I started streaming games on YouTube for fun and got hooked.
What helped excite your early audience and get your community engaged?
I've been told that I have these sayings which my community calls them "Corkyisms" I tend to say things that make them laugh and they are kinda out there. I've also been told that I have way too much energy and it draws people in.
What did you learn about yourself through becoming a food-focused streamer on Twitch?
Well, one day I decided to do a cooking stream and it just took off. I wanted to change things up on my channel instead of constantly playing games. I felt like it was something different and it's also something I enjoy doing, so I thought why not give it a try? Then my community loved it so much over the years that's what they requested and whenever I had guests over I would have them on my cooking streams, it was a ton of fun.
What makes the food community on Twitch so special?
I think it's because it's something different. You can engage with your viewers and talk about anything like as though they are right there with you in your kitchen. It's more personable.
Which streamers influenced you the most?
My big gurl's One Shot Gurl, LuckyDucky, and my big boi MepTech. They are awesome people and streamers.
Any fun stories or wild moments you can share?
There have been many moments where my friends and I would play COD for hours and stream it! I would down energy drinks and go all night!
What's your favorite memory as a gamer?
I would have to say gaming all night long with my friends, and making hilarious COD vids or just vids in general. We always had a blast! My friend Lauren can really make awesome vids.
Who will enjoy your stream the most?
I am not sure. I hope everyone has a good time.
Support a great cause, and celebrate the Twitch food community
I had been a part of a large gaming community for a few years, but the game died and I was looking for something else. I found PUBG but I was missing the community aspect I had had before.
I enjoyed watching streamers interact with their chats, and figured "Hey! I can do that!" So one random Sunday afternoon, after thinking about it for about 1 hour, I plugged in my suuuuuuper old camera and went live!
What helped excite your early audience and get your community engaged?
At the beginning, it was all about getting in touch with my former gaming community, as well as meeting new people. I had little structure and no set paths on how to grow. After about 8 months I decided to set my first sub-goal. I asked my community what they wanted to do if we made the goal, and they said COOK! So I Set up a monthly sub-goal and we crushed it! The community LOVED the first cooking stream where we made a traditional Norwegian lamb stew and I broke a very expensive crystal wine glass....! I decided to continue setting simple, attainable goals and to do themed streams if we reached them, involving the community in what those streams would look like. Even though cooking streams is a regular occurance for us now, the community still love the themed streams where they get to manipulate what happen on stream/what I do - like getting a pie smashed in my face, adding cinnamon to my chowder (which was actually really good!), taste super awful sour candy etc.
What did you learn about yourself through becoming a food-focused streamer on Twitch?
I always loved cooking, and making meals from scratch has been something my family has done my whole life. Cooking is like therapy for me. Through my cooking streams I realized how rare my relationship with cooking is in my community, and how many misconceptions there were related to food. I remember asking once why people don't make dinner, and they pretty much all said because they don't have time. So I asked "how much is too much time"? and pretty much everyone said that if it took 30 min or less, they would do it. So I started my series of "Healthy Meals in less than 20 min" making dinner on stream twice/week. By demand, this made me write my cookbook "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" which led to me creating 2 online courses relating to food, healthy eating and how to get comfortable in your own kitchen - even if you have never made anything in your whole life! I guess I never really appreciate how lucky I was growing up and getting such a great relationship with food and cooking.
What makes the food community on Twitch so special?
I love how many different variations there is of cooking streams on twitch! From college students making their favorite pizzas or pastas, to professional chefs in large kitchens! There are streamers that only stream to the Food and Drink category, and there are streamers who do it only once as a special event for their community. No matter who it is, a food stream is always so positive and excited - cause I mean - it's FOOD! The creativity streamers have with their setups, cooking outside or at their dining table - it is something incredibly welcoming when they open up their space to you that way. It's definitely different than the RGB lit gaming rooms (don't get me wrong, my regular stream room is as purple as you get it with LEDs everywhere!) when you get to see someone interact in their home. It feels a lot more personal and you get a very different connection with the streamer and community.
Which streamers influenced you the most?
For cooking, I honestly didn't get to see much before I jumped in it myself! I never considered streaming from the kitchen, and at that time there was no "Food and Drink" category or stream labels on twitch, so it was hard to find cooking streams. I did however attend my first TwitchCon just a month or two after, and there was a cooking stream panel happening. The room was PACKED! I loved hearing about the difficulties the panelists had experienced during their streams, and it felt great knowing I was not the only one who was breaking things or accidentally missing an ingredient! I was really impressed by the variety of cooking streams and how there was so much creativity within the scene - from "cooking with whatever is in my fridge" to planned and structured meals. But it is clearly a space where everyone can fit in.
Any fun stories or wild moments of how you made the transition from Mixer?
I only ever streamed on Mixer once. Although it was a good experience, I decided to focus on Twitch, as my schedule wouldn't allow me to dedicate the time I wanted to 2 communities.
What's your favorite memory as a gamer?
ooooh. This one is hard! But it has to be from January 2015. I had been a PC gamer for ~6 months and was becoming a part of a large TF2 community. One of the clan members was a singer/songwriter, and he used to have Friday concerts through Mumble (pre-Discord days) where we all listened in while having drinks, singing along, playing the game, and giving song requests for him to play on an impressive collection of instruments! Although all these nights were magical, one day I had requested my favorite song at the time (From Eden by Hozier) and I was deep in the song, swinging my head, when I noticed the lyrics had been changed. The last part of the song had been altered to include a formal invitation for me to join the Clan. My boyfriend (who was one of the founding members of the clan and been a part of it for over 10 years) went on to dump a bucket of balloons on my head as I was just choked, excited, and incredibly grateful! I had never thought I could have found so strong relationships and friendships through an online community like that, and it meant the world to me. Lol even writing this now gives me goose-bumps and happy tears!
Who will enjoy your stream the most?
Although I mainly play PUBG, my stream is all about community. We are there for each other 24-7, even if the stream is not live. If you are looking for honest, kind people to play games with, share recipes with, or get motivated for your workouts - the Silvered Vikings is the place for you! Although I play competitive PUGB, when I stream, my chat is what is important. So if you are looking for insane plays, there are other channels more suitable for that! But if you want to interact with the streamer, ask questions about the game and gameplay, food, health and fitness - or just find a positive place to hang out - we would love to meet you <3
Anything else you'd like to add?
I am incredibly excited to be invited to be a part of this event! Combining our community's interest and passions with supporting a charitable cause means a lot to me. I can't wait to step out of my comfort zone and play a completely different and new type of game for me, and also involve the community in what is happening on stream.
Support a great cause, and celebrate the Twitch food community
My husband and I started streaming cooking on our SushiDay channel on Twitch almost three years ago, and then about a year ago decided to dabble in creating videos for YouTube. At the time, our YouTube videos were sushi only, but after a few months we stopped because we were having a lot of trouble creating high-quality videos (and just doing sushi gets VERY repetitive.)
In January of this year, we were doing more streaming on our SushiCodes Twitch channel, creating game prototypes, and we bought a new camera so we could both have face cams for the stream. Then, a month later, we started our SushiCodes YouTube channel, dabbling in Let's Play content and devlogs.
We hadn't intended to get back into creating food videos for YouTube, but in May of this year, another streamer suggested editing our stream VODs to create short recipe videos. At the time, we were also starting to get a little burnt out on streaming. We tried making short videos from our stream VODs, and then realized, we have a fancy new camera, why not use that? We did a test run of a full video, realized how much easier it is to create videos now that we have a nicer camera, and we've been making food videos ever since!
What helped excite your early audience and get your community engaged?
Much of our original YouTube audience came from our Twitch community. Our old viewers and fellow streamers have been incredibly supportive.
Both on Twitch and on YouTube, we've always had a huge focus on quality. We used to always have new viewers coming in asking about our cameras and remarking on our video quality, and we try to keep the standards high for our YouTube channel as well. We're both huge nerds, so geeking out about cameras and lighting is a lot of fun for us.
When we live-streamed, people always noted how fun we are as a couple, so we try to bring that lighthearted goofiness to our YouTube videos as well. And Shrimpy made an appearance a few times in the original sushi videos, and our viewers loved him - so we recently brought him back as a "sous chef"!
We do our best to cook interesting food, but make it look both amazing and accessible. We've had so many people make the recipes after seeing our YouTube videos.
What did you learn about yourself through becoming a food-focused creator on Youtube?
There's a huge difference between Twitch and YouTube, at least for the way we streamed. Twitch is very social, and more about hanging out - your viewers are watching you for hours while you make a dish, so most of the time you're just chatting about random things, being silly to entertain them, and filling the downtime when something is simmering for a while or in the oven. I'd always try to choose recipes that weren't extremely complicated and didn't require too much concentration - it's not as much fun if you're so focused on the cooking that you can't chat with your viewers.
On the other hand, our YouTube channel is much more focused on the food. I can really geek out about recipes, make more complicated things, and spend extra time on recipe development/testing. I never thought I'd have any interest in recipe development, but I had a TON of fun coming up with those Incendiary Jalapeno Poppers for your Bite the Bullet game. It's also easier to get the really gorgeous food shots because of the way we film I'm never trying to cook and talk to the camera at the same time. And we've realized that my husband really enjoys geeking out about the editing side of things - he's having way more fun with that than either of us ever expected.
What makes the food community so special?
I'm still very new to the food community on YouTube, but the Twitch food community really is something else. It can be so hard to grow or find your people as a new streamer on Twitch, but from the very beginning, the food community welcomed us with open arms. Both the viewers (many of whom you'll see all over the food community) and streamers were always friendly and supportive, and there are a lot of people from Twitch whom I now consider good friends. I've had the opportunity to meet so many of the viewers and streamers in person, and they've all been absolutely wonderful.
Which streamers influenced you the most?
Back at the beginning, in 2017, there were only a few cooking streamers. HealthyAddict and CookingForNoobs were the first cooking streams I ever watched, and a lot of my original inspiration came from them. TheHungerService and MikeSci have been good friends and have great streams, and they've been a huge influence as well. ChefDeParty was another that welcomed us from the very start, and when he became a Twitch partner and created the Bone-In stream team, that did a lot to bring together the community of cooking streamers.
On YouTube, MrSporksHands was the YouTuber who most encouraged us to start creating videos. I've also known FoodWishes for years (I met him at a food blogger conference a decade ago), and he's been a huge inspiration as well.
Any fun stories or wild moments you can share?
Nothing too wild has happened yet on our YouTube channel (aside from that one time a light fell on my face), but there were definitely some in our Twitch stream! We accidentally deep-fried a camera once (2 years later, it still works fine!)
What's your favorite memory as a gamer?
Oh, so many! Sinking hours into Pickle Wars and Chip's Challenge as a kid, getting ridiculously good at Minesweeper as a teen, playing Mario Kart and WoW with my husband to relax after work or streaming in more recent years! But my favorite memory has got to be the time we were both in tears, ugly crying from laughter while playing Overcooked 2 on video for our Let's Play series earlier this year. I kept getting run over, he thought it was the funniest thing ever, and by the end I'd never ugly laugh-cried so hard on the internet before.
Who will enjoy your stream the most?
If you like interesting food, Asian food, gorgeous videography, a very goofy couple, or Shrimp puppets... then you'll probably enjoy our channel!
Anything else you'd like to add?
Loved the opportunity to mix games and food, thank you again for being so willing to work with our YouTube channel and the Food & Drink streamers on Twitch!
I was making a YouTube channel for cooking pop culture-inspired dishes gone vegan. My husband streams gaming on twitch and I thought it would make a great way to promote my YouTube channel. As it turned out, I fell in love with streaming so much that I started making videos to promote my twitch streaming. In the end, I did the exact opposite of what I had originally planned. This question makes me laugh every time because of this.
What helped excite your early audience and get your community engaged?
My audience loved watching my cats and my daughter. My very first clip was of my youngest cat jumping on my head while I was measuring out molasses for gingerbread. My tag line In the early days was “come for the snacks, stay for the cats”. Also, a lot of audience members were interested in the plant-based cooking, which is often misunderstood.
What did you learn about yourself through becoming a food-focused streamer on Twitch?
I’ve learned so much! I think what I’ve learned most is how to be more confident. I’ve also gotten much better at laughing at myself. If you make a mistake while live, it can really sour the audience’s mood to get broody or upset, so you have to laugh at yourself, for them. And eventually, you learn to laugh at yourself for your sake, too.
What makes the food community on Twitch so special?
We’re kind of like a big family. It’s one of the smaller non-gaming categories so we’re pretty tight and a lot of us know each other. Like food, there’s plenty of twitch love to go around, so everyone shares their communities and has no trouble spreading the love.
Which streamers influenced you the most?
Rattenni’s Kitchen was the first cooking stream I watched regularly. I saw the production, the incredible food, and the fun banter, and I was blown away. I was immediately inspired. Also, I love TheHungerService—he’s such a wonderful presence and everything he makes is amazing. HappyChefTV’s presentation is just beautiful and he is so fun to watch. And MrsRuvi is hilarious and creative—and a fellow mom as well—so I can both enjoy her show and relate.
What's your favorite memory as a gamer?
In March of this year, I was playing Borderlands 3 on my husband’s stream—I was also 9 months pregnant. During his stream, I was having really intense Braxton Hicks (practice) contractions and was getting quite uncomfortable. We ended the stream at midnight and headed to bed. The contractions ramped up, and we rushed to the hospital. At 3:57 am, she was born!
Who will enjoy your stream the most?
People who are looking for a friendly community. The viewers always feel like family, and there’s always room at the table for more. We even celebrate viewer birthdays!
Anything else you'd like to add?
If you’ve ever considered streaming, I highly recommend just diving in and giving it a try. Have no expectations and have fun with it. Equipment and skills will improve. If you’re genuine, if you be yourself, and if you do what you love, everything else will come after.
Support a great cause, and celebrate the Twitch food community
I was on Xbox, watching Mixer grow, hearing about Twitch and wanted to throw my "skills" into the ring then POOF Pipeline became a thing and I found a strong base to set a foundation for learning what a stream was, how to brand it, and how to grow a community.
What helped excite your early audience and get your community engaged?
Mixer was still growing and honestly I was a new sort of variety gamer I feel like - a baby Dr D set out to entertain the masses.
What did you learn about yourself through becoming a food-focused streamer on Twitch?
It's a nice niche to fall into - it isn't as Saturated (pun intended) as many other forms of streaming and WIRE MANAGEMENT is key for kitchen cams.
What makes the food community on Twitch so special?
I am still relatively new to Twitch and have yet to see everything to offer, but am excited to use this opportunity as my stepping stone.
Which streamers influenced you the most?
#1 Dr.Disrespect. I've learned from all streamers including the Pipeline with StoneMountain64 and Snoopeh, but beyond the big names out there I enjoy Doc because he is an entertainer = streamer which is the balance I hope to find between my food and gaming.
Any fun stories or wild moments of how you made the transition from Mixer?
I thought Mixer would be home, but the first Twitch stream (before my Mixer career) I broadcasted was to a military buddy playing Rockstar games for the Mayhem.
What's your favorite memory as a gamer?
Probably way, way back in the day when I can't remember my age exactly but I remember Christmas morning walking out to see the Atari / Nintendo Combo both plugged in and playing menus -- Fondly remembering Donkey Kong as it was the Star of the Show.
Who will enjoy your stream the most?
If you enjoy Adult Swim, Anthony Bourdain, a disdain for authority, or a good ol' cursing then I'm probably a candidate.
Anything else you'd like to add?
The most important thing to remember is to always ask the new hire to bring you the "bacon stretcher" or "rice peeler" while orientating as this is one of the most important team-building exercises known to man.
Support a great cause, and celebrate the Twitch food community
