By MEREDITH G. WHITE, The Times

STONEWALL, Louisiana (AP) – Brittany Kham was just an ordinary girl from southern Louisiana when she decided to download the popular TikTok video app out of sheer boredom. Now she has 1.2 million followers and counting.

Kham was born and raised in several parishes in southern Louisiana, including Sulfur, Kinder, and Lake Charles, and now resides in Stonewall with her husband. Although she didn’t grow up cooking, she was always present in the kitchen watching and learning.

She started her culinary journey by learning how to prepare simple dishes like rice and gravy or her mom’s stew while babysitting her younger brothers. From there she became the meeting point at college where she started to really test her skills.

Like many others, Kham downloaded TikTok as a joke to cure his boredom. Used to a busy lifestyle with two jobs and college, she found herself with a lot of unwanted downtime with a steady 9-5.

The first video she posted went semi-viral. An old video she had recorded on her phone of her competing in a corn-eating contest where a beauty queen beat her with one grain. She kept posting random videos until the rude comments got too prominent and she deleted the account.

She didn’t stay long, however, and ended up creating a brand new account where the TikTok algorithm seemed to put her on the food side of the app. A popular sound used where he asks you to show people your spice cabinet, proudly showcasing his giant box of Slap Ya Mama seasoning is what catapulted him to FoodTok.

Kahm started out by trying to make recipes that she found on the Internet and even went so far as to make her own pasta and buy expensive ingredients. However, the video that caught her most attention was when she decided to upload her mom’s spaghetti recipe that included sugar, where the comments became a debate over whether sugar belongs. or not to the popular dish.

“I realized that some people were interested in the way other people did things, so I kind of took that idea and used it.”

She remodeled her entire account and focused on creating recipes that she grew up eating without rules or measures. She became known for her obsessive use of Slap Ya Mama seasoning, allowing for substitutions, as it is “whatever makes your little heart happy” and her measure of garlic being “until people start asking if you’re okay ”.

Just a few months ago, she officially joined the Slap Ya Mama “Slap Krewe” where she received a box of their products and merchandise and they even sponsored a giveaway for Kham reaching 1,000 subscribers. Her love for the famous seasoning was born when a friend left her tin can at home and she tried it and never returned, she even threw away her tin of Tony Chachere.

While TikTok hasn’t verified it yet, Kham isn’t too upset about it.

“That would be really cool, but I’ve heard the kind of stigma change when you get checked out; people expect more from you.

Still working full time as Assistant Clerk and expecting the birth of her first child any day, Kham has a lot on her plate and it wouldn’t mind if expectations of her stay put. for the moment. As for the year ahead, she’s having fun with the recipe ideas her parents and grandparents grew up with and maybe updating them to appeal to this generation.

You’ll need to follow her on TikTok @brittkham to find out what she’s up to and if you’re interested in daily content you can follow her on Instagram.

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