TikTok Cooking Star, North Texas Native 'Old Man Steve' Talks Recipe For Success
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/CNN) -- The video sharing app TikTok has exploded in popularity among young people, but it has also found success with elderly people, like North Texas native Stephen Austin.
The 81-year-old known as "Old Man Steve" is perhaps TikTok's unlikeliest star.
"People want to know what the secret is. I don't know that there is a secret," Austin told HLN in an interview Wednesday. "You just have to be yourself and if people like you then they're going to watch you."
The elderly cook, who sports brightly colored bucket hats, has built a following among younger viewers for videos that show him always cooking up a meal.
The native of Richland Hills started out making TikTok videos that showed him preparing a sandwich. He learned how to use the app by simply Googling it. When most users shot videos that show them learning the latest viral dances, Austin decided to make meals instead.
"There's a lot of young people on TikTok and they do a lot of physical stuff, dancing around and gymnastics and that sort of thing. And because I'm 81 years old I just can't do that. So I started out making a sandwich... and put it on TikTok. Everybody seemed to like it, so I started doing 'Cooking With Steve.'" Austin said.
His segment "Cooking with Steve," where he makes simple dishes like turkey sandwiches, English muffins, and Corn Flakes with a banana, have been liked by nearly 6 million TikTok users. He also has over 635,000 followers on his TikTok page.
But no matter what he's doing, it's his wholesome attitude and sense of humor that his fans appreciate.
Although he doesn't have any kids himself, many of his followers consider him their internet grandpa.
"The young people that watch me, in the comments, they tell me they want me to be their grandpa... or I remind them of their grandpa. They call me their internet grandpa. That makes me feel good," he said.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. CNN Wire contributed to this report. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company contributed to this report. All rights reserved.)
