Eitan Bernath Thoughtful creative and concerned about equality

Eitan Bernath @eitan is best known as a young chef with a huge heart that makes him look like the kindest person around; and, yes, he is that nice. He’s also an entrepreneur who has been using well his platform on TV and other social media to invite us to be part of this world where cooking, his biggest passion, brings people together with no distinction. Although his career started as a contestant in one of the most famous TV shows on The Food Network, that was just the first step into this amazing journey of success that he has been designing for himself with hard work, caring for others, and staying true to himself.

Nowadays, you can see him as a culinary contributor on The Drew Barrymore
Show, and you can follow him on social media if you look for @eitan. There you will
see how busy he is creating new content every week, sending messages to his fans, and sharing his love for cooking alongside some of the most famous people we know. If you think those things are amazing, be prepared and trust me when I tell you there is so much more of him to be shared with all of us; especially, if you are concerned about the social issues that have been exposed in the last year. Eitan Bernath does not hesitate when it comes to speaking out about the inequities we have been, somehow, forced to accept in the past.

Among other socially relevant topics, he is proud of feminism and has supported the Black Lives Matter movement after realizing how our history has shown hundreds and hundreds of stories and scenarios where those who do not fit mainstream conventionalities are put apart or silenced. Knowing these aspects of Eitan Bernath’s life gives hope to the youth because he, as some of his peers, is continuously teaching us that everyone deserves to be loved, to be heard, and we all can do our part to join our forces and make the world a better place.

I invite you to keep reading this article to find out why some of the previous
statements have been told, as follows an exclusive interview with Eitan Bernath for Vanity Teen. I hope you are ready to get to know this young chef we all love due to his commitment to bring us joy with his cooking and amuse us with the witty content he shares with us every time is possible.

I honestly hope you enjoy this interview and his words inspire you, not only
to keep cooking, but to be part of the change our society needs right now.

THERE IS NOT A SECRET INGREDIENT,
JUST HONESTY

VT: One of the things we admire the most about you is that have never been afraid of showing yourself in the highs and lows of your career, even if it is crying in front of the cameras or speaking as fast as possible due to your excitement. Therefore, do you consider part of your success on social media is because most teenagers feel connected to you as they perceive you to be a natural teenager who is not looking for a perfect façade to hide? What else can you say about the content you create? One of the most important things as a person who creates content on social media is authenticity. For me, the ease of that comes from my actual personality, which is that I am just an oversharer by nature. Perhaps that’s what has made me successful on social media platforms because people are tired of seeing fake, overly-curated social media personalities who are always happy and always doing well. People tend to then compare themselves to those “perfect” personas and their totally inauthentic, a glamourized highlight reel of life which can lead them to falsely believe their own life isn’t as good. Of course, I believe in showing people the fun, glamorous things that I’m fortunate enough to do, and I am usually very happy, but I’m also a human just like every other person. I have times I’m upset, or stressed, or dealing with hard things. For example, I lost my grandfather in early 2020, and I was very open about my grief on social media. For me, it was a way to help me cope, and to talk about it openly; I’m such an oversharer that it really helped me process my emotions, too. A lot of people commended me for being so brave by talking about grief and loss, but it was just what I wanted to do for myself, and I’m honored that the honesty really resonated with some of my followers.

BEHIND THE CAMERAS

VT: What can you tell us about World’s Best School Cafeteria? My “World’s Best School Cafeteria” video was my first TikTok video to ever go viral! At the time that I posted it, I had maybe 100 TikTok followers. I uploaded a video of me showing my high school’s incredible cafeteria. I’d done it in the style of a TikTok trend at the time called, “My Best Friend’s Rich Check.” I’d been trying to brainstorm things that would go viral, so I thought that was a good thing in particular because TikTok’s audience is younger. A lot of users are in high school or middle school and can relate to going to the cafeteria every day. I knew our school’s cafeteria was ridiculously over-the-top, so I hoped it would get a lot of engagement and people would share it with their friends to compare it to theirs, and they did! It got millions of views in just the first 24 hours.

VT: For some, it might look that what you do is somehow easy; but even if it was, demands a lot of commitment and hard work. What would you like to say about it? In order to produce a short video, so much needs to happen! Researching, grocery shopping, equipment, lights, filming, editing, captions, social media analytics, writing copy, and that’s not an exhaustive list. So much happens before and after, the actual video is a fraction of the time that’s spent. If you’re watching a video and think that what I do looks easy, then I’ve done a good job, because the majority of the work happens behind the scenes.

SOME OF THE BEAUTY OF COOKING

VT: You have shared with Ted Allen, Guy Fieri, Gordon Ram say, Drew Barrymore, and many other big names in food and entertainment, could you tell us more about that journey of meeting some of the people you admire the most while cooking (which is one of your passions)? I’ve been really fortunate to have met and cooked for almost all of my biggest idols growing up. For example, I’ve met Guy

Fire a bunch of times and was personally asked to be on his show. While on his show he actually came to my station and taught me some things in the kitchen which was a dream come true. I’ve also had the honor of cooking for my other idol, Lilly Singh. I became friends with her a few years ago and actually cooked for her in her house when I visited LA one time. Additionally, throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to be on-screen with other big names like Drew Barrymore, Liam Payne, Gordon Ramsay. For me, food is something that connects everyone, so meeting them through food and cooking, learning about what they like and don’t like, I got to meet them and know them on a level beyond what the public usually gets to see

VT: From self-proclaimed omnivorous to people who call themselves paleo vegan, it looks like there is a place for everyone. Have you ever thought about cooking as an inclusive activity that shows freedom, diversity, and self-expression? How so? I always try to be very thoughtful when I’m creating food content. Food is a really sensitive topic for a wide variety of reasons: how it represents culture, race, identity, emotions, health, and wellness,

Just to name a few. I try to be really conscious and aware of all of these things, but especially because I enjoy cooking food from all over the world. It’s what I’m naturally interested in because, of course, it’s delicious, but it’s also an incredible way to learn about people and places all around the world. I’m incredibly careful about appropriation, and I always give credit where it’s due.

I will never claim a food or recipe or culture that’s not my own, and beyond that, I
want to acknowledge and use my platform to share foods, cultures, and ways of life
that my followers may not be familiar with. One of the beauties of food is that it can teach you a lot about other people, everything from access to certain ingredients to their culture or religion. Food is intimately connected to people, and so I want to always, always honor that and learn from it, too.

BEING THERE FOR OTHERS

VT: You have introduced yourself as a proud feminist, how would you define feminism? And, why do you consider yourself a supporter of this social movement? Ever since I was young, I’ve never understood why “being a feminist” wasn’t a given. For me, I’d grown up knowing and thinking that all the women in my life are truly amazing, and they deserve everything any man would have access to as well. Because of how I grew up, I never would have thought there was any different way of being so defining myself as part of the feminism movement didn’t occur to me. By definition, in order to be a feminist, it means there are people in the world who aren’t, and that truly never occurred to me because to be against equal¡ rights for all genders felt as ridiculous to me as saying someone is against breathing or something.

As I grew up, I realized that women unfortunately aren’t treated equally around the world. When I was younger, this made me confused and angry because it just didn’t make any sense. Once I was old enough to understand the concept more, I realized immediately that I identified that way. I felt (and still feel!) really passionate about it and I can’t fathom how anyone could feel differently. As I’ve gotten older and learned about gender and inequity in our country and about topics like women’s lack of access to education, I’ve become even more vocal. Most teenage boys don’t identify as feminists when they absolutely should. So, I have an opportunity to reach

an audience that usually wouldn’t care or even think about gender rights. I feel a responsibility to try to put a spotlight on things like access to education and equal rights. I am not yet as educated as I hope to be on additional topics that third-wave feminism focuses on like reproductive rights so I know I’m not qualified to speak on that as I can’t speak for other people or experiences that aren’t mine. Those are topics where I listen, learn, and do what I can to support and be an ally to women.

VT: You also have stood against systemic racism what motivates you to speak out about those social issues nowadays? I spent a lot of time during the past year learning from and listening to the Black community in as many ways as I could. Once I’d done that, I felt that I could share those things with my audience and a responsibility to do so. Just as I identify as a supporter of the Feminist Movement, there was no question if I identified as a supporter of the Black Lives Matter Movement. It’s an absolute must for everyone because it takes everyone to work together for meaningful systematic change. There’s a fine line between being a real ally and being vocal in a helpful way versus virtue signaling and taking up space online. Overall, I listened, learned, advocated, and donated in the best ways I knew how, and that kind of work is ongoing.

VT: You have stated you keep studying despite being busy working; which advice would you give to every young person who is thinking about dropping out of school?

Even though I’m lucky enough to have a full-time job in food media and run a company at such a young age, both my parents work in education and so education is especially important to my family. I believe that the more you know about the world, the better you can entertain the people within it. So by educating myself, in school and beyond, I’m learning more about the world around me and thus getting better at what I do. There’s no downside to pursuing an education – only things to gain.

VT: Which words do you have for those over 4 million fans who support you these days?THANK YOU! I literally couldn’t do any of this without the support of my digital family! None of this could exist without them, and I’m so grateful for each and every follow, like, and supportive comment!

Model Eitan Bernath @eitan photographed by Elys Berroterán @elysmcm styled by Deon Marie @its.deon.marie production and coordination by Christian Lowe @clowe39 and Rachel Hunt @mrsbuvalo assisted by Olivia Anderson @olivia_and, exclusive for Vanity Teen online!

Like madeleines soaked in lime-flowers tea

I guess every one of us has a special memory that includes enjoying food, cooking,
learning how to cook, or showing another person some of the techniques that help you
transform a small lunch into a banquette; but have you ever heard the French
expression: “madeleine de Proust”?

If not, it is fine, do not be worried about it; so far, you just have to know is a reference
to one of the most commented passages of the famous novel In Search of Lost Time by
Marcel Proust. Specifically, part of this well-known scene of the book says: “and once
again I had recognized the taste of the crumb of madeleine soaked in her decoction of
lime-flowers which my aunt used to give me…this memory made me so happy…” Due
to the artistic expression of the author to describe how a simple smell or a taste can
trigger a flow of emotions that take you to the happiest moments of your life, that
phrase has become an important reference in our Occidental culture.

Consequently, when people talk about their “Proust’s madeleines” use the expression to
talk about those flavors and essences that give them joy and bring to life some of the
happiest memories they cherish. As you might presume by now: yes, every time I see, hear or read the passion of Eitan Bernath when he is talking about cooking it comes to my mind this Proustian passage, and cannot deny the importance of the culinary arts in our daily lives, so it makes me feel thankful with those like him who, in spite of being young, make us love food and realize the magic that surrounds people when we share a meal.

Now, I am pretty sure those remembrances will taste better if you have been inspired by
any of the cooking tips and recipes Eitan Bernath has shared with us. How so? Simple, there is no way you cannot feel better knowing you have been inspire by a young entrepreneur who has been cooking since he was a little child, has kept that glow of love in his eyes doing his best to share with us his passions and is always reminding us we can do better and offer kindness to every person no matter how different is from us because, as humans, we all deserve equal treatment.

Finally, just remember what Eitan Bernath told us: there is no time to be fake,
representation matters today, and food can help us to express our heritage, our
traditions, show our likes, and blessing others while nurturing them. Let us be that person who gives others that madeleine de Proust they will treasure for
life.