Star Power Vol.28

[NYOTA Magazine ]

star power

Eitan Bernath Volume 28

from the editor

HELLO THERE, READER! In this Star Power issue, we got to chat with culinary personality Eitan Bernath. Bernath talked to NYOTA about what led him to start cooking and creating content for social media.

We also have a quick chat with up-and-coming actress Deja Mattox who can currently be seen in the new Disney+ show Big Shot.

As usual, I hope you enjoy reading the issue and that it inspires you to go after your dreams.

YOURS TRULY, Carol Wright EDITOR IN CHIEF @_CAROL_WRIGHT

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contents 1. Editor's Letter 3. Get to Know Eitan

4. Eitan's Playlist

5. Star Power: Eitan Bernath

9. Eitan's Top Picks

11. Quick Chat Deja Mattox

Follow us @nyotamagazine

#StarPower

I have a cat named Cardi B(ernath)!

I have a mild obsession with lemonade.

I know it sounds strange but I can often be found with only one sock.

Don’t ask me why! I am not sure!

I live in sweatsuits 24/7!

I’ve never been to a concert before.

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#NyotaMusic

Eitan's Playlist KYLE // Don’t Wanna Fall In Love Mike // All That Talk DJ Khaled, Lil Wayne, Gunna// Freak N You AJR // Burn The House Down Cardi B // Bodak Yellow Sammy Adams // All Night Longer A$AP Ferg // Plain Jane Dj Meetha// Sugar How You Get So Fly Pop Smoke // Dior Future ft. Drake // Life Is Good

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#StarPower

#StarPower

Eitan Bernath Interview by Carol Wright | Photographer: Eric Hobbs

Eitan Bernath is a culinary personality, entertainer, and entrepreneur who founded his brand from the ground up and has garnered over 1 billion views in the past year alone on his energetic and engaging cooking tutorial videos. Bernath chatted with NYOTA about where he finds inspiration for his recipes and advice he has for aspiring chefs.

You started cooking at a young age. Did your upbringing have any influence on you becoming interested in cooking?

Fascinatingly, I was a VERY picky eater as a kid. If you told my parents at that time that I’d one day have a career in food, they would think you were crazy. As I got older I grew a love for food and am long past those picky days!

Where do you often pull inspiration from for your recipes?

I love to pull inspiration from every little thing I do throughout the day. Whether it’s scrolling through TikTok, walking around the city looking at restaurant menus, talking to a friend about food they’ve eaten recently, or random cravings for food, every moment can be a source of recipe inspiration.

How did it feel to become the Principal Culinary Correspondent on The Drew Barrymore Show and what’s your favorite segment you’ve done on The Drew Barrymore Show?

I felt incredibly honored that Drew believed in me! Drew is a legend in the entertainment industry so to have her trust me to execute this role felt incredibly validating. My favorite episode was definitely when we interviewed Gordon Ramsay.

What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned through creating your own production company, Eitan Productions?

I’ve learned an important lesson about delegation and accepting that not everything needs to be done by me! As someone who loves what I do for work, it was definitely a challenge at first to delegate parts of running the company to others. But in order to grow you need to delegate and focus on the most important parts that require your attention.

Once I got past that, it’s been incredible being able to focus on the recipes and core of what I love to do.

Has creating content for social media inspired you to become even more creative in general and when it comes to your recipes?

Definitely! I consider myself a creative person and love conceptualizing recipes and food content but, hands down, my favorite place to look for inspiration is in my comments. Having millions of people, each with a unique view on food, engaging with my content and sending me recipe requests and feedback is super helpful!

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#StarPower

Now that you make videos across platforms.

How do you go about planning out the content you create?

It’s a much bigger operation behind the scenes to constantly get videos out across social media every day. I have a big content calendar system that I use to stay organized and remind me when it’s time to post. Many days I’ll upload up to 10 pieces of content per day so it takes a lot of organization to pull that off! If it looks effortless to the viewer, then I've done my job well!

Cooking has been a huge comfort to so many during the pandemic. Do you think this has aided in you finding an audience on social media?

I do. While times have been very hard for so many, I think a lot of people were able to explore their own kitchen and cooking skills for the first time because we finally had the time to.

I think it led to a lot of people finding joy and some peace in such a classic way. With the rise in people interested in cooking, those of us who work in food media have seen a massive increase in audience on social media. I definitely noticed a big uptick in followers during the pandemic and the overall demand for food content and recipes has been greater since it started in March 2020. I have been working hard to meet that demand and create recipes and content to reach the larger audience and make sure I’m posting recipes for new cooks.

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Your series on YouTube such as “Extreme Kitchens” are really unique. Do you have a favorite series you’ve done? Or any new series you’re excited to start this year?

"Extreme Kitchens" was definitely my favorite series I’ve done because it really pushed me out of my comfort zone! Right now. I don’t have any to announce yet, but I am excited to announce some soon!

Outside of discussing food and cooking, you also blog about trends and style. Is fashion another area you would like to explore more career wise?

Definitely! Since starting on social media, I have developed a love for fashion and the artistic nature of it. One of the things I love about food is the artistic nature of styling it to look beautiful so I think that naturally lends itself to fashion.

What advice do you have for young, aspiring chefs?

I'd advise young, aspiring chefs to start out cooking food that they already know they love to eat. It can be tempting when you start out to aim for the stars and cook new food you’ve never tried before. If you focus on food you know you love, any mess-ups or mistakes that happen along the way will still result in a dish that you’ll enjoy eating. If you cook a dish you don’t know if you like, then mess up, and don’t like the dish once you try it, that can be really defeating. When you start with a recipe you already like, no matter what happens, you will still enjoy eating it!

#StarPower

Eitan's Top Picks

Book: The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gormon

Movie: Wonder Woman

TV Show: Stranger Things

Fashion trend: Monochromatic Sweatsuits

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#QuickChat

#QuickChat

Deja Mattox Interview by Carol Wright | Photos Courtesy of Red Pebbles PR

When did you get bit by the acting bug?

I got bit at a young age, but my shyness kicked in so I focused on playing sports.

You had the chance to play Savannah in the new Disney+ show Big Shot. What did you do to step into your character’s shoes?

Honestly, Savannah and I are so much alike that I was mostly able to be myself! I’ve played basketball most of my life so on the court everything was normal. Off the court, she does exhibit more of an attitude, but she feels that she has the right to and I channeled that in from my high school experiences.

What did you learn during that filming experience?

I learned so much!!! Each day was just such a humbling experience for me. Every cast member is extremely talented but at multiple things, so to watch and work with them was so much fun. I learned to always treat every day like it is your first day. I learned a few TikTok dances as well!

How do you feel now that things are looking up in the film/TV industry?

I’m so excited that the film/television industry is making its way back to us so that we can work again. It really has been a blessing for me that I was able to work during such a financially difficult time in our history. I’m hoping we’ll have a season two coming up next!

What advice do you have for aspiring actors?

No matter what people do or say about your ability, always bet on yourself. Never give up! I heard a ton of no’s but I never let that stop me from chasing my dreams and crossing them off my life list. I believed in myself and took a leap of faith because I knew that if I didn’t that I would regret it. Speak things into existence and be sure to speak positively each day. Those little habits will change your life! Don’t allow outside people who don’t have your vision to alter your thoughts into self-sabotage because you can make it happen as long as you believe it.

You played basketball at the college level before playing overseas. Did it feel natural for you to film the basketball game scenes in Big Shot? How much did you and the cast have to rehearse those scenes?

Yes, it definitely was natural for me. It was more nerve-racking shooting layups than stepback 3’s because you have an entire crowd waiting to eat lunch and if you miss a simple shot it holds everyone up. We rehearsed a lot for the basketball scenes because essentially not everyone was an actual basketball player before the show so they were learning and getting better as the show progressed.

We had real basketball practices days before our rehearsals by the basketball coordinator of the show, Keyla Snowden and she made sure everyone was properly prepared for our basketball scenes.

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NYOTA Magazine STAR POWER TEAM EDITOR IN CHIEF

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

CAROL WRIGHT

WWW.ISSUU.COM/NYOTAMAGAZINE

CAROL WRIGHT

HTTP://NYOTAMAGAZINE.COM

COVER CULINARY PERSONALITY

Eitan Bernath

CONTRIBUTORS PHOTOGRAPHER

PUBLISHING

Eric Hobbs

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