Serbian Granny’s Online Cooking Tutorial Makes Her a Celebrity

Granny’s YouTube channel has over 152,000 subscribers and her cooking tutorials have more than 52 million views.

Granny Jelena Petrovic preparing a recipe.

(Photo: AP)

Video Editor: Vishal Kumar

Jelena Petrovic, a 69-year-old chef from Serbia has become an internet sensation because of all the delicious recipes she shares through her online cooking tutorial. Last year, Granny Jela, as she is fondly called, even won an award for her YouTube channel.

It all started about 10 years ago when Petrovic launched an online cooking tutorial to share her recipes of home-made dishes – from soups to cooked meals, meat, sweets, bread and pastry.

My recipes are local, traditional recipes. I make things that my mother or grandmother used to make. They are usually traditional recipes. On the other side, I am a modern granny, so I make modern recipes (also).

Jelena Petrovic, Chef

Slowly, the list of followers of granny’s YouTube channel grew and Petrovic started a blog and began posting videos of her recipes.

Jelena Petrovic's YouTube channel and blog dubbed 'Granny's Kitchen' has millions of views and more than 152,000 registered followers who regularly drop in for a new recipe of a home-made dish.

Nowadays, her channel has become Petrovic’s full-time preoccupation.

Granny Jela cooking. 

Every day, my viewers and readers wait for a new recipe at 8 o’clock in the morning (07:00 GMT). That’s what they are used to... If I am ten minutes late (in publishing the video) and if I don’t store (upload) the video in the evening, they ask, ‘Why is it not there yet?’ I get messages all the time –‘Are you well, granny?’ ‘Where is today’s recipe?’

Jelena Petrovic, Chef

Self-styled and supported by her husband who works behind the camera and does all the grocery shopping, Granny Jela has become a local celebrity.

After a cup of morning tea, the couple get down to work from grocery shopping to filming, editing and posting Granny Jela’s videos.

But, where does all the food go?

Like every grandmother, she too doesn’t forget her kids.

Everything I make, we eat. And what is leftover, we give some of it to the neighbours and pack some of the food to send to Belgrade for my grandchildren so that they can enjoy their granny’s recipes. They really like my recipes.

Jelena Petrovic, Chef

"All you need is love, the will and the desire to do something," says Petrovic, who turns 70 this November.

(With inputs from AP)