YouTube Cooking Star, Who Got her Big Break at Age 105, Has Died at 107
Indian great-grandmother Mastanamma had more than 1 million YouTube subscribers.
An Indian great-grandmother who became a YouTube cooking sensation has died. Mastanamma was 107.
She got her big break on YouTube at the age of 105 (besting Anthony Bourdain, who famously found culinary success only after age 40), after her great-grandson had the idea to film her and post the videos. Over the course of the next two years, that YouTube channel, Country Foods, made her something of an international food star, with more than 1.2 million eager subscribers.
That she had cataracts, wore dentures, and cooked outside on an open flame all just contributed to her charm, as noted in a New York Times obituary. She specialized in cooking traditional Indian dishes, often involving fish, as well as other dishes such as chicken pizza and chocolate cake.
For her 107th birthday in April, she celebrated with cake and party hats, surrounded by kids. She died peacefully in the village of Gudiwada last week.
