Caroline Shin studied international relations at Brown and journalism at Columbia, and then went on to become a food journalist at Eater . Even as a child, she knew that some day, her education and career would eventually come together to revolve around her own grandmother.
“Cooking with Granny is my baby,” she writes on her company website, cookingwithgranny.tv She launched her award-winning, documentary-style web series in 2011.
Needless to say, her grandmother, Sanok Kim, inspired the project. Shin writes that some of her best childhood memories were spent cooking with the family matriarch, who immigrated to this country from South Korea. Her grandmother helped raise Shin, especially after school and on weekends, while her parents worked long hours at the hospital and a jewelry shop.
“As she cooked, she would tell me about how she escaped from North Korea during the Cold War with her baby (my aunt) on her back. My mind was blown, and I knew that, one day, I’d document her story,” writes Shin. Her grandmother’s Korean pork belly and kimchi recipe is just one of many mouthwatering titles she has produced over the years–and her personal stories paired with priceless cooking tips make for television (or streaming) gold.
To expand the scope of her video endeavor, Shin launched a Kickstarter in 2014–but didn’t just ask for monetary support. She also asked people to nominate their own grandmothers to be featured. Today, each episode features Shin cooking a family heirloom recipe with a grandma (hers or someone else’s). It’s more than a cooking show but a cultural narrative, as she interviews the grandmothers in depth about their personal journeys to America and adjusting to a new world. The stories usually start with Shin browsing the aisles of a local grocery or cultural food market, and then heads to the kitchen where she learns how to whip up a traditional dish or special family recipe.
The first season kicked off with nine grandmothers from different cultures, and has since evolved into live events like Granny Dinner Parties and Cooking & Storytelling hour.
Shin also launched Cooking with Granny because she saw how mainstream food media seemed to portray diverse cuisines as fads, and rarely featured the people who preserve their cultures through the magic of cooking from the heart. As Shin writes: “What sets Cooking with Granny apart from other cooking shows is its authenticity.”
From Grandma Lusamba's Congolese Cassava Leaf Stew to Grandma Maria's Puerto Rican Pernil and Grandma Lumen’s Filipino Purple Yam Pudding, Shin’s series is a journey to kitchens around the world. Some garner hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.
But ‘Cooking With Granny’ is also a nod to the diversity of her home borough of Queens, New York. Shin was originally raised in Flushing, Queens, and now resides in Astoria, Queens with her young family. “Different emotions spring up as I witness the gentrification of my childhood in Flushing, Queens,” she wrote on Instagram. “There (is) bittersweetness and nostalgia, but there’s also an appreciation for good food and the talent behind it–and the understanding that NYC is a dynamic city that’s always evolving.”
Shin says producing the web series has been an incredible journey. Here, she gives us a glimpse into what inspires her as a digital storyteller and online entrepreneur:
What is your true mission as the creator of Cooking with Granny?
The mission of Cooking with Granny is to preserve the stories and recipes of grandmothers across the diverse families that make up America. My big dream is to expand the platforms to include a cookbook (which I’ve been working on with a literary agent!) and a series on a streaming platform.
What has been your biggest obstacle?
There have been so many! Casting grandmothers, doing marketing and sales for our ticketed events, and the sheer necessity of wearing so many hats, as opposed to specializing in one role.
Can you pick a major milestone or celebratory moment for your venture?
Yes! When the Apollo Theater invited me to present a Cooking with Granny event, which featured a flatbread cooking class taught by two Somali granny besties.
Your videos get thousands of hits and you have nearly 10,000 subscribers. Any words of wisdom for people who want to grow on Youtube?
If you build it, they will come. That’s a load of blimey! You need to build a following first.
Why go with .TV for your hit docuseries?
Because it’s based on a video series, with the hope of getting it on a digital tv streaming service. Do it if it’s video-based. It certainly makes you stand out from the dotcom landscape.