Best of CASE District II Award
 

Institution: Hofstra University

Title of entry: The Evolution of Andrew Rea

About this entry: Andrew Rea was trying to do nothing more than hone his skills as a videographer. Yet when he filmed himself recreating an Asian-fusion burger with Taleggio cheese, papaya chutney, and black truffle aioli from the sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” he unknowingly set the first stone of a culinary empire. During his innocuous creative exercise, Rea had stumbled upon a public demand: recipes for famous dishes from film and television.

Rea kept producing videos, combining his pop culture fandom, film school knowhow, and “enthusiastic amateur chef” skills to create videos that attracted a growing audience. His “Binging with Babish” YouTube channel reached 10 million subscribers in 2023, while the brand has expanded to include cookbooks, a cookware line, and even a B&B. Leading up to the release of his latest cookbook, we visited Rea at his Brooklyn townhouse, which doubles as his film studio, to see the man in action.

Rea’s story is universal in that it’s the one we all dream for ourselves: turning our passion into our career. We knew, then, that it would be one our audience would love to read.