Food vlogging is gaining immense popularity on social media platforms, and there are several people who have become overnight stars by publishing videos on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. But there is one Kerala food vlogger who can be considered a lone warrior in this group by publishing short food videos on Instagram, and his name is Sabu who is popular with his social media name, 'Food Hunter Sabu.'
Instead of calling himself a vlogger, Ummer Sabu likes to call himself a foodie who hunts for food. Sabu began his journey of hunting food long back in 2007, and his progress as a vlogger can be considered a gradual process.
An engineering graduate who hunts for food
Sabu began this adventurous journey with foods in 2007 when he was doing entrance coaching in Thrissur. During his time in Thrissur, he visited several street food outlets and small eateries. However, his popularity was confined among his friend groups, as Indians, especially Keralites were not accessing the unending world of the internet much during that period.
Sabu who hails from Palakkad started hunting the world of foods to the fullest after he started pursuing engineering at a college in Ernakulam. At that time, Sabu did not have the habit of taking photographs or videos of the restaurants he visited, and he hunted for foods, just because, he loved to do that.
Food vlogging is not a field of competition for this food hunter
In 2016, Sabu started his Instagram page and started posting photos of small eateries. Later upon requests from several corners, he started publishing his food videos there. Soon, his videos garnered huge popularity, as his videos were very short, and most of them are just one minute in length.
Now, the world of food vlogging, especially in Kerala is highly competitive and any person who has a smartphone can enter this profession. However, Sabu revealed that he is not at all bothered about the rising competition in this sector. According to Sabu, he is doing this for his own happiness, and all he wanted to do is introduce new varieties of food to Keralites.
Sabu also added that the coronavirus pandemic has offered him a new world of food vlogging. During the lockdown period, when everyone was confined to their homes, Sabu started cooking varieties of cuisines on his own, and he posted on his social media platforms. As most of these cooking videos were just one minute in length, they gained huge popularity on Instagram, as it allowed them to cook a different food by watching a small clip that will not consume much of their time.
"I want to introduce hidden gems, less known eateries, and foods. Apart from top-rated restaurants, there are several other eateries that provide tasty foods, sometimes much better than the food offered in five-star hotels. I am in search of those kinds of food. I want to be a part of a social cause. Promoting small-scale eateries not only introduces new food to my viewers but will also benefit small food outlet owners. Most of these small-scale eateries are being run by families, sometimes, husband and wife or a father and a son. If my vlogs help them to elevate the quality of their livelihood, I will be very much happy. I love to call myself a food hunter who wishes to make an impact on society with food vlogs," says Sabu.
