Bake & subscribe

Bake & subscribe
Photo courtesy of Simon Element

What if I told you there was a small business, run out of a family home in Kent, Conn., that saw averages of 300 thousand people a day?

From the rural farmhouse he shares with his husband Brian Dow and small twin sons,  John Kanell is refining being a local business in a small town. On his YouTube channel Preppy Kitchen, he makes weekly cooking tutorials that draw in big view counts thanks to his 3.18 million subscribers.

“It is a bit of lark that I’m able to putter around in my kitchen, upload my videos and they go to a broader audience," he told me.

Few would see Kanell’s videos as “puttering around.” The kitchen, for one, is enormous, think more spacious Ina Garten Hamptons house than the relatable intimacy of Allison Roman’s cluttered Boerum Hill pad. A long row of spotless copper cookware line the shiplap wall, along with an ILVE jade green range with bass trim, and a endless marble island.

Kanell himself is the ideal of a J. Crew catalog model, with perfectly white teeth and an eager, instructive manner. But his videos are also tightly edited and easy to follow. A former middle school math teacher, he puts the lesson ahead of the chit-chat. "Preppy" isn't a WASP allusion (Kanell's parents are Mexican and Greek), it's a pun on being prepared.

His new cookbook however, is opening up some new, in-person experiences. "People on Youtube or Instagram comment and will say, 'My daughter is making this cake for her birthday and she loves watching her channel,'" Kanell said. Written feedback is the way he experiences his audience, but now he'll be seeing some of the real faces who tune in to watch him in his kitchen. "It's one of the reasons I'm so excited about the book tour. I'm out here in rural, beautiful, pastoral Litchfield County, and you just don't see that many people."

John Kanell will discuss his new cookbook in person at House of Books in Kent, Conn., on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. For more go to www.houseofbooksct.com

Latest News

Kent Town Hall, where the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission approved the draft settlement.

Kent Town Hall, where the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission approved the draft settlement.

Leila Hawken

KENT– A year-and-a-half-long legal dispute over an unpermitted roadway and dock built through wetlands on North Spectacle Pond is approaching a resolution. The KenMont and KenWood summer camp and the town’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission are close to reaching a mutually acceptable agreement.

The conflict began after the IWWC denied the camp’s retroactive application in March 2024 for the road and dock, which were constructed without town approval sometime last decade. The Commission found both structures violated town regulations, leading the camp to file a legal appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
GNH blanks St. Paul 34-0 in Turkey Bowl

Wes Allyn breaks away from the St. Paul defense for a reception touchdown Wednesday, Nov. 26.

Photo by Riley Klein

BRISTOL — The Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic co-op football team ended the season with a 34-0 shutout victory over St. Paul Catholic High School Wednesday, Nov. 26.

It was GNH’s fourth consecutive Turkey Bowl win against St. Paul and the final game for 19 GNH seniors.

Keep ReadingShow less
Students curate Katro Storm portraits at HVRHS

“Once Upon a Time in America” features ten portraits by artist Katro Storm.

Natalia Zukerman

The Kearcher-Monsell Gallery at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village is once again host to a wonderful student-curated exhibition. “Once Upon a Time in America,” ten portraits by New Haven artist Katro Storm, opened on Nov. 20 and will run through the end of the year.

“This is our first show of the year,” said senior student Alex Wilbur, the current head intern who oversees the student-run gallery. “I inherited the position last year from Elinor Wolgemuth. It’s been really amazing to take charge and see this through.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Mini horses, big impact: animal learning center opens in Sheffield

Le Petit Ranch offers animal-assisted therapy and learning programs for children and seniors in Sheffield.

Marjorie Borreda

Le Petit Ranch, a nonprofit offering animal-assisted therapy and learning programs, opened in April at 147 Bears Den Road in Sheffield. Founded by Marjorie Borreda, the center provides programs for children, families and seniors using miniature horses, rescued greyhounds, guinea pigs and chickens.

Borreda, who moved to Sheffield with her husband, Mitch Moulton, and their two children to be closer to his family, has transformed her longtime love of animals into her career. She completed certifications in animal-assisted therapy and coaching in 2023, along with coursework in psychiatry, psychology, literacy and veterinary skills.

Keep ReadingShow less