How A Tiny Chef Changed The Way I Think About Social Media
By Adam Barrett
Here on the VERB blog, I’ve been lucky enough to do a little writing about community building through social media over the last year or so. I’ve looked at how small gestures on your social media platforms can have significant impacts, as well as how I’ve worked to build an Instagram community of my own (with a little help from my dog). Today, I want to complete a trilogy (not quite six seasons and a movie, but it will do) by writing about one of my absolute favourite online communities, and how the folks behind it have embraced long-form storytelling on Instagram to cook up something truly special.
Folks, allow me to introduce you to my most-treasured slice of the internet — the Tiny Chef Show.
Pre-Heating the Oven
Billed as a tiny cooking show for humans of all ages, the Tiny Chef Show is so much more than that. It’s about curiosity, and having a sense of wonder, and the joy anyone can find in being kind to others and true to themselves. It’s about accepting people for who they are and embracing your own enthusiasm for the things you love. It’s also about an 8-inch tall (6.5-inches without his hat on) herbivorous chef who kind of looks like a tennis ball with limbs and speaks in a sometimes difficult to discern language all his own. He loves singing, playing the banjo, making bottle cap-sized apple pies, and visits from his favourite feline, Miss Penny. He shares his adventures with his fans (lovingly referred to as “Cheffers”) on his Tiny Chef Instagram Account, as well as his personal selfies on his mymisspenny account.
Does this all sound a little strange? Well, it is, but I’m happy to count myself as one of the 378k followers Chef (and the Tiny Chef Team behind him) have organically grown on his Instagram account in a little over a year.
The first post on the Tiny Chef Show account was on March 11, 2018, and it featured a miniature woodworking project — but interestingly, no Chef in sight. In fact, not unlike the movie Jaws, where the shark doesn’t show up on screen until over an hour into the film (forgive me for that 44-year old spoiler), Chef doesn’t show up on his account until three months later in June of 2018. And even then, he’s relatively sporadic until August of the same year.
When he did begin showing up more consistently, the account shifted focus and became less about (incredibly impressive) miniature creations and more about Chef, his story, and the way he interacts with the world around him. His first official cooking video, Apple Pie, was released in September of 2018. This is when I first learned about the Tiny Chef.
Allow me to Re-introduce Myself, My Name is…Adam
A quick aside about me in an attempt to better explain why I adore the Tiny Chef Show so much. As an elder millennial, I am extremely online. If there’s a social media platform, I have an account there. If there’s a comment section, I’m cautiously scrolling it. If I have an opinion, I’m sharing it. And if there’s a soapbox, I’m oversharing while perched upon it. While I’m generally happy with the person I’ve become, I do find these traits can send me down rabbit holes that could easily be labeled “The Worst of the Internet.” I see a lot of snark, trolling, and general negativity out there. As a matter of fact, I’m sure I’ve declared “I’m done with the Internet” on more than one occasion. What I probably meant was the Internet (in general) and social media (specifically) each offer such exciting opportunities to bring people together, that I sometimes can’t help but feel frustrated that they seem to be doing more to sow divisions between us.
It was during one of these “I’m done with the Internet” moments that the Tiny Chef was shared with me, and I was instantly absorbed into his story, which, as you’re about to find out, is a weird one.
Let’s Get Cooking
If I had to describe the Tiny Chef to someone (which, I guess I am), I would say he’s a little bit Julia Child mixed with Dolly Parton and a dash of Mister Rogers, all rolled up in a little green ball wearing an apron. He sings, he wobbles about his kitchen, and he shares his pint-sized culinary creations with the world.
Now, if I had to describe the Tiny Chef Show to someone, I would say it’s a mixture of photography, live-action, and stop-motion animation that tells the story of Chef’s journey from New Zealand to Portland, Oregon, and the triumphs and pitfalls he’s encountered while searching for the perfect tree stump to build his own tiny kitchen. Along the way he’s met celebrities, recorded an album of Holiday favourites, visited Hobbiton (surprisingly still too large for him), adopted a cow named Sweet Pea, and become a Portland Trail Blazers fan.
Without giving away too much of the story, let’s just say not everything has been smooth sailing. In fact, I will admit right now to having to explain (on more than one occasion) why I’m wiping away a tear while looking at an Instagram post. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a roller coaster ride.
Tiny Chef, Big World
The stop-motion animation and attention to detail on the Tiny Chef Show is impressive, but what really interests me (as someone who uses social media in both professional and personal capacities) is its dedication to building a continuous evolving narrative on Instagram. As I mentioned earlier, for more than a year, this tale has been playing out almost exclusively on the platform through photos, Instagram stories, and one-minute video clips. Secondary Instagram accounts were added to supplement the main story, and their interactions continue to create interesting side dramas that I can’t help but love. And while none of this is necessarily a new idea, it’s the first time it’s really clicked for me. I often find myself bucking the Instagram algorithm and making my way to the search page to make sure I’m always up to date on what’s happening in Chef’s world. I love watching his Instagram Stories, where he shares photos of art, cakes, toys, and tattoos (!!!) that Cheffers send him. I often watch his videos with my partner in hopes of deciphering what he’s saying (or singing) while cleaning up his kitchen or rolling out dough using a matchstick. It may sound like a cliche, or overly sappy, but it’s fun to enjoy something so much, and it’s cool to care.
From a professional standpoint, Chef’s adventures get me thinking about ways we can embrace longform storytelling on platforms that sometimes feel tailor made for short attention spans. Instead of creating high-quality content that can — at times — feel like it’s “one and done”, how can we weave each post together into a larger story — one where everything feels essential for a reader? Can we move beyond traditional photos and video to tell a story? Perhaps more importantly, it gets me thinking about ways we can better engage with and foster our communities. Think about your audience. Are they engaging with the things you share with them? Is there something you could be doing to bring them in and make them feel more invested in what you’re doing? Perhaps now is the time to try something new.
A Recipe for Success
The Tiny Chef Show’s unique structure and perspective has definitely resonated with people from all walks of life. It’s also captured the attention of the literary world (Chef has a book coming out in 2020) as well as Hollywood (there’s a TV series — an actual Tiny Chef Show — in the works). And it all started by producing quality, authentic, engaging content and sticking to the story the creators intended to tell. That’s something we can all keep in mind, regardless of the goals we’ve set for our social media channels.
For me, social media is at its best when the folks I share it with are curious, enthusiastic, considerate, and passionate about the world around them. I try to keep this in mind with every post I write — not to mention every post I read. It’s funny to think I have a tiny green chef with a passion for Uno to thank for this, but we all know the Internet is a weird place.
Oh, and if a member of the Tiny Team ever happens to read this, I’d love to get Chef’s apple pie recipe.
Adam is a Digital Copywriter and Content Strategist with VERB Interactive — a leader in digital marketing, specializing in solutions for the travel and hospitality industry. Find out more at www.verbinteractive.com.
