For many Australians, legendary TV chef Iain ‘Huey’ Hewitson is a household name.
The New Zealand-born chef drummed up a dedicated fan base during the 1990s when he starred on the lifestyle TV show, Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise.
Imparting his wisdom and countless recipes with scores of Australians tuning in from home – he quickly became a fan favourite during the six-year run of the series.
But his superstardom didn’t end there, with appearances on the likes of GMA with Bert Newton, Huey’s TV Dinner, Never Trust a Skinny Cook, and the beloved Huey’s Cooking Adventures (1997 – 2010) and Huey’s Kitchen (2010 – 2014).
Despite retiring a decade ago, Huey is still keeping busy, launching a YouTube channel and TikTok account in April this year.
Whether you are chronically online or limit yourself to a select period of time on social media per day, there’s no doubt that one of Huey’s cooking videos will have appeared on your TikTok ‘For You Page.’
In only seven months, he’s amassed almost 100,000 followers, had more than 375,000 likes, and had MILLIONS of viewers watch his content.
Reflecting upon his unexpected success on social media in an exclusive interview with New Idea, Huey is full of praise for his daughter Charlotte, who encouraged him to jump online in the first place.
“Charlotte is 100% the mastermind. She came to me and said ‘Dad, your YouTube is alright but we should try TikTok.'”
“She films on her phone, nothing fancy. We use her old bedroom lamp for light which I think is worth about $3,” Huey laughs.
With Heuy starring as the onscreen talent, and Charlotte filming and editing, their mammoth success on the platform has surprised even them!
“There’s no rhyme or reason or TikTok. We just wing it,” Huey shares.
“Contrary to what Charlotte expected, there were a lot of people out there who knew me, or remembered me.”
“Admittedly there were a number of people who thought I was dead, so you really do feel warm inside [being remembered],” Huey jokingly adds.
When quizzed on why he believed his videos had gone as viral as they had, the 75-year-old was quick to give us an answer.
“[Viewers] don’t want anything complicated. They want something simple that they can whip up at home. They want to learn how to cook properly, and those videos are the things that work.”
So popular have Huey’s videos proved, that he has even been nominated for Food Creator of the Year at the upcoming TikTok awards, which will take place in Sydney on November 27.
“It’s very humbling, just amazing. It’s boggling,” the 75-year-old tells us of his unexpected nomination.
“When Charlotte told me I thought she was being funny. I think any one of the five nominees is suitable [to win] but if you are interested in someone who will teach you how to do the basics well – then I’m that man.”
“I couldn’t have done this without Charlotte!”
