5 Canadian Food YouTubers We Love to Watch
We’ve come a long way since The French Chef – Canadians are more likely than ever to be consuming video content online, specifically on YouTube (71% of Canadian internet users, to be exact). If you’re anything like us, you’re probably familiar with the dark rabbit-hole that is the YouTube food world. It’s easy to get lost in the plethora of available content out there, clicking on one thumbnail after the next. We’ve created a collection of our favourite binge-worthy Canadian accounts to take the guess work out of the equation and help keep you occupied indoors this Winter season. Get ready to be inspired, and then drool.
1. Hot For Food (Lauren Toyota)
hotforfood, otherwise known as Lauren Toyota, has been on the YouTube scene since February of 2015, when she and her then-partner launched the vegan-focused channel.
You can expect to find “omg I want that” recipe videos where Toyota turns classic comfort food into even more gorgeous vegan dupes that won’t have you lamenting for your standard animal-fare. Often these vegan recipes are better than the original dishes, while being visually stunning and easy to make to boot. hotforfood turned traditional veganism inside out & upside down with style, humor and a disarming charm. Always inspiring new content, Toyota also collaborates with other prominent foodies in her videos to keep things fresh.
High quality production and content will pique your interest, Lauren’s personality will keep you watching, and the 5-star recipes will keep you coming back for more – even if you’re a non-vegan.
2. Glen & Friends Cooking
Formally known as Le Gourmet TV, Glen & Friends Cooking is a Toronto based YouTuber churning out TONS of weekly content. With over 7.8 million views, it’s not hard to guess why people keep coming back for more. Glen is reminiscent of Food Wishes (an awesome American food YouTuber, if you aren’t familiar), but with less mystery. Top notch instructions and recipes, with minimal production. You can expect to find easy to follow How-To recipe videos, useful chef tips, and test videos where Glen tackles “most watched recipe videos” on YouTube to see what all the hype is about. This is certainly an extensive channel with lots of options to choose from – we love it!
3. Vijaya Selvaraju
Vijaya Selvaraju is a real OG on the YouTube scene – her channel started way back in October of 2007, however the real purpose of her content became focused about 5 years ago. This channel has awe inspiring authentic Indian dishes that are beautiful to watch, and look even more delectable to taste. You can tell when watching her that this woman is a certified expert when it comes to all things food.
4. Vegan Lovlie
Vegan Lovlie are Montreal based YouTubers (couple Teenuja and Kevin) that have been serving up fresh vegan and Mauritian inspired videos since 2012. We love Vegan Lovlie because they use food as a vehicle for learning about cultures, so it’s like you’re feeding two birds with one scone. Mauritian cuisine spans the gamut of influences, from African and Chinese to European and Indian. Local and in-season ingredients playing supporting roles to give recipes a Canadian flare and to help keep the recipes sustainable. Every dish tells a unique story and is thoughtfully prepared and explained – you can tell that these two really love to celebrate and revel in the joy of cooking and sharing it with others. You can expect to find videos featuring recipes for breakfast through to dinner, drinks, what they ate in a day, and grocery hauls. Two flavourful thumbs up for this channel.
5. Domestic Geek
You may recognize The Domestic Geek from one of our other blog posts, but this home-grown Toronto talent merits another shout-out. The Domestic Geek, aka Sarah Lynn, has been sharing valuable food-tips and tricks with the YouTube community since 2014. From mini-van moms to single ladies, penny pinchers to major money makers, and vegans to the reddest of meat eaters, there’s truly something for everyone on this channel. Every episode, you’re greeted with a familiar “Hello my lovlies!” before Sarah digs in to the meat and potatoes of the video. Her contagiously positive attitude will hook you while her truly useful content keeps you engaged. Best tip we’ve learned so far: save your veggie food scraps in the freezer and boil with herbs/aromatics for a cheap and easy veggie broth.