Ryder Manske splits his time between two kitchens. Four days a week, the 22-year-old works 10-hour shifts as a line cook at Hen of the Wood in downtown Burlington, where he frequently operates the live-fire grill and once served 55 hanger steaks with basil rub in a single night, according to a recent profile in Seven Days.
The other four days, Manske films cooking videos in his New North End rental kitchen, building a social media following that has reached around 60,000 followers on both Instagram (@rydermanske) and TikTok (@manskeat).
Manske props his cellphone at one corner of his gas stove and sets up a ring light to illuminate his home filming setup. The light bears scars from his work - melted on one side from getting too close to the broiler during a butter chicken video shoot. “But it still works,” Manske told Seven Days.
Each three-minute video requires up to two hours of planning, filming and editing. Manske’s content focuses on accessible home cooking techniques, often starting with his standard introduction: “Here’s what I actually cook at home as someone who works in fine dining.”
The Burlington native began posting videos less than two years ago but gained significant traction through his connection with chef Brandon Dearden. In late 2022, when Manske was 18 with only one year of professional cooking experience, he drove cross-country to help open Dearden’s Ember restaurant in Montana after responding to the chef’s TikTok recruitment call.
An April 2024 video featuring Manske preparing Ember’s signature 24-hour potato pavé went viral, generating more than 20 million views across the restaurant’s social media accounts. In the video, Manske delivered his signature compliment with characteristic enthusiasm: “That’s money!”
Lucas Wohl, Manske’s agent at Viral Nation, discovered the young cook while scrolling TikTok and was impressed by his authentic style and educational approach to cooking demonstrations.
“It’s almost like you’re in the room with him,” Wohl explained to Seven Days. “It’s not too doctored, not overproduced. I think it makes people feel like they’re part of his life.”
Viral Nation represents approximately 1,000 clients, including about 40 culinary content creators. Wohl noted that Manske’s follower engagement remains strong, with high numbers of comments, shares and likes, plus relatively few negative interactions.
According to Wohl, a creator with Manske’s statistics can earn between $3,000 and $6,000 per sponsored post while also generating income from social media platform creator incentive programs.
Despite the financial opportunities, Manske has no plans to leave restaurant work to become a full-time content creator. He also resists the influencer label entirely.
“There shouldn’t be any shame in that,” Manske told Seven Days, “but I actually cook professionally, and I really love it.”
Manske’s path to cooking began with his own picky eating habits. He consumed only about five different foods until age 14 or 15, when he decided to make fried chicken during the popular Popeyes chicken sandwich craze that wasn’t available locally.
“Compared to how I’d make it now, what I made was terrible, but I ate it, and I was like, Wow, I put time,” Manske said in the Seven Days interview, describing the moment that sparked his culinary interest.
The young cook continues balancing his restaurant career with content creation, maintaining his authentic approach while building his following and exploring new opportunities in both the kitchen and online.
