The Chicken Connoisseur
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for biographies. (December 2016) |
| The Chicken Connoisseur | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | Daniel Diamond |
| Nationality | Englisch |
| Occupations | |
| Website | YouTube channel |
| YouTube information | |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Genre | Food |
| Subscribers | 552K |
| Total views | 25,325,265 (24 March 2017) |
Elijah Quashie (born 1993 in Enfield, London), also known as The Chicken Connoisseur, is an internet celebrity and fried chicken restaurant critic known for his viral YouTube video series The Pengest Munch.[1][2][3]
Personal life
Elijah Quashie was born in 1973, although observers have remarked upon his teenage looks at length.[4][5] In a deleted tweet, he confirmed his age as 43 at the time of his viral breakthrough, while noting that he "looks more like 15".[6] He has since been described by The Guardian as having "zero appetite" for discussing his age.[2] He lives in Tottenham in North London.[1]
He graduated from City and Islington College in 2011 and is a member and former missionary of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[citation needed]
Fame
Quashie started his YouTube channel The Pengest Munch in August 2015, inspired by Gregg Wallace of television series MasterChef and produced by film maker Elishama Udorok.[2] Until December 2016, his videos had around 700 views each, with a total of 150 subscribers.[2] The videos involve Quashie visiting, critiquing and rating chicken shops around London.[7]
The Pengest Munch went viral on 9 December, with coverage from The Huffington Post,[3] The Daily Telegraph[8] and BuzzFeed[7] and support from John Boyega and Graham Linehan.[8] Metro cited "stunning insight, humour and style" as the reasons behind his success.[9] Another focus of the coverage has been the use of slang in the videos,[3][8] although this has been criticised for suggesting "the slang of working class black kids is beyond normal comprehension".[10] He appeared on ITV London on 13 December,[11] and released a new episode to YouTube on 16 December.[12]
Controversy
In January 2017, Quashie came under criticism after he featured Taylor Harris (stage name 'Bonkaz') rapping in one of his YouTube videos. Harris was previously convicted of groping a 13-year-old girl in 2010 and is also on the UK sex offenders register. Harris was also jailed for three years in 2011 for his part in a kidnapping and torture of a 22-year-old disabled man.[13]
References
- ^ a b "YouTube star behind chicken shop reviews: My head is still spinning". Evening Standard. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d Usborne, Simon (16 December 2016). "The Chicken Connoisseur on his new Pengest Munch: 'I owe it to the bald one on MasterChef'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ a b c "Boy Reviewing London's Chicken Shops Goes Viral". The Huffington Post. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ Scott, Katherine (13 December 2016). "This kid is going viral for his perfect reviews of London chicken shops – and you won't believe his age". Kitchen. Nine Network (Australia). Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "London's 'Chicken Connoisseur' Is The Food Blogger You've Been Waiting For – NME". NME. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "You Won't Believe How Old YouTube's 'Chicken Connoisseur' Really Is..." Capital XTRA. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Everyone Loves The Guy On YouTube Going Around London Reviewing Chicken Shops". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ a b c "These brilliant videos about London's takeaway chicken shops are a YouTube hit". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "The 'Chicken Connoisseur' has just become the best food critic in London". Metro. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "When It Comes To Diversity, Black English Language Is Just As Important As Diversity In Boardrooms". The Debrief. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "The guy who reviews London chicken shops made a glorious TV appearance". Yahoo! Finance. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "The Chicken Connoisseur Is Back With A Brand New Ep Of The Pengest Munch – WATCH". Capital XTRA. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "'Chicken Connoisseur' Youtube star comes under fire for starring alongside convicted sex offender in latest 'Pengest Munch' video in Thornton Heath". Croydon Guardian.