Like many of us, a bartender was forced to adapt when the world went into lockdown.
Bartek, who lives in London, was no longer able to pull pints when bars shut during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 25-year-old, who is originally from Poland, decided to pursue his love for cooking instead.
And despite having limited experience in the industry, his career has taken off.
Bartek, who used to work flipping patties at Gourmet Burger Kitchen, stunned his family with his recipes.
And his 16-year-old sister Tosia was so impressed with his cheesecake dish that she encouraged him to post about it on TikTok.
Bartek decided to give the video-sharing app a go.
And his second recipe, creamy garlic and parmesan chicken, garnered more than 500,000 hits overnight.
The savvy social media star continued posting on TikTok and saw his fanbase grow over the months.
He now has 580,000 followers – and has landed his own book deal too!
Bartek quit his bartending job for good in August 2021 and has now launched his own book of recipes with HP Custom Content called Let’s Munch: The Chronicles.
It features some of his most popular dishes – including Korean beef bulgogi, buffalo chicken Alfredo and budget-friendly ramen.
As well as having physical copies of the recipes, each dish comes with a QR code so fans can cook along with the home chef.
The TikToker said: “I’ve always been in the kitchen with my mum so she taught me a lot, but I only really got into cooking because of lockdown.
“I filmed my first video and taught myself from there – I didn’t spend hours learning.
“I never thought I was artistic or creative in any way before, but since I started cooking I just put some music on, give myself two or three hours [to try out a recipe] and I’m in the zone. It’s like time away from my own head.
“With TikTok I came into it at a very good time, when everyone was at home cooking, so it made it easier for my audience to grow.
“It all happened so quickly – about four months after I started, I had a real following and people started to remake my recipes.”
Bartek continued: “Over lockdown, I’d film a recipe and then the next day 10 people had made it too.
“I just took things day by day and fell into it.
“There aren’t many cooks nowadays that the younger generation can relate to.
“You have Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver but not many younger people – especially from London.
“I think young people see me as a London boy doing it and talking like them, and think ‘yeah maybe I can do something like that’.”
While Bartek wasn’t planning on getting into the food industry, he’s happy with the path he’s found.
He added: “It’s been a bit of a shock but I’ve accustomed to it quite well.
“I don’t like focusing on the numbers so I won’t make a video just for it to go viral – I want to keep it natural.
“I’m just taking things day by day and enjoying it.”
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