Whether she is making homemade chili, pizza, pasta or a decadent cinnamon roll apple pie, Kirsten Deneka of Sudbury is kind of a big deal on social media.
The 25-year-old food content creator under the name “TheRedBowlOfficial” on Instagram and “TheRedBowl” on Tik Tok has collectively almost 1.3 million followers.
Deneka studied mining engineering at Laurentian University but found the lockdown years lonely learning at home.
She started with her first food post in January 2022 and her audience grew exponentially after only three or four Tik Tok videos.
“I was doing school in isolation,” Deneka said. “I was doing everything in isolation actually and needed to build a community that was a stress-free environment for myself.”
Upon graduation, and after five summer student gigs with Glencore, she hung up her hardhat for her apron.
The location for her first videos has gone unchanged.
“I live with my dad and his kitchen was kind of ugly,” she said. “Overtime, I have revisioned it with new appliances but the same cupboards are still there.”
Kirsten feels that the old Italian-home-style cupboards are probably something a lot of viewers can relate to. The most visual indicator of her brand, though, is the old red bowl she uses and which inspired the names of her channels.
“I never got to meet my Baba, but this old and red vintage Pyrex dish just felt right for the name because I always use it when cooking,” she said. “It was passed down by past generations like recipes in people’s households.
“When people don’t see the bowl for a few episodes, I will get asked about it and am often referred to as Bowl Lady or Miss Bowl.”
Kirsten admits she is by no means a trained chef.
With a French mother and a Ukrainian father, she grew up learning about different food cultures. Her entry into food service came by way of a part-time pizza maker job at Di Gusto Restaurant in the South End that she had in high school and university.
Deneka believes the key to Tik Tok success is remaining consistent with posting and being open to critical feedback and ideas.
“Most people want to learn and share tips. I am not a pro by any means so I am accepting of it,” she said. “It was hard in the beginning to take criticism but now it doesn’t bother me as much.”
At the tender age of 25, Deneka can also add a first cookbook to her list of accomplishments.
After 10 months of writing and photographs, “Best of the Bowl” was released in November and is available through “Found”, an independent publishing company.
“There are chapters dedicated to appetizers, salads, quick and easy meals and those that are worth the effort,” Deneka said.
Analytics show that the Sudburian has a healthy American following, mostly people in the late 20s demographic. She works with an agent now to ensure the niche needs are being met.
She is also a brand ambassador for different businesses and admits she still loves getting all her meats locally at Tarini’s in the West End.
Deneka shares she is not one for eating out, but when she does she loves J and M Indian Cuisine, Di Gusto and The Kouzzina.
“It’s funny how it all works,” she said. “When I meet people who know me and I tell them what I am doing, they actually say it makes complete sense to them. Looking back, I was the one that would bring food to school and feed people all the time.”
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.