Nairobi man quits sales and marketing job after 6 years, finds success as food content creator

• Trevor Were discovered his love for cooking at a very young age, learning from both his parents in a supportive home environment
• Despite studying Mass Media and Communication and working in Sales and Marketing for six years, he chose to follow his passion
• The young man shared his journey into content creation, including the challenges at the onset and the wins along the way

Trevor Were started cooking when he was just a Grade One pupil, not knowing that this would one day become his source of livelihood.

Like in many typical African homes, Were said he grew up in a family where there were no duties assigned based on gender. He would watch his father cook for the family on weekends, while his mother often had him prepare simple meals like rice and tea.

“I learnt a little bit of pastry from Mum, but things to do with cuisines, stews, broths and all that, I learnt from my father,” he said in a report by Citizen TV.

Read also

Murang’a man recounts horrifying day he was taken to the mortuary while still alive

This continued throughout his years at home as he grew into a hardworking young man.

When did Trevor Were start food content creation?

Were said he moved out of his family home in 2019 after graduating, eager to begin life as a fully fledged adult. He had studied Mass Media and Communication but somehow landed a job in Sales and Marketing in the capital city.

It was during this time that he ventured into content creation, hoping to discover a niche that would work for him. The young man initially started as a dancer on social media, something he says he was good at, but he did not gain as much traction as he had hoped.

Eventually, he decided to pursue what he loved most: cooking. He did so without expecting much, but with quiet hope.

“I was still a Sales and Marketing manager when my sister introduced me to TikTok in 2023. I was a good dancer, but it didn’t work out. Along the way, I met a friend who is also an influencer. Roy Kanyi helped me start something that worked,” he said.

Read also

UK-based Kenyan man washing dishes to survive laments constant money requests from home

With Roy’s support and encouragement, he posted his first cooking video. It went viral in less than an hour, garnering over 70,000 views, more than 4,000 likes, and a flood of comments.

The views and likes continued to rise throughout the night, eventually surpassing 100,000 views, something he could hardly believe.

“I did another video which performed even better. I just kept going, and here we are,” he said.

At this point, he began taking content creation seriously and soon secured a gig with a restaurant to review their food.

Amidst all this, he landed another opportunity that earned him KSh 60,000. That was the turning point, the moment he decided to fully focus on content creation and pursue life as a food influencer.

For Were, it initially wasn’t about the money; he simply wanted recognition so more people could see his beautiful culinary creations. But as he continued, more opportunities came his way, including partnerships with companies such as spice brands, among others.

“Money kept coming in and all was well until I decided to resign from my job in 2025. I got depressed. If you want to mess things up, do content creation purely for money. Just make sure you have something else to fall back on, because content comes and goes,” he advised candidly.

Read also

Nairobi man who quit job 5 months ago now business owner with one employee

Were admitted that he experienced difficult periods where income slowed down, especially after leaving his main job.

Cooking as a passion rather than a job

To him, cooking remains a passion, something he genuinely loves. He noted that while going viral in Kenya can be easy, maintaining consistent numbers is an uphill task.

Today, Were has become one of the leading self-taught food influencers and content creators, working with major brands across the country.

“On a bad month, my budget for food alone is about KSh 20,000. Content creation is expensive, so you have to plan well,” he said.

He recently represented Kenya in New York and was featured on the Discover List, a milestone that reflects just how far his journey has taken him.

Source: NgGossips