Andrew Rea
Andrew Rea, known as Babish, is a filmmaker, home cook, and cookbook author who recreates screen-famous dishes and helps fans find their feet in the kitchen.
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Latest
Andrew’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
YouTube
Simon Element
Vox MediaOverview
- Also known as
- Babish
- Hometown
- Rochester, New York
- Work
- Cooking creator, filmmaker, and cookbook author
- First episode
- Parks & Rec Burger Cookoff, February 10, 2016
- Breakout
- The Moistmaker sandwich from Friends, 2016
Mini bio
Before the kitchen.
Rea comes from Rochester, New York, and studied Film Studies and Production at Hofstra University. Before cooking became his full-time work in 2017, he spent seven years as an Autodesk Flame artist at the commercial post-production company SwitchFX.
One episode became a career.
He bought a camera and light for freelance interviews, experimented with filming food, and made a cooking episode for fun. Binging with Babish began on February 10, 2016, with the burger cook-off from Parks and Recreation. His Friends-inspired Moistmaker sandwich became an early breakout later that year.
Learning alongside the audience.
The self-taught cook expanded into Basics with Babish in 2017, teaching kitchen skills beyond fictional dishes. His books include Eat What You Watch (2017), Binging with Babish (2019), and Basics with Babish (2023). The 2023 book builds lessons around mistakes and ways to fix them.
A wider table.
In 2026, he added In the Booth with Babish, an interview podcast whose guests include Alton Brown and Tony Hale. He also explained that Beyond Babish gives ranking and non-cooking videos their own channel, leaving more room for cooking on the main channel.
Creditschronological, newest first
Online series and podcasts
- 2026In the Booth with BabishCreator and host
- 2017Basics with BabishCreator and host
- 2016Binging with BabishCreator and host
Awards
Quotes
I learned by reading books, watching videos, experimenting and failing. Lots and lots of failing.Andrew Rea, official website FAQ
On learning to cook: https://www.babi.sh/about
Trivia
- Babish comes from Oliver Babish, Oliver Platt’s character in The West Wing. Rea first used the name as his Reddit handle.
- He says he made crepes at Simply Crepes when he was 15.
- His Kodak tattoo nods to Rochester, while his Seattle skyline tattoo comes from his love of Frasier.
Find Andrew
Follow Andrew for new dishes, kitchen experiments, and conversations over food.
Are you Andrew Rea?
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