Kids Discover Talks with Cooking and Social Media Sensations, The CrunchBros

“Jal meokgetseubnida!” and “Itadakimasu!” are what you will hear when you pull up a chair to eat with The CrunchBros!

These phrases mean “I will eat well” and “thank you for this meal” in Korean and Japanese.

Jeff and Jordan Kim are a father-son duo known as The CrunchBros and their family is made up of a background of Korean-American on Dad’s side and Japanese-American on Mom’s side, along with little sister, Kaiya.

The CrunchBros are known for their “mukbangs” and share their fun style of making Japanese and Korean-style food on their online food channels. Mukbangs are videos of people eating large amounts of food and it is a trend in Korea that has become known to fans around the world. 

Launched in 2020, their YouTube channel started as a small project and then exploded in popularity with millions of people who started following Jeff and Jordan’s adventures on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.

Jeff, the CrunchDad, is a full-time social media influencer and Jordan is part of the food fun (as he keeps up with his homework!)

You can find all their delicious recipes in their cookbook Cooking with The CrunchBros and make dishes  like Mochi Pizza and Korean Fried Chicken.

How did you become a father and son cooking duo?

It actually all started with Jordan. We started EasyPeasyJordan which is Jordan’s Instagram page

a while back. Jordan and his mom share fun and easy recipes over there. So, it came naturally for him to cook together with me too.

What was the inspiration for your cookbook Cooking with The CrunchBros?

My wife brought about the idea. We had the recipes and it made sense to put them into

a cookbook. It turned out to be a really fun family project, we had a great time putting it

together.

What can kids learn from reading and cooking recipes?

They can learn so many important things. They can learn about other cultures, different

ingredients, and most importantly, how to cook! It’s a great way to learn about how

following a process can lead to a desired result.

What is your advice to kids who think they don’t like a certain food?

It’s ok to not like a certain food, but you have to at least try it once before you make that

decision. Also, taste buds change, so it’s good to go back a little while later and try it

again to see if you might like it the next time around.

What can kids learn about other cultures through cooking?

So many things! They can learn about cultural traditions and foods. They can learn

languages, they can learn new ingredients and how things are done in different cultures.

There are so many different things you can learn from going through cookbooks!

What is your favorite dish to make?

I would have to say my favorite dish to make is one of the recipes in our cookbook,

jalapeno pork. It could also be because it’s one of my favorite things to eat. LOL. 

Where do the recipe ideas come from for the cookbook?

A lot of them come from our families. They’re dishes we grew up with or similar to ones

we grew up with and put our own little twists to them. Jordan came up with one or two of

them off of the top of his head!

How do you decide what pictures or illustrations are used in a cookbook?

This was easy for our book. Each chapter is by one of our family members so you’ll see

more of their photos in those chapters. But the focus is mainly on the food, so we tried to

get in as many photos of our dishes as possible.

How do you come up with the titles of the recipes?

The titles are pretty much either the name of the dish or something we came up with

collectively as a family.

How should kids approach new ingredients in a recipe?

Definitely with an open mind. They should use all of their senses like look at it, touch it,

smell it, so they can get familiar with it.

What can kids learn from cooking?

Like I mentioned before, they can learn so many things from a cookbook! They can learn life

lessons and skills that they’ll be able to use for the rest of their lives.

How did you both get involved in cooking?

We started at a young age. I’ve always loved being in the kitchen and helping and I think the

same goes for Jordan. We’re also big foodies, so that definitely helps with us wanting to be

involved.

For Jeff

What was your time like as a contestant on the Gordon Ramsey show, “Next Level Chef?”

It was intense, amazing, fun, and so much more. I made so many memories and life long friends

being on the show. Also, cooking for Gordon Ramsey was a dream come true.

For Jordan

What do kids your age think about your success?

They think it’s cool, but close friends just see me as Jordan.