Violainthesky, tiktoker in the kitchen: “Food saved me”

His first memory in the kitchen smells good. It tastes of flour, hands between the dough and that scent of love that only grandma’s dishes can spread. It was in the kitchen with her family and her “father” that Viola grew up.

My family explained to me the compromise between the simplicity of a dish and the refinement of a restaurant menu. My dad taught me everything. He worked as a restaurateur for many years. And he was an excellent cook at home. He gave me the curiosity for food ».

For Viola, combining different ingredients means serenity. It means being free to express oneself without feeling judged.

“In the past i had problems with food. I was severely obese and in 2016, after an operation and a diet, I lost 80 kilos. I wanted to take this path because I wanted my mom to be proud of me. And it was a breakthrough both physically and mentally. I stripped off the extra pounds, from not feeling good about myself. In this new condition I opened myself to the world in a different way ». A path that makes us reflect on many shortcomings in our society.

«I have experienced firsthand the prejudice that exists towards obese people. When you see an obese, you often think that he does not want to do anything, to move, that he is not snappy. There are unfounded prejudices. Even from a working point of view, getting hired for who you really are and not for your pounds is difficult ».

For Viola, the reappropriation of her own existence began right here. «In 2016 I decided to take back the life I didn’t allow myself to live. I didn’t do many things because I didn’t feel comfortable. So I decided to experiment. I found a restaurant that hired me as a dishwasher trainee. I was their bet and I started my apprenticeship. Now I’m an assistant cook at the restaurant. Executive chef, however, in my home ».

That restaurant has more than won the bet, especially after its arrival on social media, where between a “world” and a “disruption” the dish is as good as it is ready.

It was September 2020. Before posting the first content on social media I only had a few videos with my dog. Then, one day, I gave myself a chance. On TikTok everything is very spontaneous and so I got involved. And I uploaded my dinner preparation video. I immediately had a good response, so I never stopped.

Between editing anti-waste recipes and culinary secrets, Viola has also begun to see herself through the eyes of others. «You know what your faults are. But when you work with your image and edit your videos, you look at yourself from another point of view. You begin to accept and understand the compliments of others.

Accept yourself.

“You know, during the weight loss I could eat very few things. The love for good food, however, remained with me. So I told myself that what I was going to eat had to be an explosion of flavors. I started to value quality and no longer quantity. I ruined my life, but food saved it.

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