Meet Doña Angela, a Mexican abuelita reeling in more YouTube viewers than Gordon Ramsay
There are no frills in Doña Angela’s kitchen except for the ones on her apron.
The 71-year-old Mexican abuelita cooks from her modest ranch-style kitchen decorated with dried chili peppers, a cross and three spoons hung on nails on the wooden wall in the background.
Her mouthwatering recipes bring millions of YouTube followers to the table — so many that Angela averages more views than the gastronomy giant Gordon Ramsay on the platform.
In nearly every upload of her videos from her account “De Mi Rancho A Tu Cocina,” which translates as from my ranch to your kitchen, Angela thanks viewers for their support and tells fans she loves them
Angela’s profound success on YouTube, with the help of her daughter, was highlighted by Latino Metrics, which credited her following to the grandma’s cozy, comforting vibe.
“Angela isn’t a famous actress nor a recognized chef with a long trajectory and Michelin stars. She’s a traditional abuelita from rural Mexico who decided to share her culture through food,” Latino Metrics wrote. “Doña Angela’s popularity among its subscribers is attributed to our fondness for traditional forms of gastronomy, a loving and caring Abuela, and our craving for enchiladas.”
Within the past 12 videos, Angela has averaged more views than cooking celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Martha Stewart. She has 4.07 million followers.
Angela cooks authentic and traditional Mexican meals with a focus on seasonal dishes and affordability. Some of her recipes include pumpkin flower torresnitos, pork rib with nopalitos (which are made with prickly pear cacti pads) and chicken entomatado. Many of her videos have millions of views.
Angela’s videos are also used in schools for language comprehension and have been noted by a Swedish university as a significant form of connection to culture through food, especially when people are not living in Mexico, Latino Metrics said.
“I love Doña Ángela’s programs. She is authentic and humble. Her cooking demonstrations are excellent! And, amazingly, she cooks on a rustic wood-burning Comal, much like her ancestors did,” one commenter told Latino Metrics.
“She reminds me so much of my grandmother that has passed on. It gives me a small connection to my grandmother trying to teach me how to cook food from our heritage. Unfortunately I was (too) stubborn to learn when I was a kid. Her videos take me back. Much continued success to her,” another said.
This story was originally published September 9, 2022 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Meet Doña Angela, a Mexican abuelita reeling in more YouTube viewers than Gordon Ramsay."
