Instagram star Blocki in an interview about insider tips and his career

He trained as a chef, then worked as a tattoo artist for many years. Daniel Kallweit, aka Blocki, is now one of Berlin’s most famous food influencers. How did that happen?

Anyone who is on Instagram or TikTok will hardly be able to avoid this face. And the face is memorable because it stands out from those of other food bloggers. Daniel Kallweit, better known as Blocki, is fully tattooed, tall and speaks Berlin dialect.

In his videos, Blocki tests Berlin restaurants, usually with Judda, his Saxon-accented sidekick. In addition to food content, the two now also make music and have released the song “Döner Döner” among others. In the interview, Blocki talks about his journey from chef to food blogger, about his insider tips in Berlin and about how critical he can be in his videos.

t-online: If someone asks you what you do for a living, what do you answer?

Daniel “Blocki” Kallweit: That I support restaurants. I don’t really like the term influencer, but yes, I influence people. I influence people to go to good restaurants. I’m not a critic, that’s what other people are there for. I have an idea of ​​what I’m talking about. I’m a trained chef and have worked in restaurants for years. But I don’t do it to badmouth things.

It’s not about saying what is good and what is bad?

I will show people what is available in a restaurant and package it in creative videos. If I see small areas for improvement, I prefer to say so behind the camera. I think that every restaurateur who makes an effort has a right to exist. I don’t want to complain publicly about a dried-out lettuce leaf so that no one comes back. But if I don’t like something at all, I will say so.

How do you decide which restaurants to shoot videos in?

Today, things are going so well that I have booked most of the restaurants. But sometimes I just have an idea about what kind of cuisine I want to try that isn’t talked about so much. It’s a mix.

If you get booked, you can probably be less critical, right?

You could say that. But I’m still honest. If it’s not true, I don’t say that something is the best in the world. I might express criticism a little more diplomatically when I’m booked.

Why did you start making videos about restaurants?

I wanted to help. And I was bored. When Corona hit, I was still a tattoo artist. I couldn’t work for a while. Restaurants were still allowed to open, but of course they had massive problems. I already had a certain reach at the time because I had been making content on Instagram and YouTube for ages. Then I decided to use my reach to help a few shops so that they wouldn’t die out.

Since when can you make a living from this?

Things went pretty well pretty quickly, as it wasn’t like that in Berlin back then. I continued to tattoo on the side for a year or two, but it was never a real passion for me, more like a job. That’s why I’m glad I was able to stop. I didn’t feel like putting a kiss on someone’s ass anymore. (laughs)

Why didn’t you work in the catering industry anymore?

After all those years, I eventually got tired of standing in a kitchen at three in the morning, working hard while everyone else was having fun. In 1997, at the age of 16, I started my apprenticeship at the Hotel Palace in the Europa Center, which was one of the most stylish places in town at the time. I was just 16 and suddenly Leonardo DiCaprio was standing in front of me at the breakfast buffet. I cooked for Antonio Banderas, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Rudi Völler. I no longer understood the world, that was something. After that, I moved around a lot in different places. You have to do that to become a good cook. But at some point I had enough.

Would you still recommend 16-year-olds today to become chefs?

Very difficult question. (Thinks for a moment). I wouldn’t do it again. Of course, you can work as an employee in a restaurant all your life and you’ll always find a job there. But my goal would always be to do something of my own, to be self-employed. And that’s incredibly difficult these days. I hear from friends who are restaurant owners every day how difficult it is just to find good staff.