At this time, it doesn't have a denial Keith Lee one of the most influential food critics in the country. A former MMA fighter who commanded more than 17 million followers of Teltok, Lee was known for his place of restaurant in his car, where food from food was evaluated from mummy-pops in all kinds. He said traveling THE nations Food in these restaurants, his wife Ronni and other family members always accompanied, Lee built his own brand of family reasoning business.
He also became a self-appointed self-appointment for independent restaurants, which often ends with the lines of door customers after Lee's positive review. Today, he took his restaurant adbokasya a step with a new partner in Point-of-sale toast toast. In the coming weeks, Lee and Toast will give $ 150,000 in cash prizes In three “extraordinary” independent restaurants, nominated by their social media fans.
Ahead of the fellowship, the eater sat with Lee to talk about how his life changed with food clutters, and how he had been navigating all he knew in his own day.
EATERS: What is the last couple of years because you have changed to this new reality to be the favorite gourmet of internet food?
Keith Lee: I live a very simple life. I'm always with my kids and my family, so I didn't notice it until I went out and people reacted differently than I thought. But it is a blessing. The biggest difference for me today is that we are blessed enough to buy a house, and I can pass something to my children. We become more business-savvy and financial finance. I think that's the biggest difference. Besides that, I have Keith.
Your platform is targeted to highlight small, independent restaurants. Is that your plan?
Yes. I always look at myself as a small business. If you are a professional fighter, an independent contractor, and you need to fund everything. From training for a fight, the food you buy, with training equipment, you pay for everything. Very similar when it comes to a small business, like a restaurant. When I originally started making social media videos, I was cooking for my wife, and we tried to get food to make food videos to make food videos to buy food videos.
Then, when I start doing food reviews, I just recorded myself to restaurants I also go to family owned places. I don't go to chains or places fast. As I started learning business items, I know that these restaurants are charged the fees from people who have been reviewing or highlighting the restaurant. I understand that people behind the restaurants are families, people who try to make enough to send their children to school, and all goes out of the pocket.
Now that you have assigned yourself as a champion for independent restaurants, do you feel any pressure to make sure you do them justice?
In times, but I tried to keep it on sight. I was four my career in the fight, and no more pressure than standing opposite someone and punching the face. So on that side, making food reviews is easier.
What about expectations from your 17 million followers on the gesture? Is that heavy?
Yes and no. Like anything on the internet, checking you or how people are looking at you have changed every other minute. So it doesn't have to keep for me. One minute they want you to do a certain way, and for the next second, they want you to be different. As long as I stayed myself, and I gathered and true to who I am, I think everything happens in the way it is necessary. As long as I stay in prayer, I will go where I need it.
Do you think that way of staying faithful to yourself and true to what you want to do help you to avoid some pitfalls and controversies that other influences have been involved in themselves?
I think, but it's a kind of yes and no. The internet forever finds things to be angry with, and that is something inevitable. It comes in territory. I don't think we should stay away from all issues and the controversy, but I'm sure I don't stay away much because I'm going on my own. I really don't need to mix or with “influential scenery.”
If you go to a new city, you're overwhelmed with thousands of restaurant recommendations from your fans. How do you follow all the recommendations actually find hidden qualities?
We actually got thousands of recommendations, not thousands. We tried to vet the comments by doing our own research, but we were very different from where we were carried. Apan karon nga kita adunay kaakohan sa kini nga plataporma, nag-atubang ako sa mga tawo sa matag lungsod ug nakigsulti ako kung diin kami nag-amping sa lista sa mga tawo nga adunay kasinatian sa mga lungsod nga adunay kasinatian sa mga lungsod nga adunay kasinatian sa mga lungsod nga adunay kasinatian sa mga lungsod nga adunay kasinatian sa mga lungsod nga adunay kasinatian sa mga lungsod nga adunay kasinatian sa mga lungsod nga adunay kasinatian sa mga lungsod nga adunay kasinatian sa mga lungsod nga adunay kasinatian sa mga lungsod nga adunay kasinatian sa mga lungsod nga adunay kasinatian sa mga lungsod nga adunay Experience in towns with experienced towns with experience in the experienced towns with experience in towns with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with the experiences of towns with experiences in towns with experiences in towns with experiences in towns with experiences in towns have experience in towns with experiences in towns with experiences in towns with experiences with the city experienced in the towns of experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with experienced cities with the city with experience in towns with experiences in the city-experience towns. But for the most part, I just prayed about it and go where I feel like I want to go.
Is that a lesson you know recently? To connect with people who actually live in a city to make sure you've got the whole picture of the scene on its dining room?
It's something that suggests us from the beginning. But with many hands in the pot, the more drama is a possibility, and that's why we didn't do it at first. I don't want to have an issue where we go to a restaurant that someone is directly recommended, we tell the internet recommending the restaurant, and we ended with a bad experience. That guy will break anger on the internet, right? I really want to avoid that, because we all know how the mind's mindset is sometimes possible.
If you are Interviewed southwest A few weeks ago, you mentioned that you want to open your own restaurant. What did you learn from all the places you visited that you would like to apply to your own restaurant?
Experience to meet many different people from different cultures and backgrounds very special. We go to restaurants almost every single day, and we are very important to see beyond the journey of the journey that continues these people. That experience can't buy, in my opinion, and no many people can do that experience without a chef or owner at their own restaurant. I hope I can do everything in my own place, because I know that the restaurant industry is strong, and we need to take some rice. It's a thing to eat at a restaurant and learned people's restaurants, this is another thing that will actually do it. I don't have any doubt that if we open a restaurant, we have more to change, but in the lessons we know and the connections we have done to people, I can find a foundation for success, and I can't wait.