Nicholas Fraser speaks with a calm, grounded presence. The kind that makes you want to stop scrolling and really listen. His voice, warm and steady, has become something of a signature in his cooking videos. But what most people don’t know is that this very voice, the one that now draws admiration and comfort from his audience, was once the reason he was bullied in school.
Today, that same voice introduces recipes to thousands online, appears on national TV shows, and inspires a growing community of food lovers across South Africa. And behind that voice is a story of grit, quiet ambition, and a deep love for food that began at home.
Growing up in Durban, Nicholas didn’t quite fit the mould. While other boys played outside, he stayed in the kitchen with his grandmother, watching her cook, asking to help, soaking it all in.
“Even when she’d try to send me out, I’d stay. I just wanted to be there,” he shared.
By the time he was six, he was preparing breakfast for his parents on special occasions. Not long after, he was trusted with dinners, his mother returning home to meals lovingly prepared by her young son. “Eventually the family stopped asking anyone else. They’d say, ‘Let Nicholas make it.’”
Durban’s bold curries became a part of him. So did his love for cheesecake, a dessert he’d sneak from his mom’s slice when he was little.
Nicholas started sharing his recipes on TikTok in 2021, thanks to a friend’s nudge. His Instagram, which had sat at 700 followers for years, suddenly took off. The food was stunning, yes, but it was his voice that struck a chord.
The same voice he once felt self-conscious about became his most loved feature. “People started commenting: ‘Where’s your voiceover?’ If I didn’t include it, they’d ask me to redo the video,” he shared, laughing.
Today, his voice is part of what makes his content so comforting, and so recognisable.
Nicholas lives a double life - one that starts with production releases at his day job and ends with late-night recipe recordings. He shoots in the evenings and edits on weekends. It’s exhausting. But it’s also fulfilling.
“I don’t always get natural sunlight in my videos,” he laughs, “because I’m recording after work, sometimes after the gym. But I still love it.”
Today, Nicholas is living the very life he imagined as a child. “I used to pretend I was on a cooking show, narrating while I cooked alone in the kitchen. Now, I'm hosting a real one.”
His show, produced by Essential Flavors, brings celebrities into the kitchen to cook, connect, and share stories. It’s the kind of show Nicholas once dreamed about. And now, it’s the one he leads. His vision board still reads: Host a cooking show. Be on Netflix.
And he’s not stopping there. A cookbook is in the works. Food businesses are on the horizon. Everything he’s building, he’s doing solo. No team, no editor, no assistant. Just Nicholas, the recipes he creates, and the people he inspires.
When I asked Nicholas what advice he would give to someone just starting out, he paused and then shared something that stayed with me long after the call ended:
“We’re all born with a special talent. I believe God gives each of us a gift. And if we use that gift to serve others, whether it’s through cooking, dancing, medicine, anything, it will take us places. Just follow your gut. Don’t listen to the outside noise.”
There’s so much to learn from someone like Nicholas. But the most powerful part of his story is this: he didn’t wait for the perfect time or perfect setup. He simply showed up, again and again, with a spoon in one hand, and a quiet belief in himself in the other.
Follow Nicholas on Instagram @nicholasfrasers
You just might find yourself staying for the voice, and leaving with dinner inspiration.
Updated on 10 Dec 2025
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