Brad Leone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brad Leone
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Leone in 2023
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| Born | May 16, 1985 Sussex County, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | Fermentation |
| Education | Institute of Culinary Education |
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Television show(s)
It's Alive with Brad
It's Alive: Goin' Places Making Perfect It's Alive: @ Home Tastebuds |
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Brad Samuel Leone, born on May 16, 1985, is an American chef and a popular YouTuber. He became famous for his cooking videos on the Bon Appétit YouTube channel. He is best known for hosting his shows It's Alive with Brad and It's Alive: Goin' Places.
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Brad's Early Life and Learning
Brad Leone was born in northern New Jersey on May 16, 1985. He worked many different jobs before becoming a chef. These jobs included being a caterer, working in a delicatessen, and being a kitchen chef. He also worked as a glazier (someone who installs glass) and a carpenter.
When he was 26, Brad moved to Brooklyn, New York. There, he studied cooking at the Institute of Culinary Education. He became very interested in fermentation after someone gave him a SCOBY. A SCOBY is a special mix of bacteria and yeast used to make fermented foods.
Brad's Career in Cooking
After finishing culinary school, Brad started as an intern at Bon Appétit magazine. He worked as a test kitchen assistant. This job meant he did a lot of shopping, cleaning, and washing dishes. He even called it a "glorified dishwashing job."
Later, Bon Appétit offered him a full-time job. He worked his way up to become the Test Kitchen Manager.
Starting It's Alive with Brad
In 2016, Bon Appétit wanted to make more videos for its YouTube channel. The creative director, Alex Grossman, and video producer, Vincent Cross, thought of a web series starring Brad. The first video showed Brad making kombucha, a fermented tea.
This first video was put aside for eight months. But Vincent Cross convinced the magazine to post it. The video came out on October 21, 2016. It was the first episode of It's Alive with Brad and now has over 4 million views.
What It's Alive is About
It's Alive with Brad became a regular show. Brad often makes food using microbial food cultures, which are tiny living things that help food ferment. Later episodes also showed more general recipes and Brad traveling to different places.
Vincent Cross filmed and produced the show until February 2019. Then, Matt Hunziker became the editor. People really liked It's Alive because of its funny editing and Brad's relaxed cooking style. It was described as a mix of a cooking show, a travel show, and a continuous blooper reel.
The fun and personal style of It's Alive, along with another show called Gourmet Makes, changed how Bon Appétit made online videos. These shows were different from the magazine's usual fancy style.
New Adventures and Shows
In late 2018, Brad changed his job at Bon Appétit. He stopped being the Test Kitchen Manager to focus only on making videos. A new show, It's Alive: Goin' Places, started in 2019. The first season followed Brad in Central Texas, and the second season took him to Hawaii.
In 2019, Brad was nominated for an award called the Shorty Awards for his work on It's Alive. Brad also appeared in other Bon Appétit shows, like Making Perfect and Test Kitchen Talks.
In December 2022, Brad and Bon Appétit decided to change their working agreement. Brad announced that he would be making many new videos for his own YouTube channel in 2023. He promised "real good clean friggin' fun."
On June 5, 2023, Brad launched two new shows on his own YouTube channel. These shows are called "Local Legends" and "Makin’ It."
Brad's Personal Life
Brad Leone, his partner Peggy, and their two sons lived in New Jersey. In early 2021, they moved to Connecticut.
