{{Short description|New Zealand celebrity chef (born 1985)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Andy Hearnden | image = | caption = | birth_date = 7 October 1985 | partner = Katelyn Flood<ref name="kate" /> | website = {{URL|www.andy-cooks.com}} | module2 = {{Infobox YouTube personality | child = yes | youtube_handle = @andy_cooks | youtube_display_name = Andy Cooks | youtube_years_active = | youtube_genre = | youtube_subscribers = 6.18M<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | youtube_views = <!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW -->
| stats_update = 30 April 2026 }} }} '''Andrew Hearnden''' (born 7 October 1985),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Andy Cooks - Agent, Manager, Publicist Contact Info |url=https://bookingagentinfo.com/celebrity/andy-cooks/ |access-date=2026-04-30 |website=Booking Agent Info |language=en-US}}</ref> better known by his online moniker '''Andy Cooks''', is a New Zealand chef, YouTuber, and cookbook author based in Australia. He worked in restaurants for 20 years before turning to social media in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,<ref name="weeds" /> and two years later had 13 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.<ref name="rgm" />
== Early life == Hearnden was born in Wellington and subsequently lived on a poultry farm.<ref name="weeds" /> He was passionate about cooking from a very young age.<ref name="king" />
== Career ==
=== Chef === After training at an Auckland culinary school, Hearnden worked in café kitchens there.<ref name="king">{{Cite web |date=30 August 2023|first=Brad |last=Nash|title=Andy Cooks Is The King Of Foodtok |url=https://www.esquire.com.au/food-drink/andy-cooks-the-king-of-foodtok/ |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=Esquire Australia |language=en-US |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118023540/https://www.esquire.com.au/food-drink/andy-cooks-the-king-of-foodtok/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Moving to London he started working for Michelin-star chef Tom Aikens at Chelsea's Tom's Kitchen, then at E&O in Notting Hill, before Shoreditch's Great Eastern Dining Room to be their Head Chef at the age of 24.<ref name="king" />
After seven years in England, Hearnden moved to Sydney and French Bistro Felix. He became Head Chef at Gills Diner and then Entrecôte in Melbourne.<ref name="king" />
Hearnden was Executive Chef at coffee shop chain St Ali and later managed restaurants and bars in airports around Australia and New Zealand.<ref name="king" /> He moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2020, joining beef processor Kilcoy Global Foods, as Executive Chef in their test kitchen.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 August 2022 |title=Beef chef and social media sensation, Andy Hearnden |url=https://www.beefcentral.com/weekly-grill/beef-chef-and-social-media-sensation-andy-hearnden/ |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=Beef Central |language=en-US |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118023539/https://www.beefcentral.com/weekly-grill/beef-chef-and-social-media-sensation-andy-hearnden/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Content creator === In November 2021, Hearnden started publishing on TikTok under the name Andy Cooks.<ref name="weeds">{{Cite web |last=Huckstep |first=Anthony |date=24 December 2023 |title=Andy Hearnden (Andy Cooks) – The digital chef – Deep in the Weeds – A Food Podcast with Anthony... |website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDOneizKYj4 |access-date=18 January 2024 |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118023538/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDOneizKYj4 |url-status=live }}</ref> Later, he posted Instagram, YouTube and Facebook content for home cooks.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 August 2022 |title=How TikTok is taking over your kitchen |first=Lauren|last=Sams|url=https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/food-and-wine/how-tiktok-is-taking-over-your-kitchen-20220802-p5b6o3 |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004005911/https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/food-and-wine/how-tiktok-is-taking-over-your-kitchen-20220802-p5b6o3 |url-status=live }}</ref> Within 18 months of starting, he had 10 million subscribers across his social media platforms.<ref name="rgm">{{Cite web |date=4 September 2023 |title=Andy Hearnden – AKA 'Andy Cooks' |url=https://www.rgm.com.au/entertainment/andy-hearnden/ |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=RGM |language=en |archive-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108005828/https://www.rgm.com.au/entertainment/andy-hearnden/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The cooking videos are best known for the ''Hey Babe'' format,<ref name="rgm" /> and ''Basic Mitch'' catchphrase.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
In 2022, YouTube identified Hearnden as one of Australia's Top 5 Creators,<ref name="year">{{Cite web |date=2 December 2022 |title=A Year On YouTube: 2022's Top Trending |url=https://blog.google/intl/en-au/products/connect-communicate/youtube-2022-top-trending/ |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=Google |language=en-au |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118044836/https://blog.google/intl/en-au/products/connect-communicate/youtube-2022-top-trending/ |url-status=live }}</ref>The Sydney Daily Telegraph described him as a top 25 Australian on TikTok,<ref>{{Cite news |work=Sydney Daily Telegraph|url-access=subscription|last=Beaini |first=Adella |date=24 December 2022 |title=TikTok's 2022 list: Meet Australia's top 25 creators |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/tiktoks-2022-list-meet-australias-top-25-creators/news-story/b6a9006a03ab281d2516482dffbf9f00 |access-date=18 January 2024 |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118050338/https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/tiktoks-2022-list-meet-australias-top-25-creators/news-story/b6a9006a03ab281d2516482dffbf9f00 |url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}</ref> and The Australian ranked him Australia's #41 top influencer.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clarke |work=The Australian|url-access=subscription|first=Jenna |date=23 August 2022 |title=Who are the top influencers? |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/the-oz/lifestyle/who-are-the-top-influencers/news-story/11387cb2603653f8569ea574ff599295}}</ref> Taste.com.au considered him one of its most popular food influencers of the year<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bertollo |first=Daniela |date=26 August 2022 |website=taste.com.au|title=The most popular food influencers of 2022 |url=https://www.taste.com.au/food-news/most-popular-food-influencers/7892zj8y}}</ref> and The Courier-Mail one of the Sunshine Coast's top influencers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Camp |first=Kristen |date=6 October 2022 |title=Sunshine Coast's top influencers, content creators with high followers - List |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/sunshine-coast/sunshine-coasts-top-influencers-content-creators-with-high-followers-list/news-story/1fd44448cfa4f5345d5bc50cf5d25f8c |access-date=18 January 2024 |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118050338/https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/sunshine-coast/sunshine-coasts-top-influencers-content-creators-with-high-followers-list/news-story/1fd44448cfa4f5345d5bc50cf5d25f8c |url-status=live|work=Courier-Mail|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
The following year, the Herald Sun named him one of Victoria's top Instagram influencers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Himangi |work=Herald Sun|url-access=subscription|date=6 March 2023 |title=Who are they: Victoria's biggest Instagram influencers of 2023 ranked |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/who-are-they-victorias-biggest-instagram-influencers-of-2023-ranked/news-story/cb032ffb1a2f775b81f31c90fab01378 |access-date=18 January 2024 |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118063035/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/who-are-they-victorias-biggest-instagram-influencers-of-2023-ranked/news-story/cb032ffb1a2f775b81f31c90fab01378 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Courier-Mail ranked him in its list of the Sunshine Coast's most influential people,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Maureschat |first=Jorina |date=15 December 2023 |work=Courier-Mail|url-access=subscription|title=Sunshine Coast's most influential movers and shakers of 2023 |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/sunshine-coast/power-50-sunshine-coasts-most-influential-movers-and-shakers-of-2023/news-story/f4f0af50e1d64752234ab04b2c36b706 |access-date=18 January 2024 |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118063035/https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/sunshine-coast/power-50-sunshine-coasts-most-influential-movers-and-shakers-of-2023/news-story/f4f0af50e1d64752234ab04b2c36b706 |url-status=live }}</ref> and also included him amongst Queensland's top YouTube<ref>{{Cite news |last=Patterson|work=Courier-Mail|url-access=subscription |first=Natalie |date=26 April 2023 |title=Gamers, musos and pranksters: Qld's top 100 YouTube content creators - PART 2 |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/sunshine-coast/gamers-musos-and-pranksters-qlds-top-100-youtube-content-creators-part-2/news-story/1e16ee32727da35d937cf4e37ba63528 |access-date=18 January 2024 |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118063039/https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/sunshine-coast/gamers-musos-and-pranksters-qlds-top-100-youtube-content-creators-part-2/news-story/1e16ee32727da35d937cf4e37ba63528 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Instagram creators.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Patterson |first=Natalie |date=25 January 2023 |title=Meet Queensland's 100 top Instagram influencers and what they're about |work=Courier-Mail|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/meet-queenslands-100-top-instagram-influencers-and-what-theyre-about/news-story/f4d1c9738e1cf0dbf47984856882384f |access-date=18 January 2024 |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118063037/https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/meet-queenslands-100-top-instagram-influencers-and-what-theyre-about/news-story/f4d1c9738e1cf0dbf47984856882384f |url-status=live }}</ref> YouTube Australia named Hearnden its top creator.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blog.google/intl/en-au/products/connect-communicate/2023-on-youtube/ |title=A Year On YouTube in Australia: 2023's Top Trending |last=Chang |first=Ashley |date=7 December 2023 |website=Google |access-date=18 January 2024 |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118044836/https://blog.google/intl/en-au/products/connect-communicate/2023-on-youtube/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Publications == * {{cite book |isbn=9780645255768 |publisher=Marion's Press|title=Andy Cooks: The Cookbook |date=2023 |first1=Andy |last1=Hearnden }}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hqnczwEACAAJ|title=Andy Cooks: The Cookbook|access-date=23 January 2024|archive-date=23 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123172508/https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Andy_Cooks.html?id=hqnczwEACAAJ&redir_esc=y|url-status=live|isbn=978-0-6452557-6-8 |last1=Hearnden |first1=Andy |date=5 July 2023 |publisher=Marion's Kitchen }}</ref>
== Personal life == Hearnden is in a relationship with Katelyn Flood.<ref name="kate">{{Cite web |date=13 September 2023 |website=University of the Sunshine Coast|last=Snowdon |first=Tom |title=TikTok: Katelyn Flood and the Andy Cooks social media juggernaut |url=https://www.usc.edu.au/about/unisc-news/news-archive/2023/september/tiktok-katelyn-flood-and-the-andy-cooks-social-media-juggernaut |access-date=2024-01-18 |language=en |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118063036/https://www.usc.edu.au/about/unisc-news/news-archive/2023/september/tiktok-katelyn-flood-and-the-andy-cooks-social-media-juggernaut |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Television == {| class="wikitable" |+ ! ! !Role !Episodes |- |2023 |''The Cook Up with Adam Liaw'' on SBS Food |Guest |4 |- |2023 |''Sunrise'' on Seven Network |Guest |2 |- |2023 |''The Morning Show'' on Seven Network |Guest |1 |- |2023 |''Breakfast'' on TVNZ 1 |Guest |1 |- |2025 |MasterChef Australia |Guest |1 |- |2026 |MasterChef Australia |Guest |1 |}{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
== References == <references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hearnden, Andy}} Category:Living people Category:Mass media people from Wellington City Category:New Zealand chefs Category:New Zealand expatriates in Australia Category:New Zealand YouTubers Category:1985 births Category:21st-century chefs