Micah and Sarah Wallace have built a following of over 4.5 million people by sharing the kind of content that actually feels good to watch—spontaneous kitchen duets, relationship comedy, and snippets of life in Brooklyn with their toddler son, Shelton. They’re known as big foodies, which in NYC means constant restaurant exploration and a rotation of weeknight steak dinners that Shelton enthusiastically approves of.
But they’re also navigating the same stuff every parent deals with: decision fatigue at 6 p.m., the mental load of remembering to buy milk, and the reality that “relatability” has become its own kind of performance online. We talked to them about what it actually looks like to feed a family when you’re content creators, why they’re not doing ambitious home cooking right now, and the Middle Eastern spot in Brooklyn they can’t stop ordering from.
What does dinner look like in your house on a random Tuesday? I’m talking the real version—not the Instagram version. Do you meal plan, wing it, or is there a rotation of like three things Shelton will actually eat?
We are very much usually a wing it family! Our weeknight go-to is a meat, most often steak, and a veggie. Sometimes with sourdough toast and butter too if we’re feeling crazy, lol! But it’s always delicious and leaves us feeling satisfied. Shelton is also a HUGE steak fan which makes it an easy choice for us.
You’re NYC-based with a toddler—how has that shaped the way you feed your family? Are you grabbing prepared foods from Trader Joe’s, ordering in more than you’d like to admit, or actually cooking in that Brooklyn kitchen?
We, and by we I mean Micah, cook at home almost every night of the week, but it’s always something simple. I (Sarah) just got myself an instant pot in an effort to add some variety into our weeknight meals…and so that I can prepare dinner sometimes, ha! Micah is truly just so much more calm, cool, and collected than me in the kitchen! And ABSOLUTELY we have Trader Joe’s frozen staples that we always come back to. Their orange chicken and veggie friend rice with some broccoli added to it…chef’s kiss! Seriously tastes like we ordered it in.
What’s one food battle you’ve completely surrendered on with Shelton? And conversely, is there anything you’re weirdly firm about when it comes to what he eats?
So far he has been an amazing eater and will try just about anything if mom and dad are eating it too! I will say I tried to not do bananas very often because of their sugar content and I’ve completely given up on that. He probably has one every single day now. I at least try to throw some peanut butter on it for extra protein if we aren’t eating it on the go.
I am firm about no added sugar yet, but I feel like that’s a common one! He did a little cake smash on his 1st bday but that’s the only taste of it he has had. It was so cute to watch him daintily eat it. He ended up barely having any before pushing it away and signing all done!
Do you have any food traditions or rituals as a family? Even small ones—like Sunday pancakes or a specific snack that means something?
Nothing that is absolutely consistent, but lately I have been trying different pancake/muffin recipes on the weekends which is fun! Would definitely love to have some food traditions with Shelton as he gets older, like a movie + pizza night or a special weekend breakfast tradition. Have also been wanting to start a ritual of Shelton helping me in the kitchen. We just ordered a kitchen stool for him to stand on to reach the counter and I can’t wait to include him in preparations!
The whole “relatability” thing has become a brand identity now. Everyone’s trying to be the “realistic” parent, the one who admits they’re a mess. At what point does performing authenticity become just as fake as the highlight reel?
We all have strengths and weaknesses as humans, and parents, and I think there is so much value in being honest about our weaknesses, but it is also a gift to learn from each other’s strengths! I have been inspired to level up because of content I’ve seen from other moms, so when I feel like I’m nailing a certain element of life or parenting I love sharing that too in the hopes that it inspires someone else!
Content about parenting and food tends to skew toward people with resources—time, money, space, access. Do you think about that when you’re creating content? Or is it just “this is our life, take it or leave it”?
We are very much ourselves in our content, and when it comes to food, nothing about any food content we ever share is very aesthetic or curated. Sure, we have shared some unique restaurant experiences because budgeting out for those things is a big value of ours, but most of the time it’s very much simply sharing what it looks like to try to eat as best/clean as we can and feed a toddler at the same time, which is sometimes lovely and other times not so much!
You clearly have amazing chemistry—do you cook together, or is that a recipe for disaster? Who does what in the kitchen?
We don’t really cook together, ha! Micah is the primary chef in our house. I will do a few sous chef tasks for him if needed or vice versa if I happen to be preparing something that requires an onion chopped (my least favorite kitchen task!) But usually one of us is in the kitchen at a time.
You mentioned you’re big foodies—what does that actually mean for you two? Are we talking ambitious home cooking, restaurant exploration, both?
Definitely not ambitious home cooking due to pure lack of time, but restaurant exploration for sure! We will try anything new at least once and living in NYC there is no shortage of new spots and cuisines to try. The access to so many different amazing foods and food experiences is part of what keeps us living here!
What’s a food or restaurant in Brooklyn that you’re low-key gatekeeping? The place you don’t really want everyone to know about because it might get too crowded?
I think this one is out of the bag because it’s always packed, but Al Badawi on Atlantic Ave is a Middle Eastern restaurant that is absolutely out of this world. I cannot count the number of times we have ordered from there and every time I am exclaiming aloud about how fantastic the quality and flavors are. Also, when you eat at the restaurant, it’s BYOB so it makes for a more affordable date night when you can bring your own bottle of wine to share!
Is there a dish or cuisine that’s been on heavy rotation lately? What are you actually craving and making right now?
This is the simplest thing but Tuna Melts on sourdough have REALLY been hitting the spot. Also cozy casserole type recipes in the slow cooker…just made a sausage casserole with white beans, a bunch of veggies and quinoa and it turned out great!
Do you have any cooking fails that became family legends? The kind of disaster that you still laugh about?
We actually don’t lol! I can’t think of anything crazy that has happened *knock on wood* I’ll report back when something entertaining happens! 🙂
Between content creation, performances, and parenting—how do you handle the mental load of feeding everyone? Is one of you the “remembers we need milk” person?
I, Sarah, am the grocery gal. I make sure we have what we need at any given time. I will say, the decision fatigue when it comes to dinners with a toddler is so real, so I have been really trying to plan at the beginning of the week what we will have for dinner each night. Even if it’s something simple or a go-to meal for us, we at least don’t have to have the classic “what are we having for dinner” conversation at 6p because it’s already decided!
