My Big Binge with Babish

A WRITER DIGS INTO CHEF AND YOUTUBE PERSONALITY ANDREW REA’S DELICIOUS UNIVERSE, WHERE FOOD IS WHISKED INTO POP CULTURE, AND FICTION BLENDS WITH REALITY

- Pooja Naik

FOR ACCLAIMED FOOD-CUM-FILM-MAKER ANDREW REA, BETTER known by his pseudonym Babish, food is not only a celebration of reality but also an extension of fiction. “Babish Culinary Universe,” his YouTube channel with 9.12 million subscribers, is a case in point.

Starting with the name, there’s a novelty to all things Babish. The camera—mounted on the countertop of his home kitchen in New York—reveals only the tattoos on his arms as he walks the audience through inventive recreations of iconic pop culture dishes, sourced from films, T.V. shows, and video games. Ram-don from Parasite is at 10 million views, the Secret Ingredient Soup from Kung Fu Panda at 12 million, Krabby Patty from Spongebob Squarepants at 21 million, and Confit Byaldi from Ratatouille at a whopping 27 million views. What started as a creative exercise in February of 2016 paved the way to Rea’s cartwheeling stardom. To this day, the 33-year-old has kept his face hidden in all his videos, peppering them with tongue-in-cheek humor and an almost therapeutic voice instead.

In my attempt to unmask the mystery man in a telephonic interview, I discover a creative genius armed with the drive to cut through digital clutter, and a dreamer with an appetite for perfection.

The internet knows you as Oliver Babish. Tell us a little bit about Andrew Rea.