Instagram - @chefkoudy
All our lives we have been attracted to food and cooking and after many years of hobby interest, it had become a major part of our lives and we feel humbled, that we have been allowed to create content for all our amazing followers and fans!
We have met in Jacobs Burger Joint BURGER INN in Czechia in 2015 and we started to work together soon afterwards. Jacob acted as a Chef and Andrea made those crazy delicious stuffed doughnuts and cake doughnuts, which quickly became a hit.
We married in 2017 and became Jacob and Andrea KOUDELKA. In 2018 we were blessed with our daughter Isabella. So together, simply as ChefKoudy since.
It was a success, we had like 30 employees, but over time we felt, that we wanted to move somewhere little else, to create these perfect cooking videos, like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay did.
We watched all those fantastic Chefs when we were teenagers and oh my, these guys rocked, we could not believe that all those amazing things, they were showing while cooking is possible to make – in our home kitchen! We were so inspired by them and of course by many others.
When we have sadly lost our restaurant, and couldn't afford to open another one, we came up with this "old" intention of shooting short videos. It was particularly when the Covid pandemic started when we started to shot our first clips.
2. What led you to take up this career path?
When we have sadly lost our restaurant, and couldn't afford to open another one, we came up with this "old" intention of shooting short videos. It was particularly when the Covid pandemic started when we started to shot our first clips.
2. What led you to take up this career path?
Even before we knew each other, we spent so much time in the kitchen and I mean so much time (which comes with eating naturally) and we watched all kinds of cooking TV shows (repeatedly). So we wanted naturally establish ourselves, as cooks or entrepreneurs, in a restaurant business, even if we didn't go to any culinary schools and had no gastronomical education whatsoever.
Jacob made his way first (maybe just because he is older) and Andrea joined him quickly after, so from 2015 we devoted ourselves to food and eating professionally.
3. What does your typical day look like?
You don't want to know, it is a busy day.
We get up roughly at 6:00, we usually had already planned before what we gonna shot that day and mostly it is not only one clip, as we now post Reels on Instagram (Reels had been released at the end of 2020 in Czech Rep), so we need more content.
You don't want to know, it is a busy day.
We get up roughly at 6:00, we usually had already planned before what we gonna shot that day and mostly it is not only one clip, as we now post Reels on Instagram (Reels had been released at the end of 2020 in Czech Rep), so we need more content.
There is usually a lot of preparations to be done pre-shooting and also, we have to cook a meal for the whole family, plus, someone has to take care/play with Isabella - we love to take her out for a walks too, so she can enjoy fresh air and nature.
After shooting the videos, there is always a lot of cutting to be done, I mean – these are short-format clips, right? but well, it's not that easy, we invest a huge chunk of time for cutting. Last but not least, we recently launched our own merch - Chef! Streetfoodwear (www.wearchef.store), so we can afford more professional camera and lights (we used, and still have just a cell phone for creating all our videos), so we have to clear orders from Wearchef and send them to our customers and fans around the globe.
Then we upload the content and before we go to sleep, we are answering comments from our viewers and interacting with our fans – we try to reply to all, but it has become unreal lately – but still we try.
After shooting the videos, there is always a lot of cutting to be done, I mean – these are short-format clips, right? but well, it's not that easy, we invest a huge chunk of time for cutting. Last but not least, we recently launched our own merch - Chef! Streetfoodwear (www.wearchef.store), so we can afford more professional camera and lights (we used, and still have just a cell phone for creating all our videos), so we have to clear orders from Wearchef and send them to our customers and fans around the globe.
Then we upload the content and before we go to sleep, we are answering comments from our viewers and interacting with our fans – we try to reply to all, but it has become unreal lately – but still we try.
4. Does one's approach change when cooking professionally and at home?
Well, that is a tricky question. Earlier we would say that professional cooking consumes more time and there is more skill required to be commercially successful. But take a look now, so much content everywhere, and I mean, everyone can be successful at creating food content, but definitely, it is not for free. So we think you need to use a different skill set for both options, but the effort should be always 100%.
Well, that is a tricky question. Earlier we would say that professional cooking consumes more time and there is more skill required to be commercially successful. But take a look now, so much content everywhere, and I mean, everyone can be successful at creating food content, but definitely, it is not for free. So we think you need to use a different skill set for both options, but the effort should be always 100%.
5. Is there a dish you particularly associate yourself with?
That is so hard to answer because we love so many dishes but it will probably be the Burgers with French Fries, which people loved when we used to cook them – and still they keep questioning us if we actually will open a new Burger place. We cook them home regularly – we just love the complexity of that dish. Another one would be Italian Pasta, but that's a whole another story to tell.
6. Can cooking be learnt at culinary schools or natural talent is required?
Well, that depends, plenty of people believe that natural talent is required to be successful in any profession, others are convinced that it is only hard work that creates special individuals.
We don't know which attitude is right, but we definitely believe, that universe has given individuals their passions and if one listens carefully and spend their time with their passions, there is no boundary or limit to what one can achieve. Of course, there are obstacles on the road, all you got to do is not give up a keep getting better.
7. Which is your favourite book and why?
Well, we read a lot of books when we had time. I think it's fair to divide that question a little bit if you don't mind. We selected those books because it's been so inspirational for us.
Culinary books – Jamies Great Britain by Jamie Oliver – we have selected this book because of its influence on our lives. Countless times we have searched through that piece and stared at its beautiful illustrations, also, we cooked many recipes from it. Probably it's the international influence, that you can find in that book that makes it so special for us.
Philosophical books (Andrea doesn't read those) – My Experiments with Truth – Mahátma Gandhi – never have read or heard about such a person, I was astonished about how many difficulties and injustices that man and his family had to overcome on his journey and life in India and South Africa and still he remained true to his morals, convictions and strictly he refused violence even when he was dying.
Culinary books – Jamies Great Britain by Jamie Oliver – we have selected this book because of its influence on our lives. Countless times we have searched through that piece and stared at its beautiful illustrations, also, we cooked many recipes from it. Probably it's the international influence, that you can find in that book that makes it so special for us.
Philosophical books (Andrea doesn't read those) – My Experiments with Truth – Mahátma Gandhi – never have read or heard about such a person, I was astonished about how many difficulties and injustices that man and his family had to overcome on his journey and life in India and South Africa and still he remained true to his morals, convictions and strictly he refused violence even when he was dying.
Today world would need similar personalities to inspire others, to make the world a really better place. I was particularly interested in how the man could stay so active even when he slept only 4 hours a day.
Personal Development books – Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki– we would recommend that book not just for entrepreneurs, but simply for everyone who would like to make a difference in life. It's an honest guideline from an amazing and experienced self-made man, who lost his large company in Hawai, therefore had to live in his car for several months, eventually paid back all his debts and finally reached far more than he ever imagined.
Personal Development books – Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki– we would recommend that book not just for entrepreneurs, but simply for everyone who would like to make a difference in life. It's an honest guideline from an amazing and experienced self-made man, who lost his large company in Hawai, therefore had to live in his car for several months, eventually paid back all his debts and finally reached far more than he ever imagined.
- Interviewed by - Ronak Jain
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