By Bernice Saltzer
Matthew Bounds
AN ONLINE cook who has racked up millions of views for his no-nonsense recipes, has admitted that just two years ago he couldn’t boil an egg.
Mississippi insurance adjuster Matthew Bounds decided to teach himself to cook during lockdown because he could no longer dine out three or four times a week.
Matthew also felt guilty that his husband made most of the meals and so started to practice in his kitchen.
And now a few years on Matthew aka Your Barefoot Neighbor (sic) has not only got more than 747k followers on TikTok but has also had his now famous Chicken Cobbler recipe feature on tv show, Good Morning America.
Chicken Cobbler
The unexpected success has also seen Matthew produce his first cookery book. Come Fix You A Plate, which features many of his best loved Southern style recipes.
“My first plan was to create a DIY channel because I was also doing stuff outdoors,” said Matthew.
“Which was fine when the weather was hot but then I thought I might just try and so some stuff in the kitchen – and that really took off.”
When one of his recipes went viral – with 10 million views on Tik Tok and a staggering 25 million on Instagram- Matthew realised that his cooking was something that he could take really seriously.
And that was when he discovered Found, a company which helps recipe creators turn their social media content into cash.
Found creates books for influencers at no cost to them out of which they receive a percentage of everyone sold, with their only commitment being to promote the book via their channels.
“My book hasn’t been out that long, but it’s done really well,” said Matthew.
“So much so that I’m now starting to think about book two!
“It’s a great way to get your recipes published and there’s no risk, it’s just up to me to push the books to my followers.”
Matthew’s recipes are easy to follow, with lots of quick and simple – but tasty – dishes which are perfect for families or people who haven’t got much time.
“I have had a bit of flack from some people saying that I use packet mixes sometimes and that’s not what a chef would do,” he said.
“But I’m not a chef, I’m cooking like most people do – using the stuff they have round the house.”
Luckily the majority of the response to Matthew is overwhelmingly positive, with people loving his dishes which are often only made with a handful of ingredients.
“You don’t want to be cooking something that means you have to go to five different stores to buy the ingredients,” he said.
“My recipes are all about using mostly things that everyone has in their kitchens and often can be cooked in one pot.”
Anyone wanting to find out more about publishing via Found should visit www.found.us where you can also buy copies of Matthew’s book for $29.99/£24.99 here.
Explore our other creator’s cookbooks here and creator’s blogs.