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Food Influencer Finds Audience With Historical Recipes
Donnie Dodson of “Eats History” made a name for himself online by cooking and rating each U.S. president’s favorite meal.
“I’ve always been a major history buff despite going to school for finance,” he says. “This passion translated into a historical cooking hobby after experimenting in the kitchen after colleg
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Food Influencer Finds Audience With Historical Recipes
Donnie Dodson of “Eats History” made a name for himself online by cooking and rating each U.S. president’s favorite meal.
“I’ve always been a major history buff despite going to school for finance,” he says. “This passion translated into a historical cooking hobby after experimenting in the kitchen after college.”
Dodson’s first video, a recreation of George Washington’s favorite hoecakes (dry cornmeal pancakes slathered with honey and butter), was viewed 1.6 million times in 24 hr. He’s since made more than 300 additional videos.
“Each video takes 4 to 5 hr,” says Dodson. “That’s usually 2 hr of diving into old cookbooks, websites or PDF texts on the targeted recipe, adapting to a modern kitchen, then filming the cooking video.”
On “Eats History,” Dodson explores a range of culinary tastes, from what U.S. soldiers ate during WWII to Abraham Lincoln’s last meal to Charles Darwin’s favorite recipes. Inspiration comes less from the specific recipes than from the stories behind the meals.
“One crowd favorite was my series on Ancient Roman Recipes, which is what my upcoming cookbook is about, and one of my personal favorites was the Presidents series.”
Dodson’s video content aims to shed light on forgotten histories in a way that’s engaging for casual viewers to connect with. That means paying careful attention to logistics for the modern cook.
“It’s a challenge to modify these ancient and pre-modern recipes,” says Dodson. “I try to make it so that the home cook can replicate them with available ingredients while maintaining the original essence of the dish.”
Dodson finished his presidential series in 2024 and is now cooking historical recipes spanning from Ancient Egypt to Victorian England.
“I’ll be traveling full time in August, launching the Eats History Project, where I’ll be documenting food history from all over the world,” says Dodson. “I’ll be providing videos and recipes for my followers to replicate at home.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Donnie Dodson (Instagram: @eatshistory).
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