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Brandon Romeo is the cook behind @foodbybrandon_, a rapidly growing recipe account based in Melbourne, Australia. Built entirely on his own through passion for making healthy food feel achievable and enjoyable, his account has exploded this year after years of consistent posting. He edits, films, and conceptualizes everything himself, and his mission is straightforward: prove that eating well doesn't mean eating in a boring, joyless way. What started as informal recipe-sharing with friends has become a space where thousands of people discover that healthy food is something they can actually make, enjoy, and look forward to.
Brandon's cooking journey began in his teenage years, rooted in a passion for health and fitness. In high school, he started preparing simple meals for himself, becoming conscious of how what he ate fueled his body and his training. Those early lunches of chicken and rice were pragmatic at first, but they planted something deeper: the idea that food was a tool for both nourishment and care.
As he got older, that basic fuel became something more creative.
"Some people naturally have a passion and they love cooking. Other people hate it. And for me, it was just something that I fell in love with."
His mother introduced him to the basics (scrambled eggs as a child), but after that, he was largely self-taught, learning by watching, experimenting, and genuinely engaging with the process of cooking.
Brandon's childhood food memories are rooted in his Italian heritage. His grandmother's kitchen holds the most vivid food moments of his life, particularly two dishes that still define comfort for him. The first is her lasagna, a staple on his family's table and still a fixture on Christmas Day, even though it's unconventional for the holiday.
The second is a niche but deeply nostalgic pasta dish called pastina: a tiny star pasta in a soup with little chicken meatballs and Parmesan cheese. "That to me is like true nostalgic comfort food," he says. These dishes represent more than recipes to him. They're anchors to family, tradition, and the kind of food that makes you feel looked after. They also shaped how he thinks about cooking now: food should nourish, bring people together, and feel like something you genuinely want to return to.
When asked what he loves cooking most, Brandon doesn't describe restaurant-worthy showpieces or technically challenging dishes. Instead, he talks about the meals he actually makes for himself on weeknights: combinations of whole vegetables, quality protein, and good carbs that feel both nourishing and genuinely craveable.
"Most of my recipes are real ingredients, meals that I personally cook and I enjoy on a weeknight for example, and it's just real food that is nourishing and a combination of different whole foods," he says.
If he could eat only one thing forever, it is a bowl of sweet potato, steak, air-fried brussels sprouts, and something like yogurt or cottage cheese. It's not elegant or complicated. It's honest.
This philosophy sets him apart in a crowded recipe space. His audience isn't looking for Instagram-perfect food or restrictive gym-bro content."My audience are just regular people that have busy lives and they really resonate with those real simple meals that are actually good for you, that they can imagine themselves actually making."
His recipes succeed because they're relatable. People see them and think: I could actually do this. Rather than telling people to eliminate the foods they love, Brandon enjoys creating healthier takes on familiar favourites that people can realistically include in their lifestyle.
Brandon's recipe development is intuitive and organic. He carries a notes list on his phone, capturing ideas as they arrive throughout the day. A trip to the shops might spark something: seeing a purple sweet potato, for instance, might land in his notebook with no immediate plan, only potential.
Once an idea takes hold, he becomes deeply engaged with it, thinking through different angles, ways to customize it, how to make it different and exciting. He writes ideas down and builds on them, becoming obsessed with the creative possibilities. Then comes the creative process of acquiring ingredients and building the recipe itself. The whole workflow, from initial spark to filming to editing, is a creative outlet that drives him forward.
Sometimes ideas feel immediate. Other times, he tests and retests until something clicks. Failures don't discourage him; they're signals that an ingredient needs adjusting or a technique needs rethinking.
Brandon's path to visibility has been unconventional. He's been posting for about three years, but only consistently for the last year. At the start of this year, he had around one thousand followers and as of July, he is at 50k+ followers. The growth this year has been exponential, but it didn't come without struggle.
Early on, he found himself comparing his work to others', trying to replicate styles and ideas that worked for established creators. That comparison was demotivating, but he eventually embraced his own style and found his own lane, realizing there's no single formula for success.
Social media's algorithm remains unpredictable. A video he put tremendous thought into can flop, while a random recipe posted on a weekend, like his chicken meatball video, can unexpectedly resonate with thousands. His recent sweet potato videos performed well, but he's learned not to predict the algorithm. Instead, he posts consistently and trusts the numbers game: post ten videos, and eventually, one will do well.
The bigger lesson has been learning not to overthink. There's a balance between being strategic and just going for it, between analyzing what works and allowing spontaneity. The algorithm is unpredictable, and the key is to embrace that and ride the wave.
What keeps Brandon motivated isn't the promise of virality or a growing follower count. "It never started out as something where I was like, I'm gonna post to build a following," he says. The page began because friends encouraged him to document the recipes he was already making for himself. It was organic from the start: a place to collect photos of food he loved, for his friends and for himself.
That authenticity is what resonates. People can sense when someone genuinely loves what they're doing, and they respond to it. When creators approach their work from an authentic, genuine mindset while staying passionate, their audience naturally gravitates toward them. The content creation landscape has shifted toward realness and transparency, away from polished perfection, and Brandon embodies that shift naturally.
His community has grown because his passion is visible. He doesn't post to influence; he posts because he loves cooking, loves sharing recipes, and genuinely cares whether people can make what he shares. That care is palpable, and it builds loyalty.
Brandon believes that healthy eating has been framed wrongly for too long. It's often framed as joyless and punishing rather than something to enjoy. His counter-argument is simple and consistent:
"Healthy food should be exciting and accessible. That's my mindset."
He's built his recipes around the idea that eating well doesn't mean sacrifice.
His message to other creators and home cooks is rooted in this belief. Both healthy eating and cooking in general should feel simple, satisfying, and achievable rather than overwhelming. He encourages people to think about cooking as something accessible, as a way to celebrate food and genuinely look forward to it.
The work is personal because it solves a problem he cares about deeply: proving that real food, nourishing food, can also be food you genuinely crave and look forward to making.
For someone who does everything himself, from filming to editing to conceptualizing, Brandon is remarkably clear-eyed about the work. He loves the autonomy and the whole process, including the meditative quality of creation. Content creation is a form of meditation for him, a space where he forgets about everything else and focuses entirely on the work.
He's been open to learning about the broader ecosystem of recipe platforms and how to expand his reach. Early in his content journey, he shared recipes individually to each person who asked. Now he's exploring ways to reach people beyond Instagram, through search engines, recipe blogs, and platforms built specifically for food creators.
That willingness to evolve while staying true to his core mission is what will likely shape the next phase of his journey.
Brandon Romeo's food page is the result of years of cooking, genuine passion, and a refusal to make healthy food feel like punishment. The meals he shares are the ones he actually makes and enjoys. Every recipe he shares is one he genuinely cooks, enjoys, and looks forward to. His mission is clear: make healthy food accessible, exciting, and real for anyone willing to try.
Explore Brandon's recipes on Chefadora at chefadora.com/@foodbybrand. Whether you're looking for an easy weeknight dinner, a healthier take on a takeaway favourite, or simply more inspiration to cook at home, Brandon's recipes are designed to show that healthy eating can be simple, satisfying, and genuinely enjoyable. Find his recipes on Instagram at @foodbybrandon_. Chefadora is proud to spotlight creators like Brandon who are redefining healthy eating as something joyful, achievable, and genuinely worth celebrating.
Updated on 05 Aug 2026
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