Meet Olivia Tiedemann, the private chef who has turned flipping the finger into an art form. Whether she’s at a party, strolling through a grocery store, or simply walking down the street, Tiedemann’s signature salute is a quirky icebreaker that connects her with her growing social media fanbase of five million followers. “One time, I was walking late at night and somebody honked at me and gave me the finger. I was like ‘Yep!’ and kept walking,” Tiedemann laughs. “It’s how we say hello to each other at this point.”
Tiedemann first gained public attention three years ago when her chaotic cooking vlog went viral. Instead of the typical polished food content, she presented a raucous video filled with flames, expletives, and, of course, her iconic middle finger. This bold and brassy energy propelled her to stardom, skyrocketing her follower count to a million within a month. Now, as she prepares to release her debut cookbook, Eat (Like) the Rich, on September 15, Tiedemann aims to translate her viral fame into a comprehensive guide to her culinary philosophy and personal evolution.
“When I first started making videos, I was upset at the time,” Tiedemann admits. “I was going through this whole new world that was my job. I’ve matured a little bit, but I try to keep the fire. You can’t just be an angsty little shit all the time.”
Culinary Exploration in Bay Ridge
Currently, Tiedemann and I are on a food crawl throughout Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, the neighborhood where she was raised. At Tanoreen, a beloved Palestinian restaurant, the owner warmly greets her with a kiss on the cheek, showcasing the connections she has cultivated over the years. The second of four siblings, Tiedemann grew up just a block away, learning the culinary ropes from her mother, a chef, while her father worked in construction. However, her brash persona didn’t always sit well with her family, primarily due to a turbulent relationship with her mother. “I started to become interested in cooking and I was really resistant to it,” she reflects. “It felt embarrassing, almost, to tell my mother ‘I want to be a chef, too.’”
Journey to the Kitchen
Her culinary adventure isn’t a straight path. Before landing her private chef position, Tiedemann dabbled in various unexpected jobs, from selling weed lollipops in Union Square to working at the fast-fashion retailer Brandy Melville. After skipping so many classes in high school, she never received her diploma, opting instead for months of backpacking abroad. It wasn’t until her first restaurant job that she found her calling and decided to enroll in culinary school. At just 24, she became the head chef of an Italian restaurant in Staten Island, but her tenure was short-lived, as a shift to standard fare made her lose interest. “I don’t want to fucking make penne vodka. I don’t,” she states emphatically, recalling a particularly heated moment with a line cook when a request for chicken stock resulted in a bucket of Dijon mustard. Days later, she left the kitchen behind—or so she thought.
Unexpected Stardom
While working as a production assistant on film sets in upstate New York, Tiedemann received a call about a private chef position in the Hamptons. “The job was everything I ever wanted as a chef,” she recalls, though she never anticipated the platform that would follow. “Who would have thought that there could be a whole world right on the other side of it?”
The food content genre surrounding the Hamptons usually demands a careful balance of luxurious aesthetics and a relatable personal touch. Private chefs often adopt a polished persona, yet Tiedemann’s videos break that mold. With a humorous mix of cursing and chaotic cooking, her approach is strikingly authentic. She blended her culinary skills with comedic flair, turning her viral videos into escapism for followers who appreciate a more grounded take on fine dining. She posted her first video on TikTok to keep busy while the family was away, never intending to share it publicly. “I was like, ‘This fucks!’” she exclaimed, and from there, her follower count soared.
Cookbook and Culinary Philosophy
Her upcoming cookbook, Eat (Like) the Rich, offers an accessibly irreverent guide filled with Tiedemann’s personality, showcasing her most popular recipes—from “fuck desserts” to “salads that don’t suck.” Tiedemann calls it a “private chef’s list of commandments.” While balancing her culinary projects and social media fame, she navigates a complicated contract with a content-production company. Recently, she moved from New York to Austin, embracing a new chapter in her life. Despite these changes, she remains committed to her private chef role during the busy summer months in the Hamptons. Tiedemann reflects on her unique journey, stating, “This is the work of my life. Everything that led up to this, all the years that I spent in a kitchen somewhere, having a terrible time. It’s cool to be able to put that together into this perfect little package that I [can] give to somebody else.”
The foreword of her cookbook reveals a personal struggle; she didn’t quit her head chef position in search of something better, but because she was grappling with profound mental health issues. “I wanted to not exist,” she shares, signifying the importance of her journey and growth.
Tiedemann’s recipe for success hinges on the idea of chasing one’s passion, even if it requires starting over. Now, as she embraces a culinary career that’s evolving beyond initial virality, Tiedemann remains dedicated to her work. She notes, “I want to be a chef forever. Losing touch with that would be like losing touch with myself. So I never want to stop doing that.”
