Meet the 1-year-old home 'cook' with over 1.5M Instagram followers, including Gordon Ramsay
The Gerber Baby might have some stiff competition in the kitchen when it comes to the cutest face of food.
From chefs to celebrities across the globe, people are eating up social media content served up by Kobe Wian, a 1-year-old home "cook" who's proof that age knows no boundaries in the kitchen.
His parents run Kobe Eats, their son's Instagram account with over 1.5 million followers and counting, plus a TikTok, Twitter page and website, all dedicated to exploring in the kitchen and run by his parents.
"We're really practical with him and cooking was one of those things where it wasn't even about the food at first, but learning and fine tuning motor skills. And the kitchen is the perfect place to do that," Ashley Wian told ABC News. "He would have so much fun -- I recorded it and it just took off from there."
Ashley Wian laid out their recipe for success that serves three people and takes 45 minutes of active cook time.
She starts cooking at 4:30 p.m., prepping the ingredients with Kobe, who sits at his little chef's station adorned in an adorable red toque and matching apron. They record all the action in the kitchen and enjoy dinner promptly at 5:15 p.m.
While most of the ingredients make it into the recipe, some things have slipped through his small fingers, but Kobe takes it in stride and splashes through any spills with a smile then sees the rest of the dish through. With a little editing magic, which Wian does on her phone, the video is shared on social media.
"In the beginning Jennifer Aniston liked a video of his. I freaked out I was like, 'Wow she knows Kobe exists,'" Wian said happily. Other fans include the personal chef to J-Lo and Alex Rodriguez, actress Catherine Zeta Jones, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and culinary personality and cookbook author Rachel Ray, who gave Kobe a macaroni and cheese recipe.
"Kobe definitely has an adventurous palate. He's not afraid to try anything," Wian explained. "We encouraged him to try different foods all the time and started when he was just 6 months [old] by trying a new food every day."
As for the viral influx of attention, Wian said the family is taking it in stride.
"It kind of just happened literally overnight," Wian. "I was like, 'Whoa, I guess I need to bake another cake."
She continued, "It's definitely an anomaly I would say. We did not anticipate any of this. We originally just started this to share with friends and family to see Kobe learning in the kitchen and put it on Facebook."
While most of the feedback has been positive, Wian said their son's safety remains their No. 1 priority in the kitchen and online.
But whether he's helping combine tomatoes and onions for a simple Italian classic or generously seasoning an entire tomahawk steak, this little foodie has an appetite for cooking that has left people hungry for more.
