The good, the bad and the ugly of food social media with Poppy O’Toole Chetna Makan and Itamar Srulovich.

This event takes place in the British Library and will be simultaneously live streamed on the British Library platform. Tickets may be booked either to attend in person, or to watch on our platform (online) either live or within 48 hours on catch up.  In-person ticket bookers will also be sent a bonus link to the online event. Viewing links will be sent out shortly before the event.

TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter… Our social media platforms are stuffed full of food, and the online food community is ever hungry for content. But what does that mean for the food professionals whose job it is to feed an audience that always wants more? And can a cook succeed without being a content creator too?

Our panel looks at the opportunities, challenges, and pitfalls that social media engagement brings for the food industry and its followers. 

With chef Poppy O’Toole who as Poppy Cooks found culinary fame through social media during lockdowns; award-winning food writer and cook Chetna Makan, and Itamar Srulovich of Honey & Co.

This event is part of the British Library Food Season 2023.

Half price tickets available for Members, Students, Under 26s and other concession groups. 

Chetna Makan was born in Jabalpur in Central India. She has a degree in fashion and worked in Mumbai as a fashion designer before moving to the UK in 2004. Chetna was part of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ in 2014 and since then has written six cookbooks. They range from baking, Indian street food, healthy Indian food, vegetarian and quick Indian. She also has a very popular YouTube channel ‘Food with Chetna’ where she shares her creative flair for all things cooking and baking. 

Instagram: @chetnamakan

Michelin-trained internet sensation Poppy O’Toole amassed a following of over 3.8 million followers online under her profile Poppy Cooks after losing her job because of the pandemic in 2020. Known for creating easy-to-follow, restaurant style, recipe tutorials for her audience, Poppy has achieved over 300 million views on her channel since April 2020. After almost a decade in professional kitchens, Poppy has taken everything she has learnt in fine dining and breaks it down for people to use in their own kitchens at home and launched her debut cookbook Poppy Cooks: The Food You Need in September 2021. Poppy is the co-host of BBC Three’s Young Master Chef.

Instagram: @poppy_cooks

Itamar Srulovich was born and raised in Jerusalem. Cooking since the age of five and leaving a great mess in the kitchen ever since, Itamar trained on the job in various places in Tel-Aviv, where he met his wife, Sarit. Itamar and Sarit moved to London in 2004 and opened Middle Eastern restaurant Honey & Co in London in 2012, launching a grill house Honey & Smoke and food store Honey & Spice close behind. They have written four cookbooks, write a weekly recipe column for FT Weekend Magazine and host a podcast, Honey & Co: The Food Sessions. Be entertained with delicious recipes and food and travel stories from Sarit and Itamar on Instagram – @honeyandco.

If you’re attending in person, please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event. We are committed to the safety of our event bookers. Find out how we are welcoming you to the Library safely.

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