Social media over the past decade has integrated into the lives of billions of people around the world; it has allowed the individual to share their interests to mere strangers. This motivated senior Sara Mekhail and her father, Mina Mekhail, to create “Cookingwith_dad,_” their joint recipe and food based Instagram account, on Jan. 1, 2022. For the Mekhails’, social media has done more than just share their passion for cooking- they have generated a following of over a thousand followers on Instagram.

Fame and followers was not the original purpose of the father and daughter account. With hopes of sharing her father’s talent, Mekhails’ account started as a daughter helping her father share his expert knowledge in the kitchen.

“I saw a spark of passion in our kitchen when my dad would start cooking. Everyone who has ever tasted my dad’s food has always told him to open a restaurant and share his food with everyone. So by starting this account we took our food and broke it down to step-by-step directions so that people at home are able to make it,” Mekhail said.

They most often post recipes on international food, coffee and gluten-free spins on traditional cuisines. Much like the actual recipes, making content requires specific directions and a whole lot of focus.

“First we gather the ingredients, then we break down each step of the meal and film it into sections, after that we put all the clips together and add music to make the final product,” Mina Mekhail said.

Their hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. One of the big brand companies that responded to multiple of their tea recipes is Tazo Tea, an iconic tea brand that was purchased by Starbucks in 1999.

“Sometimes we get companies who reply back to our videos after being mentioned. Some companies who have commented back on our videos after being mentioned are @tazo and @oldelpaso,” Mekhail said.

Mekhails classmate, senior Lauren Thomas, was introduced to “Cookingwith_dad_” through Mekhail’s personal account. Since then Thomas has recognized their determination and potential to have a successful future.

“I love following [Cookingwith_dad_] because not only does it give me more ideas for recipes to make at home, the videos are so soothing to watch,” Thomas said. “My favorite videos are the espresso pulling ones, I could watch them for hours. I’m always so jealous of the final result, everything looks so good,”

Going into social media and becoming a micro-influencer, Mekhail has discovered a new appreciation for her father.

“It’s amazing seeing [my dad] do the thing he loves. Watching him cook for our friends and family new creative recipes [and] seeing the positive replies [online] makes me proud to be his daughter,” Mekhail said.

As of now, they continue to post daily. Since their first post on Jan. 1, they have posted a total of 216 times and hope to keep crafting daily content while growing their following.

“[Our goal] for the future is to grow our account and to be verified on Instagram. We want people to learn how to make everyday food look and taste amazing. We want to inspire everyone to cook affordable meals,” Mekhail said.

If you want to see Mekhail’s content, follow “Cookingwith_dad”. With the support of their strong fan base, they hope to one day break a million.