What’s better than cooking for the people you love? If you ask 20-year-old Addae Paponette, he’d tell you that it is preparing meals side by side with his dad, Abu. Now residing in London, the duo, who go by the online name ‘AddaeEats’, are quickly becoming social media favourites, whipping up local recipes for an international audience.
Lately, they have been exploring diverse regional cuisines and flavours, learning how neighbouring islands approach similar ingredients. Pushing the envelope, they have even taken on creative challenges, including cooking in several restaurants. Addae says this has catapulted their content to a much broader audience.
“It’s been amazing because Caribbean food is so much bigger than what I grew up eating. We’ve made things like curry duck and dumplings, cassava pone, stuffed dumplings with lentil peas, chicken dishes and loads of other meals,” he tells Guardian Media during a recent interview from his UK home. “For me, it’s about showing people the culture through food. You don’t just get the recipe—you get the story behind it, the jokes, the family side and a little bit of Trinidad coming through every time.”
Better together
Having migrated at just 12 years old to pursue football, Addae initially started creating culinary videos by himself, simply wanting to share what he was making. He would prepare something, record it and upload it online. Then Abu, 45, started getting involved.
People began reacting differently when his dad joined him on camera. After all, how often do we see a father and son cooking together? Viewers liked their bond, the jokes and the light-hearted disagreements over how a recipe should be prepared — all the banter that happens in real life.
“At first it wasn’t really some big business decision. It was literally just us in the kitchen together. That’s when I realised, this is bigger than just me making clips. The relationship is part of the draw. I started taking it seriously and building AddaeEats around that father-and-son dynamic, while also showing our roots and exploring food from all over the world.”
Speaking about how their platform has taken off, Abu jokes: “And somehow this boy ended up becoming the person interviewing me about seasoning, even though I taught him half of what he knows.”
A strong bond
The positive feedback fuels their passion for creating content. People comment with sentiments such as, “I wish I had this relationship with my father”, or say that watching them reminds them of cooking with their own parents.
“That’s probably one of my favourite parts because we’re not really trying to act like anything,” says Addae. “What you see is basically what happens in our kitchen. Dad will correct me, I’ll argue back, we’ll laugh, sometimes he’ll say something completely random and I’ll just have to leave it in the edit. People come for the food, but they stay for me and Dad.”
The two have always been close. Addae describes Abu as someone he has always been able to learn from, whether in culinary skills, football, life or simply figuring things out. As he matured, he grew to appreciate their connection even more.
“When you’re younger, you don’t always understand the advice your parents give you. Then you get older and you’re like, ‘Ahhh… Dad was actually right.’”
Abu adds, “Addae has always been a very determined person. Sometimes maybe too determined. But that’s also one of the things I respect about him. We’ve gone through various stages together, and now seeing him build something for himself and being able to be part of it is special.”
All in the family
Addae’s love for food is hereditary. He has always been around a cooking pot, especially with his grandparents, who helped shape his early curiosity as he watched, tasted and asked questions. How did they season a dish? How could they measure nothing and somehow still get it perfect? Those thoughts always occupied his mind.
“I think that’s where my passion for it really started,” Addae says. “I wasn’t necessarily thinking, ‘One day I’m going to become a content creator.’ I was just a young boy who wanted to know how everybody was making these dishes taste so good.”
Abu learnt in much the same way.
“I learnt mainly from family. Growing up in Trinidad, cooking was something you picked up while learning how to survive. You’d be in the kitchen, you’d see something and be like, I can make nothing out of something.
“I don’t really like following everything exactly from a recipe. I prefer to understand the food and cook by feel. You taste it, adjust it and you know when it’s ready. And now I get to pass some of that knowledge on to Addae, although sometimes he wants to do things his own way.”
Asked whether he rated his father’s cooking above his mother’s, Addae laughs, knowing he is stepping on dangerous ground.
“What I like about his preparation is that he doesn’t rush anything,” Addae explains. “He understands flavour. He knows when something needs more seasoning or when the curry needs more time.
“He’ll taste something and go, ‘Nah, it needs this.’ And somehow he’s right. Mum, if you’re watching this… I love your food too. Please don’t cancel me!”
Full circle
There is only one thing that rivals cooking, and that is football. Moving to London meant adjusting to a completely new school system, surroundings and climate. But the former Queen’s Royal College student kept pushing.
Having developed his ball mastery from the age of eight, his dedication took him to Spain for a year with Granada CF and earned him caps for the Trinidad and Tobago senior national team.
“Football taught me a lot outside of the game too—discipline, confidence, dealing with setbacks and just continuing when things don’t go your way,” Addae explains. “Whether it’s football, cooking or content creation, I’m always thinking, ‘How can I get better?’”
Today, those separate paths all line up seamlessly.
“I’m able to combine my background, my family, food, football and creating content into things that are genuinely mine,” he says. “I never planned for everything to come together like this, but I’m grateful that it has.”
