are full of people saying exactly that.

On the specifics:

• Recognisable scene - a strong play for instagram. You could see that tiled kitchen anywhere and see the pots with green tape and know it's Ben's.
• Right up to the lens. He fills the frame with his face and the food, so it feels like he's cooking for you, not for an audience.
• Passion you can't fake. The way he talks about flavour is completely infectious.
• Recipes you'd never think of. Clever, unexpected ideas from a chef who actually knows his stuff, not the same five viral dinners on repeat.
• Length stops mattering. His reels run long, but the journey holds you the whole way - the pea soup that turns into a toastie is the perfect example.
• It's aspirational. People don't just watch, they comment that they're impressed and that they want to give it a go themselves.

And that's the whole thing. Plenty of food content is easy enough to watch. Slater's makes you want to get up and cook - to actually raise your game. Watch a handful of his and you start to believe you could pull it off yourself.

See it for yourself - a few of his:

Getting close, then, isn't a gimmick - done right it's the whole difference between content people scroll past and content people stop for. Right, what else is worth your attention this week?

Viral posts you might have missed

In case you missed them, here are a couple worth a second look. We've all seen the Dot Cake trend originating out of New York. Lots of creators have taken a pop - but my personal favourite? @coconutandbliss reworked it into something savoury - a tuna tartare version with crisps to dip. One of those ones I genuinely wished it was me eating it.

Another that's been on a bit of run recently is @_holist_ has been running a "burnout month" series, that's racked up big views multiple times - easy comforting food for when you've got nothing left in the tank, and clearly hit on something people are feeling: the red wine beef and butter beans is at 2.9 million off a 367k following. When a series taps into a real moment, it travels.

Biggest gains

Let's get it. Who's on the gain train. Below are the creators with the biggest absolute recent growth from the past 30 days:

Ones to watch

Might not be up in the millions yet, but here's the accounts having a moment as they fly towards 100k and break the barrier:

Now, outside of the growth league tables, there are always some creators that are just worth spotlighting - especially the ones I like to call the Foodies' Foodie. Creators with a real craft, great recipes, and ones you know other creators and recipe developers know and respect. If you're not already following them, you certainly should be. This time, it's @billandyallison. I don't think I've ever seen someone move between a Jamaican classics series and a Michelin-level plated dish and make both feel completely natural.

Bill Allison

@billandyallison

Bill Allison is the chef other chefs follow. A Jamaican-Canadian chef, creative, and storyteller currently based in Stockholm, where he serves as head chef for Grus Grus. He's the kind of chef who cooks at pop-ups (currently in Bangkok!), documents it all on Instagram, and somehow still finds the time to run marathons. 84k on Instagram, and a grid full of food that will make you want to book a flight to wherever he's cooking next.

Follow on Instagram

So that's it for this issue. Be sure to subscribe and check back in for more. We've got some great content coming up!

Ben.

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