Here's How Struggle Meals Host Frankie Celenza Got His Start
TV host Frankie Celenza is highly passionate about cooking. He's made it a point to introduce his viewers to the world of food through his recipes. According to his website, despite his youth, the chef has been at it for a long time: since 2009, to be precise. He has plenty of achievements to be proud of: He has cooked and come up with delicious recipes at the White House with Michelle Obama and prepared scrumptious dishes for tennis legend Novak Djokovic.
Throughout his journey, Celenza has maintained that everyone should work towards embracing home-cooked, wholesome meals. He told Acorns, "Meals are three opportunities to enjoy, savor, and relish the amazing world we live in. ... Be that creative person, save money, master a skill for life (cooking), and ultimately, I guarantee you'll enjoy the good life more."
Celenza practices what he preaches. After all, he is best known for his TV show, "Struggle Meals" where he shows his fans how to prepare easy, tasty meals that are affordable.
He started exploring cooking in college
Celenza was interested in cooking even as a college student. And he was pretty good at it, too. When he started going to college, he launched a pasta-and-burger dinner club just for his peers. The best part? Celenza's dishes were cheaper than the school's meal options, and tasted a lot better.
Some people took notice of his talent and advised Celenza to aim higher. The TV host explained, "When the seventh friend of a friend told me, 'You should film this,' I thought, 'Whoa, seven people I don't know have told me I should film this.'" He decided to take their suggestions seriously and later started filming what he was doing. This led to the beginning of "Frankie Cooks" on YouTube (via CNBC.)
Celenza felt that there was too much noise on YouTube and worked with local access TV through NYCLife in a bid to stand out from the competition. The videos he shot for them made their way to YouTube and earned appreciation, something that propelled Celenza to fame and helped him land a gig with Tastemade.
The TV personality's approach to cooking is refreshing. He says, "To those who say they can't cook: Can you physically not do it? That's the only legitimate excuse for not being able to cook. Give it a shot, maybe you'll fail — it's no big deal, do it again."