Jeremy Jacobowitz is an enigma. A foodie who makes no bones about food. A content creator who makes no fuss about content. And a man’s man, who values working in women’s spaces.
It’s no wonder that in a sea of food creators his channel stands out. With storytelling chops, his resume as a professional producer, and a pedigree as native New Yorker, he has carved out a unique lane that Americans with a global itinerary can sink their teeth into. Today, Jeremy and his brand, Brunch Boys, has over half a million followers on Instagram and over a quarter million on Tik Tok. From Paris to Tokyo, Brunch Boys is the go-to platform for what to eat when traveling abroad.
Before we start, one of your pinned posts on IG is about your fitness transformation. Was losing weight an intentional decision or a result of the foodie lifestyle?
No, that was very intentional. That was working with the nutritionist and having an insane diet and working out every single day.
How do you keep the weight off and stay fit when you essentially indulge in food for a living?
I think it’s balance. I try to work out as much as I can. That’s just part of my routine. The other thing too is my page is not a food diary. I’m not sharing every meal I eat. Believe me, if my page was a food diary, it would be so boring. I share the fun stuff. So, it looks like I’m indulging all the time. I travel so much, and when I travel, I’ll get a lot of content. For example, I’m going back to Japan and Korea in two weeks. I’m going to film dozens and dozens of videos and then I come back to New York, and I could eat all my healthy meals and work out every day.
Jeremy Jacobowitz • Courtesy of Brunch Boys.
What inspired you to shift into food content?
Listen, I’ve been making videos since I was in high school. I’ve been posting on YouTube since around 2009. Now I make money doing it, but for a very long time, it was not work. I like creating videos and now we call it content, but then it was the fun thing that I did between jobs, because I was always freelancing in TV. So, I’d have a week or two off, then I’d go put stuff on the internet.
How do you differentiate yourself in such a crowded field?
My background is producing TV. I like cameras. I like all the tools. So, I think there’s certainly a little bit more of a polish to my videos than other people. But I don’t want it to be super professional because I think people don’t necessarily like that.
Do you think your personality plays a part?
I think as much as it’s about the restaurant I’m traveling to, it’s very much about me. It’s my perspective and nobody could copy that. I think that the biggest thing is you’re getting my thoughts and feelings. You’re getting me eating it, but it’s not food porn. It’s very much my perspective of why I’m here.
What’s a great example of this?
When I make my travel videos, I always say, for example, “Here are places to eat in Paris when you visit here!” And I’ll get locals commenting, “I wouldn’t go there!” My response is, this video is not for locals. I’m not a Paris local. I’m not there to tell you where to eat. I’m telling New Yorkers visiting Paris, these are the places that I really enjoyed because my audience are also New Yorkers that could be visiting Paris. I’m trying to tell a bigger story. There’s so much more than just what that bite of food is. I live in New York City, I would never have to leave New York City if my goal was just to find the most perfect food. Instead, I want to tell a story about why I’m there.
What’s the secret to a successful food reel on Instagram?
I think it’s telling a story and getting through to your audience why you’re making the video. I get asked all the time, and it goes back to: how do you make it unique? You have to ask yourself why are you there? What are you doing? For me all my videos are focused on telling you why. That came from an organic place. I’ll watch all these videos of people eating at restaurants and they don’t say anything about the food. And I’m like, ‘But you didn’t tell me anything. Why am I watching this video?’ It drove me crazy.
Jeremy Jacobowitz • Courtesy of Brunch Boys.
Is food the way to a man’s heart?
No! I think it just depends. To me, certainly food is not only my job, it is what I’m most passionate about. It is very important to me that we share that passion, but you know, other people are different.
On a first date, do you prefer to cook or would you rather go to a restaurant?
On a first date night, no food. We’re just getting drinks. Dinner is really too much pressure. I don’t want to be locked into this hour-long thing with someone. Let’s just get a drink and see how it goes.
Is there anything you feel you can glean about a woman based on her order when you go out on a date?
Absolutely! That’s like one of my prompts on Hinge: ‘What would you order at a sushi restaurant?’ It’s not like I’m judging that person, but I want to know your answer.
Is there an answer to that?
It’s a trick question. The answer should be, ‘Let’s do Omakase.’ So, it doesn’t matter.
Do you cook? And if you do, what’s your go to dish?
I cook for myself, but it’s the most basic food in the whole entire world. The thing I cook every day is just breakfast: egg whites, one whole egg and baby spinach; maybe some toast, maybe a taco, maybe some kimchi… But for years and years and years it’s the same exact thing! I get my enjoyment from food at restaurants, not from cooking.
What is your comfort food? Is there a meal from childhood or adulthood that’s like, whoa, that always hits the spot.
It’s New York City Chinese food. Like, give me General Tso’s chicken, Lo Mein and scallion pancakes.
What’s your favorite food scene in a movie?
Oh, man, in a movie? I mean, it’s the most classic one: When Harry Met Sally. And I mean, Katz Deli is still the greatest of all time. When you go there, you could literally sit at the table from the scene.
Jeremy Jacobowitz • Courtesy of Brunch Boys.
Do you believe certain foods can be aphrodisiacs? And if so, what’s been your most seductive bite?
I don’t know if I believe in the science behind it, but I definitely believe in the emotion behind it. Having a really, really special meal, I think it could put you in a mood rather than simply eating oysters or something. I go back to Omakase. I’m a sharer anyway. Anywhere I go, we’re sharing food. So, we’re discussing it. But I think Omakase leads to such fun conversations on a date because you’re getting 12 to 15 to 70 pieces. And there’s time between courses.
What’s the sexiest food… and the unsexiest?
Sexiest food? I feel like I could get in trouble answering it in any way. I mean, listen, sushi is my favorite food. Maybe like, a real beautiful piece of uni. That in itself is a little, you know, exotic. And that’s the sexiest. The unsexisest… it’s the only food I really don’t like: natto.
You have 24 hours to eat in New York city. Anything you want. What are you eating?
I actually made a video about this. If you’re coming to New York City for the first time, I recommend what you should eat on that first day. It’s basically the staples of what excels in New York City that you can’t get anywhere else. That’s New York City bagels. It’s going to Katz’s Deli and getting a pastrami on rye. It’s getting a real New York slice of pizza – Joe’s Pizza is still to me the best. Or any meal in Chinatown. You could get all these foods in other places, but those dishes mean so much to New York and the very specific way New York makes these things is hard to replicate.
What has been the takeaway from working as a food storyteller?
If you think of the TV world it’s male dominated, but when you’re a producer and you’re working in food TV specifically, it is very female dominated. Now I’m in the influencer world. It’s very female dominated. In both, I have had the experience of great relationships with women that were not romantic at all. And I think that’s been the biggest takeaway: having deep relationships.
Instagram: @jeremyjacobowitz
