By Simon Bates, Director of Content Programming, TikTok Australia and New Zealand

Whether you’re a fine-dining fanatic who knows every celebrity chef and home cook hero on TikTok, a fabulous foodie whose always up for trying to master something out of the ordinary, or a fan of a quick and simple recipe hack that will feed your friends or family with minimum prep - there’s something for the food lover in all of us on TikTok.

On TikTok, standard ingredients become delicious dishes in less than a minute, and we're entertained and inspired, as the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. TikTok's taught us how to make a humble plate of nachos into a party attraction that can take over your entire dining table, how a brick of feta becomes an Italian-inspired masterpiece worthy of serving at dinner parties, how a roll of bread can transform into a cloud, and how to make a handful of bland oats taste like cake.

And not only do we watch - we learn. If you want to try your hand at cooking but don't know where to start, there's plenty of creators on TikTok that are here to teach you the ways of the food-universe! Whether they're a professional chef stripping it down for a TikTok DIY, a humble home cook who wants to share how to feed a family on a budget, or a quick dinner recipe after a long day, TikTok's creator cooks are here to help.

We know you love food, so for the next month we're celebrating all things delicious from our Australian community with our first-ever TikTok Food Festival!

Running from the 17th of May all the way through to the 12th of June, we'll be shining a light on the tastiest content and creator accounts. From cooking live streams, to TikTok recipe books and duets with world class-chefs - the program is smorgasbord for the food fanatic. Here's what's Happening!


TikTok Food Festival Hub

Head to the Discover page in-app where you'll find the official TikTok Food Festival Hub – the place to find out what's happening throughout the festival, check out the fellow foodies to follow to fill your For Your Page with food to inspire, and find video recipes that you can cook tonight curated by highly esteemed Australian food media platforms Taste.com.au and Delicious.


LIVE Stream Raiser for Starlight Foundation with @stickyaustralia on May 28

Sticky Australia is one of TikTok’s most followed food accounts. They make hard candies in rainbow colours from their shop in The Rocks, Sydney, and have built a huge fan base of over 4 million followers, for their behind-the-scenes videos showing stretchy, sticky, bendy rolls of sugary dough being twisted and fashioned into lollies!

Starlight's 'Stream Raiser' is an initiative that enables creators to go live across platforms to create entertaining and engaging content to brighten the lives of sick kids, adolescents and their families. Stream Raiser is all about generating happiness, laughter, and raising much-needed funds to improve lives.

Sticky and Stream Raiser come together for the first time, for this LIVE - as Sticky demonstrate their doughy candy marvels, you'll be able to donate to Starlight Foundation via the Donate Now sticker which will be on display during the live stream. Being able to not only raise money for sick children in their toughest times, but to also highlight and celebrate Sticky’s incredible content during Food Month, is an event made in sweet, sweet heaven!


Foodie LIVEs

All through our Food Festival, we'll be highlighting our star creators through a series of food-focussed live streams - showcasing some of the amazing talent we see cooking on the platform each day, and some you wouldn't expect. We're also spotlighting some tasty hashtags each week. We kick off with #EasyRecipes, watch the next big #Foodie trends unfold, and drool over mind-blowing #TikTokFood, before a cook off!

You won't want to miss a minute of our month of practical, inspiring and downright weird food LIVEs, here's the themes for each week of the Food Festival:

  • Week 1: Monday 17 May - Sunday 23 May : #EasyRecipes TikTok LIVE with your fave foodie creators cooking #EasyRecipes - TikTok has become a home for food lovers and chefs alike to share their tips and tricks in the kitchen, and we can't wait to bring you a steady stream of your favourite foodies going LIVE sharing their #EasyRecipes.
  • Week 2: Monday 25 May - Sunday 30 May: #Foodie The next big food trends are revealed before your eyes! Move aside feta pasta, these food creators are ready to demo dishes with major viral potential. Give these dishes a red hot go yourself, and don't forget to share your creations with the #Foodie hashtag. During #Foodie Week on May 28th, we're also hosting a LIVE fundraiser for sick kids - Stream Raiser for Starlight Foundation, with @stickyaustralia.
  • Week 3: Monday 31 May  - Sunday 6 June: #TikTokFood Take a journey into the wondrous world of #TikTokFood: experimental creations that will make your jaw drop. Crunchy, gooey, juicy - tune into these TikTok LIVEs if you, like us, are fascinated by the extreme wonders of #TikTokFood.
  • Week 4:  Monday 7 May -  Friday 11 May: Cook Off Duets! Every day of competition week, our TikTok community will be invited to cook their own recipe and share their most mouth-watering, easy to make marvel on TikTok. A celebrity guest chef will choose a winner of the day to duet with, and the winning creator will win a $1,000 prize for their entry (and a shout out from our celebrity chef!)


The full schedule of creators going LIVE on TikTok for Food Month:

All times are in AEST.

  • Monday 17 May, 7pm @morganhipworth - Morgan, the 19 year old Melbourne-based baking prodigy and Bistro Morgan founder, has become a TikTok sensation thanks to his donut and cinnamon scroll videos. Morgan will be upgrading regular food into gourmet food with three easy recipes: Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Pesto Salami Fettucine and Perfect Roast Potatoes.
  • Tuesday 18 May 7pm @marthakalifatidis & @maryykala - From a Married at First Sight bride into a TikTok powerhouse with over 40,000 followers, Martha Kalifatidis will be providing the commentary as her Mum, Mary Kalifatidis - star of Big Brother Australia - cooks up a storm! Mamma Mary will be creating her potatoes and eggs. Hearty, home-cooked goodness.
  • Wed 19 May, 7pm @himynameispriya - Talented home chef Priya Sharma shares authentic Indian recipes from her family's heritage and beyond - tune in as Priya shows you how to make the perfect pizza!
  • Saturday, 22 May, 7pm @chefsanddogs - Aussie Chef Daniel Tomas has cornered a niche by cooking fancy (and healthy) pet food for his pampered pooches, Alkali and Caelan. Think healthy doggie ice-cream and more! Learn how to make some pet-friendly gourmet fare with Daniel.
  • Sunday 23 May, 7pm, @cookingwithayeh - With over 600K follwers on her TikTok, talented home chef Ayeh's recipes are inspired by healthy eating - food is her happy place. She shares a wholesome pasta meal perfect for Sunday lunch or dinner.
  • Tues 25 May, 7pm, @deliciousaus - Website and magazine Delicious is known all around Australia as being go-to destination for all the latest in recipes, restaurant reviews, food news, travel inspiration, and so much more.
  • Wed 26 May, 7pm, @audreysaurus - ASMR-voiced Perth-based food blogger Audrey has racked up millions of views on her TikTok account for her eye-catching "squishy" desserts and magic mochi balls. Learn how to make mochi out of an Australian classic ingredient - none other than Milo! We can't wait to learn how to make our own Milo Mochi Balls with Audrey.
  • Thurs 27 May, 7pm, @jasminetxo v @sebbylaz - Melbourne TikTok dancer, comedian and personality with over 4 million followers @jasminetxo, will join TikTok comedian @sebbylaz (who has 3 million followers of his own!) to host a livestream together that's sure to be full of laughs! They'll be "cooking" up a sweet sensation - Coco Pops & Kinder Chocolate & Marshmellow Bars. Your weeknight, is now your treat night!
  • Friday 28 May, 7pm LIVE Stream Raiser for Starlight Foundation with @stickyaustralia
  • Sticky Australia is one of TikTok’s most followed food accounts and they're getting together the Starlight Foundation for a very special LIVE stream to raise funds for sick kids.
  • Sun 30 May, 7.30pm, @kwameduahofficial - Kwame Duah is the Adelaide bodybuilder with a huge following on TikTok - you may have also seen him on the TV show Australian Ninja Warrior! Kwame will show fit foodies how to make a healthy, high-protein, Turkey Rice Bowl - a favourite dish of his for workouts.
  • Mon 31 May, 7pm, @dimsimlim - The cult dishes of Blue Mountains chef Vincent are drool-worthy (Coca Cola KFC, hello!) Cook along with Vincent as he teaches you the secrets to his Salt & Pepper King Prawns. A must watch!
  • Tue 1 June, 7pm, @chebbo- Chebbo's Burgers, a Punchbowl-based halal food truck, have grown exponentially since Ali Chebbani began using TikTok to spruik his business. Fans now travel from as far as Canberra to get a taste of his American-style smash burgers. Get Chebbo's insider tips on how to make your own Picanha Steak with Chimchurri Sauce.
  • Wed 2 June, 7.30pm, @christianmhull - Aussie comedian Christian Hull went viral on TikTok after he started creating videos where he guessed the colour that paint would become when mixed - now he's experimenting with food in his videos - tune into his LIVE and laugh along as Hull attempts to make Banana Peel Bacon. Yes, that's right, bacon from banana peels!
  • Thurs 4 June, 7pm, @taste.com.au - Australia's #1 food site is the ultimate kitchen resource for Aussies, with over 50,000 free recipes, menus, videos and cooking tips. Let the taste.com.au guest chefs show you how it's done!
  • Sat 5 June, 7pm, @ladbibleaustralia - From its origins in Manchester, this cultural hub is known globally as a one-stop shop for viral videos and hilarious antics. The LadBible crew are sure to keep you entertained during their LIVE!
  • Sun 6 June, 7pm, @amazing_grazers - The queen of making impressive-looking (and tasting!) grazing boards, Tania will teach you her tricks, so you can create your own Amazing Grazing Board at your next dinner party.


Looking for more gastronomical inspo? Here are some of our favourite Australian foodie creators to follow on TikTok. Visit out the Food Festival Hub to find stacks more drool-worthy Australian accounts to check out.

  • Chefs and Dogs @chefsanddogs Aussie Chef Daniel Tomas has cornered a niche by cooking fancy (and healthy) pet food for his pampered pooches, Alkali and Caelan. Think healthy doggie ice-cream, bone-broth and quail eggs.
  • MorganHipworth @morganhipworth 19 year old Melbourne-based baking prodigy / Bistro Morgan founder Morgan Hipworth has a cult following for his donuts and sweet creations, he's big off platform too, having been on Masterchef, and his cinnamon scrolls recipe went viral!
  • Cooking with Ayeh @cookingwithayeh Ayeh shares tasty recipes with a healthy twist! Inspired by healthy eating, explore my easy and delicious food recipes. Cool trivia: Ayeh became a home chef after a back injury ended her career in finance and she started cooking.
  • Priya Sharma @himynameispriya The talented home chef Priya Sharma shares authentic Indian recipes from her family's heritage, in between travelling around in her cute van!
  • Audreysaurus @audreysaurus ASMR-voiced Aussie food blogger Audrey has racked up millions of views on her TikTok, mostly for her mochi creations and "squishy" desserts that you can't take your eyes off!
  • Chebbo's Smash Burgers @chebbo Punchbowl-based halal food truck Chebbo's Burgers has grown phenomenally since founder Ali Chebbani began using TikTok to spruik his smash burgers. Try your hand at making your own smash patty, or simply drool along as Ali makes his!
  • Amazing Grazers @amazing_grazers Is it a wedding, a birthday, or a girls night, without a gorgeous grazing table these days? Equip yourself to make your own, and be inspired by the creative Tania, an Adelaide grazing specialist with jaw dropping platters.