A Durbanville chef became a TikTok sensation after she showed the country how to make KFC dunked wings at home, and on a budget.
Within weeks of posting the video on the popular social media platform in September, Kiara Dewrance (25) got short of a million views and garnered more than 10 000 devoted followers who now learn from her how to make popular fast foods at home. “I really felt like dunked wings, but money was tight and it was just too expensive. I scrolled through Uber Eats for nearly an hour putting it in my basket then taking it out again, putting it back, taking it out . . . I then saw chicken on special and it was a done deal.”
So, into the kitchen it was.
“As a chef I can taste flavours in a dish. I played around a bit with the everyday ingredients I have in my kitchen cupboard, and voilà my version of dunked wings proved rather easy, and I must say it tastes just like the real thing.”
For Kiara, like most of us staving off the world-wide cost of living crisis, it is budget first when it comes to whatever she cooks.
Growing up in a single-mom household, she learned how to cook her favourite fast foods from scratch.
“We were lucky if we had KFC twice a year. We just could not afford it.”
As it turned out this skill served her well later in life. “I love to cook for my family and friends and if you know what ingredients to use how, you can feed a whole family for a fraction of the price you would pay at a fast-food outlet. Most all of my content focusses on how to make nice food, fast, cheap and easy.”
A dark place
After suffering a severe bout of depression after the covid lockdown, Kiara challenged herself.
“In contradiction to my posts, I am actually a very introverted person. Being stuck alone at home trying to run my baking business put me in a bad space. Then my aunt committed suicide.”
She found herself in a very dark place, desperately needing help.
“I received professional medical treatment and after recovering I felt I needed to do something to boost my confidence.”
@kiaradewrance Did I actually save any money tho??? #dunkedwings #kfc #kfcdunkedwings #recipe #mukbang #comedy #fypp #moneytips #girlmath ? Pink (Bad Day) [From Barbie The Album] – Lizzo
Social media beckoned
“In July I started posting short videos covering everything from budget cooking to grocery bargain hunting. I make a lot of weird and fun recipes, but it was the dunked wings that launched me into tik-tok ‘stardom’. I suppose people just like KFC dunked wings, but wanted a cheaper version.”
On being a TikTok star she says, “Its a little bit weird.
“These days people often recognise me in public and ask, ‘aren’t you that girl on tik tok’?
“On the flipside, I also receive very rude and negative comments, but luckily my other followers always defend me.”
Since going viral with her post, she earned herself a food industry sponsor and now tries to film what she cooks for dinner every night and writes many of her own recipes.
“It is so much fun! It takes a bit of time to edit the videos but it gets so exciting and my confidence is growing. I never thought I could look at myself like this. I’m loving it!”
