The name of his YouTube channel Stephan Eats sums up his content quite simply: he’s Stephan and he eats things. At first, he was just eating things in Vancouver. Now, he’s eating things all around the world. Recently, we sat down to chat about how he got started and the future of his channel.
The World of YouTube Food Vloggers
It was during the pandemic that I discovered the world of YouTube food vloggers. I actually started with an even more niche genre, Disney food vloggers. I was curious about what food was served at the parks. But by coming to food vlogging from the world of Disney, I had a warped perspective on the density of food vloggers in cities around the world. In Orlando or Anaheim, there are seemingly dozens if not hundreds. When I put “Vancouver” into my YouTube search bar, I thought I would be equally overwhelmed with the vlogger options but the pickings were more slim that I expected. One Vancouver vlogger stood out to me. That’s how I found Stephan Eats.
Stephan Starts Vlogging
Stephan began vlogging as a pandemic pivot. He had been working for an airline so he suddenly had a lot time on his hands to be creative. Because of travel restrictions at the time, he had no choice but to focus on the food in his home of Vancouver. Born in France, Stephan has been living in Vancouver since he was five. With his French background, Stephan grew up eating some perhaps unusual cuts, like offal. Combine that with the formative years he spent in Vancouver with our wide variation of Asian cuisines, and you have the foundation of his culinary tastes.
Stephan Eats Everything
I quickly realized when watching his channel that Stephan is willing to try just about anything from horse to beef liver to brain. Those three ingredients are not listed here for shock value. Food is food, and people around the world eat all three of those ingredients happily and frequently. I listed them to demonstrate the range of food Stephan eats on his channel. He approaches each dish with appreciation and respect. He is excited to try anything as long as it’s good.
The most popular series that Stephan has filmed so far is Cheap Eats. He covers cheap options in Vancouver, as well as Surrey, Coquitlam, Richmond, and more. He shares some excellent cheap eats locations such as Heritage Asian Eatery, Peaked Pies, and Huang’s Beef Noodle. In our current economy, it’s important to know that you can grab a sandwich from Banh Mi Saigon for $8, or a bowl of pasta at Jo’s Italian Deli for $10.
Stephan’s most popular video overall is Filipino food in Vancouver, featuring Klasik Inasal & Noodle Express, Kulinarya Filipino Eatery, and Ava’s Bakeshop. It racked up 200,000 views and has spurred Stephan to plan a future trip to the Philippines, so stay tuned.
Has he filmed places that he’s decided not to include because the food wasn’t up to par? Sure, but he’s not interested in releasing a video slamming a small business that is just trying to do their best. He’s happy to share the hidden gems and favourite places he’s discovered himself or checked out on the recommendation of friends or fans.
Eating Everything Around the World
During the pandemic, Stephan travelled from one global cuisine to another within Vancouver. Now, he is able to travel around the actual globe again but he brings his camera person with him. He has filmed videos in France (of course), and also Spain, Mexico, Morocco, and more. When deciding where to visit, he does find himself considering which places, and what food, will be good to film. It also depends on where he can get standby tickets to so there is always an element of surprise. If you have somewhere you think he should visit that he hasn’t yet been, drop him a comment on YouTube and let him know.
What does Stephan want to eat right away when he get back to Vancouver after travelling? Sushi. Yes, there is better sushi in Japan, but the culture around sushi is very different there. It’s more formal. And in Europe, you’ll pay more for worse quality. Vancouver has good quality sushi at a decent price, that is readily available.
Stephan does his own editing, and tries to have three to four video ideas in the works at any given time. It was interesting to talk to him about how he sees Vancouver fitting in the global food scene, and how his channel allows local viewers to see how our food compares.
