Would You Eat Fermented Shark for 11 Million Views?

The Unlikely Journey of Will Sonbuchner from Minnesota Teacher to Global Food Explorer

By the One Bite Foodie Blog Staff

Imagine biting into hákarl—a putrid Icelandic delicacy of fermented shark buried for months in sand. The ammonia-like smell burns your nostrils before the first bite. The texture? Rubbery, like chewing on a tire soaked in seawater. Or picture yourself in a bustling Cambodian market, staring at a skewer of fried tarantulas, their hairy legs crackling like burnt toast as you take a hesitant crunch. For Will Sonbuchner, better known as Sonny Side, these aren’t dares but a day’s work. His YouTube channel, Best Ever Food Review Show, has captivated over 11 million subscribers by turning bizarre bites into cultural sagas. But how did a former English teacher from Minnesota build a culinary empire on eating the unthinkable? Let’s dig into the story—one strange bite at a time.

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From Classroom to Camera: The Birth of a Food Anthropologist

Born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Sonny’s path to fame was anything but predictable. As a teenager, he washed dishes at a local diner, sneaking bites of leftover pie and wondering if life held more than small-town routines. After college, he drifted through odd jobs—construction, retail, even a stint as a wedding DJ—before a friend suggested teaching English abroad. In 2010, he landed in South Korea, armed with little more than a sense of adventure and a rusty Korean phrasebook.

One chilly evening in Seoul, Sonny stumbled upon a street vendor selling beondegi, silkworm pupae steamed in a spicy broth. The vendor, a grandmother with hands weathered from decades of cooking, gestured for him to try it. “It tasted like earthy peanuts mixed with regret,” Sonny later joked. But in that moment, he realized food wasn’t just sustenance—it was a language. “Every dish had a story,” he recalls. “Who made it? Why? What did it mean to them?”

With a secondhand camera, Sonny began documenting his culinary misadventures. His early videos were rough—shaky footage of him slurping noodles or laughing with market vendors—but they crackled with authenticity. By 2015, his hobby became the Best Ever Food Review Show, a channel that treats kimchi with the same reverence as a Michelin-starred meal.

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Inside the Chaos: How a Viral Food Show Gets Made

Today, Sonny’s team operates out of a converted apartment in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The walls are plastered with maps, sticky notes marking future destinations: Peru’s guinea pig stalls, Mongolia’s fermented mare’s milk, Senegal’s fiery thieboudienne. His crew of 10—researchers, fixers, editors—works like a culinary SWAT squad. Each episode is a logistical marathon.

Take their 2019 Iceland episode. To film hákarl, the team braved subzero temperatures and 20-hour days. They interviewed fishermen in the remote village of Bjarnarhöfn, where the shark is gutted, buried in gravelly sand for 6–12 weeks, then hung to dry for months. “The process hasn’t changed in 400 years,” Sonny explained, his breath visible in the freezing air. “They say the urine in the shark’s flesh ferments it naturally. Yeah, it’s as gnarly as it sounds.”

Budgets for such episodes can soar into the tens of thousands, funded by YouTube ad revenue, sponsors like HelloFresh, and a Patreon community of 8,000 “Food Troopers” who chip in for exclusive behind-the-scenes content. But the real magic lies in the show’s formula—a blend of humor, history, and human connection.

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The Secret Sauce: A Recipe for Viral Success

1. The Hook: Sonny disarms viewers with goofy charm. In Iceland, he donned a Viking helmet and joked, “This shark probably ate actual Vikings. Now it’s my turn!”

2. Deep Dive: He unpacks a dish’s lore. Did you know Cambodian tarantulas became a protein staple during the Khmer Rouge famine? Or that Icelandic fishermen once relied on hákarl to survive long winters?

3. Human Connection: From Tokyo sushi masters to Navajo grandmothers grinding blue corn, Sonny prioritizes voices often overlooked. In Mexico, he spent hours with a Oaxacan family learning to roast grasshoppers (chapulines) over a clay comal. “Food is their legacy,” he said. “It’s not just eating—it’s preserving memory.”

4. The Payoff: His reactions walk a tightrope between honesty and respect. After trying hákarl, he winced: “It tastes like ammonia… but I get why this matters. It’s survival. It’s pride.”

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Beyond Shock Value: Why Respect (and Research) Matter

While competitors chase “disgust porn,” Sonny’s team spends weeks prepping. Researchers consult historians, chefs, and locals to avoid cultural missteps. In Ethiopia, they learned that injera—a sourdough flatbread—symbolizes community. “You tear it together, share one plate,” Sonny narrated. “It’s not just food. It’s belonging.”

This diligence has paid off. When the crew visited Nigeria in 2023, they dove into the heated debate over jollof rice—a West African staple claimed by Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal. Sonny sampled versions in Lagos homes, street stalls, and a royal palace, earning praise from Nigeria’s tourism board. The episode racked up 14 million views and a flood of comments: “Finally, someone shows our culture right!”

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Hungry for Your Own Adventure? Here’s the Recipe

Sonny’s journey proves that curiosity trumps gimmicks. For aspiring creators, here’s how to blend flavor with storytelling:

1. Carve Your Flavor Niche

Vegan feasts? Forgotten recipes? Copycat Disney snacks? Find your lane. Take Max Miller, whose Tasting History revives ancient Roman dishes. In one episode, he recreated garum, a fish sauce beloved by gladiators, using a 2,000-year-old recipe. The video went viral, pulling in 3 million subscribers.

2. Turn Bites into Narratives

A taco isn’t just a taco. Who makes it? Why? In Vietnam, Sonny ate war-era rat with elders who survived on the dish during shortages. “They laughed, saying today’s kids are too soft,” he said. “But their eyes… you could see the pain.”

3. Build Bridges, Not Stereotypes

Collaborate. Chef Roy Choi (of Street Food: USA) credits his success to “showing up humbly and listening.” When Sonny filmed in Jamaica, he partnered with Rastafarian chefs to explore Ital cuisine—a vegan tradition rooted in spiritual harmony.

4. Embrace the Grind

Consistency beats virality. Strictly Dumpling (Mike Chen) posted weekly for five years before hitting 10 million subs. “You can’t just chase trends,” Sonny says. “Build a relationship with your audience. They’ll stick around for you.”

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Your Toolkit: Feast on These Resources

Platforms like One Bite Foodie democratize food media.

Features include:

- Press Pass Perks: Access festivals like Madrid Fusion as accredited media. One user landed an interview with a Peruvian chef after flashing her OBF badge.

- Profit Split: Keep 100% of tips and 80% of ad revenue as a premium member. A creator in Mumbai reported earning $3,000 monthly from her biryani reviews.

- Storyteller Swarm: Join forums to swap tips with 50,000 creators, from TikTok newbies to Bon Appétit alums.

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Final Bite

Sonny Side’s journey proves the world is hungry for more than just food—they crave connection. Whether it’s Icelandic shark or your grandma’s pie, every bite holds a universe of stories. His show isn’t about eating weird things; it’s about understanding why people cherish them.

As Sonny says, “The weirdest foods often teach us the most.” In a Cambodian village, a chef once told him, “We eat spiders not because we want to, but because they remind us we’re survivors.” That’s the heart of it: food as resilience, identity, hope.

Ready to share your plate with the world? Join One Bite Foodie today—your audience is waiting.

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Fun Fact: The Cambodian fried tarantula isn’t just crunchy—it’s packed with protein, calcium, and zinc. Locals say it cures back pain, and some scientists believe its collagen might aid joint health. Talk about a superfood!

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