The Chicken Connoisseur
The Chicken Connoisseur | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Personal information | |||||||
Born |
Elijah Quashie May 1993 (age 25)[1] Enfield, London, England | ||||||
Nationality | British | ||||||
Residence | Tottenham, London, England | ||||||
Occupation | |||||||
Website | YouTube channel | ||||||
YouTube information | |||||||
Years active | 2015–present | ||||||
Genre | Food | ||||||
Subscribers | 656 thousand | ||||||
Total views |
44 million (24 September 2018) | ||||||
|
Elijah Quashie (born 1993 in Enfield, London)[2], also known as The Chicken Connoisseur, is an internet celebrity and fried chicken restaurant critic known for his viral YouTube video series The Pengest Munch.[3][4][5]
Fame
Quashie started his YouTube channel The Pengest Munch in August 2015, inspired by Gregg Wallace of television series MasterChef and produced by film maker Elishama Udorok.[4] Until December 2016, his videos had around 700 views each, with a total of 150 subscribers.[4] The videos involve Quashie visiting, critiquing and rating chicken shops around London.[6]
The Pengest Munch went viral on 9 December, with coverage from The Huffington Post,[5] The Daily Telegraph[7] and BuzzFeed[6] and support from John Boyega and Graham Linehan.[7] Metro cited "stunning insight, humour and style" as the reasons behind his success.[8] Another focus of the coverage has been the use of slang in the videos;[5][7]this has been criticised for suggesting "the slang of working class black kids is beyond normal comprehension", notwithstanding the fact that such a claim is by no means subjectively invalid.[9] He appeared on ITV London on 13 December,[10] and released a new episode to YouTube on 16 December.[11]
In December 2016, he established Chicken Connoisseur Ltd[1] and in April 2017 it was announced that he would be writing a book entitled The Pengest Munch: In Search of the Nation's 50 Favourite Chicken Establishments published by Blink Publishing.
It was announced in October 2017 that Quashie would star in a new Channel 4 television show entitled 'The Peng Life'.[12]
Controversy
In January 2017, Quashie came under criticism after he featured Taylor Harris (stage name 'Bonkaz') rapping in one of his YouTube videos. Harris was previously convicted of groping a 13-year-old girl in 2010. Harris was also jailed for three years in 2011 for his part in a kidnapping and torture of a 22-year-old disabled man. [13]
Personal life
Quashie lives in Tottenham in North London.[3] Following his rise to fame, many people speculated about his age, which Quashie confirmed to be 23 (as of December 2016) in a tweet he swiftly deleted. This is confirmed by a number of government records stating his date of birth as May 1993.[14] Quashie has also said that he has "no appetite for discussing his age".[15]
In May 2017, Quashie endorsed Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in the 2017 UK general election. During an interview with The Fader he said: "he's one of the few people who make sense".[16]
References
- 1 2 "Elijah QUASHIE - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/FI0bKP5ZJF76ICsdUOLtMGMGAlA/appointments". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Missing or empty
|url=
(help);|access-date=
requires|url=
(help) - ↑ Sampson, Issy (4 August 2018). "Chicken Connoisseur Elijah Quashie: 'Deep down, vegans want to be us!'". the Guardian.
- 1 2 "YouTube star behind chicken shop reviews: My head is still spinning". Evening Standard. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- 1 2 3 Usborne, Simon (16 December 2016). "The Chicken Connoisseur on his new Pengest Munch: 'I owe it to the bald one on MasterChef'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Boy Reviewing London's Chicken Shops Goes Viral". The Huffington Post. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- 1 2 "Everyone Loves The Guy On YouTube Going Around London Reviewing Chicken Shops". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- 1 2 3 "These brilliant videos about London's takeaway chicken shops are a YouTube hit". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ↑ "The 'Chicken Connoisseur' has just become the best food critic in London". Metro. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ↑ "When It Comes To Diversity, Black English Language Is Just As Important As Diversity In Boardrooms". The Debrief. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ↑ "The guy who reviews London chicken shops made a glorious TV appearance". Yahoo! Finance. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ↑ "The Chicken Connoisseur Is Back With A Brand New Ep Of The Pengest Munch – WATCH". Capital XTRA. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ↑ "Chicken Connoisseur Elijah Quashie gets his own Channel 4 show". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ↑ "'Chicken Connoisseur' Youtube star comes under fire for starring alongside convicted sex offender in latest 'Pengest Munch' video in Thornton Heath". Croydon Guardian.
- ↑ "You Won't Believe How Old YouTube's 'Chicken Connoisseur' Really Is..." Capital XTRA. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
- ↑ Usborne, Simon (2016-12-16). "The Chicken Connoisseur on his new Pengest Munch: 'I owe it to the bald one on MasterChef'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
- ↑ Gillett, Francesca (17 May 2017). "London's Chicken Connoisseur backs Jeremy Corbyn after string of grime stars endorse Labour leader". London: London Evening Standard. Retrieved 11 June 2017.