This 18-year-old college student enjoys holiday-level meals in his dormitory!

Jerry Houston can easily make friends at his school with the meals he cooks. This fall, the 18-year-old Georgia native started his freshman year at the University of South Carolina at Beaufort University and quickly became popular in schools and social media for his viral cooking videos.

His video provided a Sunday dinner for the grandmother of the Southern Baptist Church, but some people may be surprised to find that the young Jerry is self-taught!

After a rough childhood and even becoming homeless at some point, cooking is Jerry’s creative way out. “It’s very soothing,” he told The Shade Room. “I turned negative things into positive things.”

Jerry explained that when he was a child, he didn’t have many positive people to look up to. After moving from house to house, he said he was homeless before graduating from high school, but one of his former middle school teachers took him in so that he could finish his studies.

Cooking is still a way for Jerry, and he said that his real specialty is baking.

“This is a way out for me to be creative,” he said. “When I was young, I never got a chance, so when I got a chance, I ran away.”

After graduating from his technical high school, he went to college, where he was famous for making feasts for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some of his dishes and meals include grilled chicken, macaroni and cheese, seafood, cream grits and cupcakes.

His most viewed video on TikTok has more than 15 million views.

“I’m crushing the game I feel,” Jerry said of his viral success on social media. “I like being able to inspire others. Through Douyin, I have received a lot of words of encouragement. I want to be consistent and persevere to continue to inspire people.”

His goal is to own a bakery after college, and his specialty is red velvet cupcakes. In the near future, he is still looking for a mentor to help him start the seasoning and mixing series.

When asked if he has any advice for any other aspiring young chefs and bakers, he said something like this: “Stick to what you do, stay humble throughout the process, and never feel that you can’t tell others Seek help. You must be able to take risks.”

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