With the food he’s cooking, Jerry Houston will have no trouble making friends at school. The 18-year-old Georgia native began his freshman year at the University of South Carolina Beaufort this fall and has gained instant fame–both in school and on social media–thanks to his viral cooking videos. His videos show how to make southern baptist grandmother Sunday dinner, but some may be surprised to learn that young Jerry is completely self-taught! Jerry used cooking as a creative outlet after having a difficult childhood and even becoming homeless at one time. He tells The Shade Room, “It’s extremely calming.” “I changed a poor situation into a positive one.”
Jerry explains that as a kid, he didn’t have many positive role models to look up to. He says he was homeless before graduating high school because he was shuffled from family home to family home, but a former middle school teacher took him in so he could finish his education. Cooking remained an outlet for Jerry, who says his real specialty is baking.”It was an outlet for me to be creative,” he said. “I was never given an opportunity when I was younger, so when I did, I took advantage of it.”
He went to college after graduating from his technical high school and is famed for his breakfast, lunch, and supper feasts. Baked chicken, macaroni and cheese, shrimp, creamy grits, and cupcakes are among the dishes and meals he’s prepared. His most popular TikTok video has over 15 million views. “I’m destroying the game,” Jerry said of his social media success. “It’s enough for me to be able to influence others.” I’ve received a lot of positive feedback on TikTok.
“I want to be consistent and stick at it so that I can continue to inspire people,” he says. His ambition after college is to open a bakery, with red velvet cupcakes as his specialty. He’s also searching for a mentor to assist him to launch a spice blend collection in the near future. When asked whether he had any advice for other ambitious young cooks and bakers, he said: “Stay consistent with what you’re doing, be humble throughout the process and never feel like you can’t turn to someone for help. You have to be able to take risks.”
