Cookin With The Dude

In Eat, November 2021 by Melissa HowsamLeave a Comment

Share this Post

Spoiler alert: Not all cooking videos are created equal. Raising the bar (and fun factor) is Raleigh’s “The Dude” and his recently launched YouTube cooking channel. Trust us—it’s flippin’ awesome.

There’s so many YouTube cooking channels out there—why stream this one? Well “the dude,” naturally. Longtime Raleighite (by way of Rhode Island) and ever-charming and hilarious Jared Philcox is bringing his charisma and cooking flair to any screen near you with a splash—literally (his Blackstone Griddle is poolside, and he’s known for a mid-taste-test cannonball)—with his recently launched Cookin With the Dude. Cue Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.”

Now a handful of episodes in, the oh-so-relatable married father-of-two—who spends his days identifying supply chain risk for his customers (hot topic)—is hitting the scene like a wrecking ball indeed—and bringing to Raleigh (and the world) a diverse range of quick and easy delish dishes we didn’t know we were missing… but that we so need right now. Here, we talk to “The Dude” about food, family, griddle goodness and more. youtube.com/c/cookinwiththedude 

Where’d you earn your culinary chops?Just living with and learning from the best. My mom and dad opened a French restaurant, Le Bistro, on Bowen’s Wharf in Newport, Rhode Island, shortly before I was born, so I grew up around cooking and entertaining guests my whole life.

Ooh, la la! Give us the dish on the backstory? While my grandfather was in the FBI, my dad went to American High School in Paris. There, he learned to appreciate the many aspects of French cuisine and culture. Back in the U.S. at the University of Colorado, he had a lot of fun cooking for his friends—recreating how they ate in Paris. That’s where he got the inspiration for Le Bistro. 

Your biggest inspo in the kitchen, besides pops? My dad was the ‘chef,’ but my mom is an amazing cook as well. So the inspiration for me comes not so much in the cooking per se, but more from the gathering and entertaining aspect of it.  

Is that the impetus of your channel? Yes. We’re always entertaining at our house, and, in turn, always cooking for people. I love to entertain—enjoying great things to eat and making people happy is a huge part of that for me. I get asked all the time how I make this or that, so I’ve always said I should just make a video. …  So, with the channel, I want to show people how easy it can be to cook really, really good food.

So it’s really about creating an experience? Yes. My mom and dad always had this quote from Fernand Point, a French chef and restaurateur who is considered to be the father of modern French cuisine: ‘If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony.’  I feel like this is the perfect description of what I do. I still have a picture of the quote in my kitchen.

So why “The Dude.” Is this a nod to The Big Lebowski? (laughs) Everyone calls me ‘dude’—even the neighborhood kids. It has nothing to do with Lebowski and everything to do with… I’m just ‘dude.’

Tell us about “The Dude” persona. How does that differentiate you? Delicious food can be quick and easy, and The Dude is all about accessibility and fun—so for the sake of approachability and entertainment, I like incorporating the pool and doing stupid stuff like jumping in—which might end up being a trademark. 

Should we expect a culinary theme? No. It’s not so much a type of food—but more just quick and easy ways to make delicious food. It’ll be very diverse… anything from breakfast options to burgers and sandwiches to chicken marsala to boiled lobster to hibachi.  

Surely you’ll share a few of those family recipes? Yes! I’m heading to Boston to hang out with my brothers (who also love to cook—and do it well), and we’re going to make my dad’s mac ’n’ cheese recipe, along with wagyu steak and a veggie side. It’s going to be amazing food and wine—and a lot of laughs.   

Are you hoping to be the next Jamie Oliver—what’s the long goal? It would obviously be great to have this take off and be able to spend more time creating great content more often, but, for now, I’m just having fun with it. Though my friends’ kids think I’m famous just with the handful of videos I already have on the channel—so it’s a lot of fun to do. I’m definitely excited for what’s to come.

Any surprises in store? Yes! The NFL Tailgate Edition, filming from the parking lot at Washington Football Team vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 14! Stay tuned for the episode. 

Share this Post

Leave a Comment