Jamie Allen is a senior at RAHS who has a talent and love for cooking. This amazing talent is shared with their viewers on TikTok under the username “GumThursday.” with 583 followers, they have received an immense amount of success. 

When and how did you get started?

I started one day over the pandemic when I just decided, “I really like this cake- why not post it online?” It was a parent trap-inspired drip cake, peanut butter, and Oreo. I was super proud of it, so I posted it!

Why do you like making cooking videos?

I enjoy making videos that have results that end up tasting really good, or [ I like] when I do something complicated, and it ends up turning out really well! Before I started posting, I tried to make this one cake that was trending called an Island Cake in 2021, and it was so insanely difficult but it ended up turning out so well!

Are there any challenges you have come to? 

One main challenge I’ve come across is how to record each video. For one video where I pan-seared salmon and filet mignon, I used a camera holder so I could safely record without only using one hand around oil…However, for most of my videos, I’ve used one hand to record and do each step with the other hand.

What are some accomplishments for your TikTok?

I think my favorite accomplishment was when I started a baking series based on a TV show, and one video got around 2k views, which was big for me at the time. I’ve definitely seen more growth when I do baking videos that are objectively more for “shock value”.

Talk about a time you felt proud about what you do.

I’ve felt my most proud when I’ve posted videos of recipes I’ve made myself. For example, I made a recipe for berry cinnamon rolls and I was very proud of how that ended up looking and tasting.