Andrew Rea
Andrew Rea, known to millions as 'Babish,' transformed the landscape of online cooking content by masterfully blending his passion for film with his culinary skills. From humble beginnings filming in a tiny apartment, he built a global culinary universe, proving that sometimes, the most unexpected ingredients lead to the most delicious success. His journey isn't just about food; it's a testament to creativity, resilience, and the power of finding joy in shared experiences. Andrew Rea's unique 'Binging with Babish' concept — recreating dishes from film and TV — emerged from a fusion of his film background and a deeply personal connection to cooking. His signature faceless filming style was born out of necessity in a small apartment but became a crucial part of his brand's appeal and distinct identity. Despite immense success, Rea openly shared his struggles with burnout, demonstrating the human side of digital content creation and championing a healthier, more collaborative approach.
AI Summary
Andrew Rea, known to millions as 'Babish,' transformed the landscape of online cooking content by masterfully blending his passion for film with his culinary skills. From humble beginnings filming in a tiny apartment, he built a global culinary universe, proving that sometimes, the most unexpected ingredients lead to the most delicious success. His journey isn't just about food; it's a testament to creativity, resilience, and the power of finding joy in shared experiences.
- Andrew Rea's unique 'Binging with Babish' concept — recreating dishes from film and TV — emerged from a fusion of his film background and a deeply personal connection to cooking.
- His signature faceless filming style was born out of necessity in a small apartment but became a crucial part of his brand's appeal and distinct identity.
- Despite immense success, Rea openly shared his struggles with burnout, demonstrating the human side of digital content creation and championing a healthier, more collaborative approach.
The Genesis of a Culinary Universe
Born Andrew Douglas Rea in 1987, his early life in Rochester, New York, was profoundly shaped by food. His mother, Annie, who passed away when he was just 11, instilled in him a love for cooking — a comforting connection he sought to rekindle in his teenage years by making her beloved stews.
This early connection to the kitchen laid a foundation, but Rea's academic path initially veered towards storytelling. In 2009, he graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor's in Film Studies, later putting his skills to use as a visual effects artist.
From VFX to Viral Videos
Before 'Babish,' Rea's creative endeavors included documentary filmmaking. With his childhood friend Rashid Duroseau, he created 'Water-Proof,' a documentary exploring the restoration efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, showcasing his storytelling capabilities beyond the kitchen.
The spark for what would become 'Binging with Babish' ignited during a period of depression in 2016. Living in a small Queens apartment, Rea invested in camera equipment, planning to resume filming. The kitchen, however, was the only space large enough.
In a stroke of serendipitous necessity, the tripod's placement cut off his face while filming a smoothie recipe. This accidental framing became his signature style — mysterious, inviting viewers to focus purely on the food and the hands preparing it.
On February 10, 2016, the first episode of 'Binging with Babish' premiered. Inspired by a burger cook-off from 'Parks and Recreation,' Rea began his unique journey of recreating iconic dishes from film and television, blending pop culture with gourmet cooking.
The channel's name itself is a nod to Rea's cinematic influences. 'Babish' comes from the character Oliver Babish in the beloved political drama 'The West Wing' — a testament to how his film studies background continues to weave through his culinary adventures.
Expanding the Culinary Universe
As 'Binging with Babish' soared in popularity, Rea noticed a segment of his audience was less interested in the pop culture connection and more focused on fundamental cooking techniques. This insight led to the creation of 'Basics With Babish' in October 2017.
'Basics' offered straightforward recipes and essential culinary skills for amateur home chefs, broadening his appeal beyond just movie buffs. It cemented his reputation as a knowledgeable and approachable culinary guide.
The COVID-19 pandemic saw a massive surge in home cooking, propelling Rea's subscriber count from 5 million to 8 million in a matter of months. To meet demand, he increased his output, sometimes working 90 hours a week — a pace that eventually led to severe burnout.
Recognizing his struggle, his then-fiancée Jess Opon and business partner Sawyer Carter Jacobs staged an intervention. Heeding their advice, Rea scaled back his schedule and launched the 'Babish Culinary Universe' (BCU), inviting other talented collaborators like Sohla El-Waylly and Alvin Zhou to contribute, fostering a more sustainable and diverse creative environment.
Beyond the Screen
Rea's success transcended YouTube into the world of publishing. He authored three cookbooks, all based on his popular series. 'Eat What You Watch' (2017) compiled recipes from his first season, while 'Binging with Babish' (2019) became a New York Times Best Seller, featuring 100 recipes and a foreword by his hero, Jon Favreau.
A third cookbook, derived from the 'Basics with Babish' series, further solidified his place in the culinary world, published in October 2023. These books allowed fans to bring the 'Babish' experience directly into their own kitchens.
In 2021, Rea expanded his brand even further by announcing a cookware line. Designed to be both high-quality and accessible, the line includes knives, bowls, measuring tools, and other essential kitchen implements, making professional-grade cooking tools available to everyday chefs.
A Glimpse into Personal Life
While much of Rea's public persona is centered on his culinary adventures, his personal journey has also seen its share of changes. He married his high school sweetheart in 2014, but they divorced in 2017. Later, he announced his engagement to Babish Culinary Universe producer Jess Opon in May 2021.
Their wedding was even featured in a 'Binging with Babish' special, officiated by comedian Joel McHale. However, in October 2023, Rea confirmed through a Reddit post that he and Jess Opon had separated in the summer of 2022, reminding us that even beloved public figures navigate complex personal experiences.
A Diverse Media Presence
Beyond his own channels, Andrew Rea has become a sought-after guest across various media platforms, sharing his passion and expertise with a wider audience.
Online Appearances
Year Title Role Notes 2016–present Binging With Babish Presenter Also creator 2017–present Basics With Babish Presenter Also creator 2017–2018 Sean in the Wild Self – guest 3 episodes 2018–2019 The Burger Show Self – guest 4 episodes 2018 Good Mythical Morning Self – guest 1 episode 2018 It's Alive! Self 2 episodes 2019–present Being With Babish Self Also creator 2019 Hot Ones Self – guest 1 episode 2019 Youtubers React Self 3 episodes 2019 You Suck at Cooking Self 1 episode 2020 Stump Sohla Self 10 episodes 2020 Build Self – Guest 1 episode 2023 The Adam Friedland Show Self – Guest 1 episode 2023 Mythical Kitchen Self - Guest 1 episode
Television Appearances
Year Title Role Notes 2017 The List Self – guest 1 episode 2019 The Chef Show Self 2 episodes 2019 Rachael Ray Self 1 episode 2019 CBS This Morning Self 1 episode 2020 Live with Kelly and Ryan Self – guest 1 episode 2021 The Kelly Clarkson Show Self – guest 1 episode 2021 Beat Bobby Flay Self - guest judge 1 episode
Article
Andrew Rea
Andrew Douglas Rea (born September 2, 1987; RAY), also known by the pseudonym Babish, is an American YouTuber, cook, and author. He is best known for founding the YouTube channel Binging with Babish and for creating and presenting its shows Binging with Babish and Basics with Babish. Rea has authored three cookbooks based on the series and has appeared as a guest in several other programs.
Early life
Andrew Rea
Rea was born September 2, 1987, in Mendon, New York, to parents Annie and Douglas Rea, and raised in Rochester, New York. He has an older brother, David, who appeared in Being With Babish. His nephew, Christopher, made an appearance in one of his videos portraying a younger version of himself. He is of Italian, Jewish, Polish, and Welsh descent. Rea's mother, who died when he was 11, taught him how to cook from a young age, including stew and cookies. As a teen, he began cooking again, and would make stews to "feel closer to her." In 2009, Rea graduated with a BA in Film Studies from Hofstra University, and later worked as a visual effects artist for SwitchFX Inc.
Career
Andrew Rea
Rea's oldest friend is middle school teacher Rashid Duroseau. Together, they created a documentary titled "Water-Proof" about restoring New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Rea created the Binging with Babish YouTube channel on August 21, 2006 with the name inspired by The West Wing character Oliver Babish. Three videos unrelated to Binging with Babish were uploaded to the account, two in 2007 and one in 2010.
In 2016, Rea was depressed and living with a friend in Queens, New York. He decided to purchase $4000 of camera equipment with the intent of beginning to film again, but the kitchen was the only room large enough to film in the small apartment. Rea filmed himself making a smoothie, and the tripod's placement cut off his face—which went on to be his signature filming style. He began contemplating creating an online cooking show. The first episode of Binging with Babish aired on February 10, 2016, inspired by an episode of Parks and Recreation that featured a burger cook-off. Once his channel hit one million subscribers, he asked his good friend Sawyer Carter Jacobs (an attorney formerly employed for Condé Nast) to become his business partner.
Rea noticed that a portion of his audience only cared about the cooking, independent of the themed content, as well as the fact that 80% of his audience were males between the ages of 18 and 35. On October 11, 2017, he uploaded the first episode of Basics With Babish, a new series dedicated to basic recipes aimed at amateur home chefs. As people cooked at home more during the COVID-19 pandemic and sought out more cooking content online, Rea's subscriber count increased from 5 million to 8 million in a few months. In response to the increased viewership, Rea increased his weekly output from one-and-a-half to two videos a week, sometimes working as many as 90 hours a week. He maintained that schedule for a year-and-a-half, until he suffered from burnout. As his viewership slowed, despite his determination to reach 10 million subscribers, he fell into a depression. His viewers noticed, leaving comments to that effect on his videos, and his fiancée, Jess Opon, along with his business partner staged an intervention, encouraging him to work more realistic hours and stop "obsessing" over his engagement numbers. Heeding their advice, he returned to a one-video-a-week schedule, and began the Babish Culinary Universe, inviting other collaborators to work on the channel, including Sohla El-Waylly, Alvin Zhou, Kendall Beach and Rick Martinez.
Rea has published two cookbooks based upon Binging With Babish. Eat What You Watch, published in 2017 by Dovetail Communications, contains recipes from the show's first season. Binging with Babish, published in 2019 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, includes 100 recipes from various seasons of the show and a foreword by Jon Favreau, of whom Rea is a fan. The book was a New York Times Best Seller. A third cookbook with recipes from the Basics with Babish series was published by Simon & Schuster in October 2023.
In 2021, Rea announced on an episode of Binging With Babish that he would be launching a cookware line. Intended to be a "high quality line of products with a price point palatable for everyday chefs", the line includes Babish-branded knives, bowls, measuring spoons, and other basic kitchen tools.
Personal life
Andrew Rea
In 2014, Rea married his high school sweetheart; however, they divorced in 2017. Rea announced his engagement with Babish Culinary Universe producer Jess Opon in an Instagram post on May 13, 2021. The two were married in Binging with Babish episode 9 Million Subscriber Special by comedian and Universal Life Church-ordained minister Joel McHale. In an October 2023 Reddit post, Rea confirmed that he and Jess Opon had split up in the summer of 2022.
Filmography
Online
<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2016–present</td><td>Binging With Babish</td><td>Presenter</td><td>Also creator</td></tr><tr><td>2017–present</td><td>Basics With Babish</td><td>Presenter</td><td>Also creator</td></tr><tr><td>2017–2018</td><td>Sean in the Wild</td><td>Self – guest</td><td>3 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2018–2019</td><td>The Burger Show</td><td>Self – guest</td><td>4 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2018</td><td>Good Mythical Morning</td><td>Self – guest</td><td>1 episode</td></tr><tr><td>2018</td><td>It's Alive!</td><td>Self</td><td>2 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2019–present</td><td>Being With Babish</td><td>Self</td><td>Also creator</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>Hot Ones</td><td>Self – guest</td><td>1 episode</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>Youtubers React</td><td>Self</td><td>3 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>You Suck at Cooking</td><td>Self</td><td>1 episode</td></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td>Stump Sohla</td><td>Self</td><td>10 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td>Build</td><td>Self – Guest</td><td>1 episode</td></tr><tr><td>2023</td><td>The Adam Friedland Show</td><td>Self – Guest</td><td>1 episode</td></tr><tr><td>2023</td><td>Mythical Kitchen</td><td>Self - Guest</td><td>1 episode</td></tr></tbody></table>
Television
<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2017</td><td>The List</td><td>Self – guest</td><td>1 episode</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>The Chef Show</td><td>Self</td><td>2 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>Rachael Ray</td><td>Self</td><td>1 episode</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>CBS This Morning</td><td>Self</td><td>1 episode</td></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td>Live with Kelly and Ryan</td><td>Self – guest</td><td>1 episode</td></tr><tr><td>2021</td><td>The Kelly Clarkson Show</td><td>Self – guest</td><td>1 episode</td></tr><tr><td>2021</td><td>Beat Bobby Flay</td><td>Self - guest judge</td><td>1 episode</td></tr></tbody></table>