Keith Lee on Fame, Family & Food Reviews

Baby, let me tell you something. Today's guest has made a name for himself from the front seat of his car. One Keith Lee food review and your favorite restaurant is booked, sold out and trending by morning. But behind the viral moments is a family man, a former MMA fighter and a creator who's using his platform to help small businesses survive. From Forbes 30 under 30 to Time 100 and TikTok's creator of the year in 2025, Keith Lee is still a man of the people. So grab a snack and get comfortable because baby, this is Kiki Palmer. Today's episode is brought to you by the new drinks at McDonald's. Six new drinks, crafted sodas with cold foam, refreshers with popping boba and freeze dried fruit and trust they are giving everything. Now let's get in today's show. Okay, guys, please welcome the amazing, the awesome Keith Lee. What's up, man? Thank you. Likewise. Period. And your hair is getting longer and longer. I love your hair. Thanks, boo. Absolutely. It's an honor to be here, man. I'm so glad because, you know, last time I think you had got, it was like Atlanta was having a storm. We got stuck in the airport. Yes. God don't make no mistakes. Yeah, right. We good. We were safe. That's the main thing. Yeah. I went to the crib. How's it being in LA? Do you like LA when you come? I do business here, so I come in and out, but I'm a country boy, so I live in Dallas. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you know, I'm from Detroit, so Midwest country. I'm from Illinois. Yep, yep. That's how we get along. Okay, period. Well, let's get into these pre-show pull-up questions because I'm going to get into your head just a little bit. So Zodiac sign is Libra. Do you relate to the Libra of it all? Do you feel like you're like balanced? I don't follow, I don't follow it enough, but I feel like my wife tells me every now and again that I am a Libra. She just told me today because my mom-in-law is a Libra, too. Oh, my gosh. And she was like, oh, yeah, y'all both Libras. I don't know what that means, but I'll take her word for it. One thing I know about Libras that I feel like you do do is like y'all have an aesthetic. Every Libra I know has a look. I can take that, yeah. An identifiable look. What's my aesthetic? It's always like I'm humble low-key, but it's still flexing low-key. You know what I mean? I can see that, yeah. I can tell you it's put together, but it's like I've seen when you had the, it was almost like, I think it was like the do-rag or some type of scarf underneath the hat. It's like a vibe. You be tapped in. I'll be tapped in. I'm like, he's fine. Okay, your son is a Libra, obviously. Your moon is a Sag. I'm also a Sag moon. And then you have a Scorpio rising. So this is obviously, your wife has told you this. She the one who knows. She didn't go into full detail. Please explain what that means. I have no idea what that means. And I know you be tapped in. I love that she knows. So Libra we discussed. The Sag moon is, we're individuals. We love to experience. We love to travel, which we see you do all the time. We're just very much like free spirits and not afraid to, we're not trying to go against the grain, but we don't mind if we out there at all. If we do. Okay. And then Scorpio, I mean, Scorpios, Scorpios are independent. They can be very blunt. A lot of people feel like they're like, you know, they're harsh. That's me at times. Scorpios also are about they partner. They're using when they're in love. That's like, that's their thing. That's what they're about. I don't believe in astrology like that, but it makes that, everything that you just said, I can relate to. You're literally always talking about your wife. For sure. Everything you just said, I can relate to. It lines up. Okay. What are you most grateful for today? Family. Obviously we're going to talk about the family day festival. That is amazing. Congratulations. Are you going to be there? Oh my gosh. I would love for you to be there. That would be amazing. So what I got to do to get there, man? Just come. Okay. Period. I got to, me and my whole family good? Everybody. Because I know y'all got tickets. So this is for kids. This is for families. This is for grandmas, grandpas, moms, mom-in-laws, whoever you want to bring. They are on me. All I'm hearing in the back of my mind is either outstanding or grandma's hands. One, that's what- Bring all of them. I'm imagining that vibe. Please, bring all of them. Okay. A relationship or friendship non-negotiable for you. My marriage. So somebody not respecting your marriage. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I mean, hey. And this is, we're going to get real raw all today. Let's do it. This is something that we've been talking about nonstop. This is a conversation we had yesterday. I don't play when it comes to respect, and I don't play when it comes to respect my marriage. And I'm still learning, and it's still a process of trying to navigate what that looks like in this space. Because I won't catch it sometimes, but then my wife will be like, oh, she was flirting with you. And I won't catch it. I won't pay no attention to it because I'm in a business mindset of looking like, oh, we got a festival to sell, or we having a conversation with the mayor, or we talking to this person. And she's like, oh, no, that girl, such and such and such. So it's like still, even though I don't see it. Respecting the fact that she feels that way and acknowledging that and trying to figure out how to move forward with that, because respect is a huge thing to me. And probably she can tell for her because there's a difference between being kind and just being a good vibe. And then you're not saying hello to me. And you're not saying hello to the wife. That's what she's. OK, so that's what she said. I don't play when it comes to speaking first. But I guess that this interaction went longer with me specifically than it did with the rest of everybody else. And she was like, if you're going to have a conversation, you had a conversation with the group. Yes. You have a conversation with his wife. That's right. And not just single this person out. Yeah. And I was like, yeah, you're right. You're right when you're right. You got it. You got it when you're right. Right. What's a question you wish you were asked more in interviews? This or that question is about my personality. Yeah. I feel like people don't really know who I am. Yeah. I feel like people don't really know me for real. And this is why I was so happy to do this, because I feel like you're the perfect person to really like just chop it up and have a conversation with. Because I don't really talk to a lot of people. So the fact that we can chop it up and I know you are so great at what you do. I feel like you're going to pull it out anyway. So, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm so happy. Likewise, man. Okay. Who is someone you've met that made you feel starstruck? This name that you mentioned makes me very happy because she's such a sweet person. I love that lady. Tiana Taylor. She's the best. She's one of the sweetest people. So we just met her when we were at Grammy's week and we went to an after party. And she, it was a bunch of people around with so much going on. She was sitting in the back and we had our PR lady go ask her, hey, and shout out to Dom. Dom is one of my favorite people in this world. What up, Dom? So we had a conversation. So we had her go and have a conversation and see, hey, if we could just say hi to Tiana. Yeah. I'm thinking this is going to be a quick, you know how stuff goes. It's loud. It's people in a club. They party. It's after Grammys. I think it's going to be like a quick wave. She literally came out in front of everybody. She pulled my wife to the front. Again, we having this conversation. She pulled my wife to the front first and she said, I love y'all so much. I know y'all got three kids. I know y'all just had a son. I know that your daughter liked this. She don't like that. And I'm like, you tapped in for real. And then she looked at me. She said, nothing but respect. She said, let's take a picture. And when she took the picture, she hugged Ronnie and was like this close, cheek to cheek with Ronnie. And I was happy to be the third wheel in that situation. I love that, Ronnie. She was one of the sweetest people I've ever met. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. She's that kind of person. Very real, very respectful and just family driven. For sure. Okay. What's a mantra you live by and why? Keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is God. Okay. Amen. The main thing is Jesus. Amen. The main thing being the main thing and knowing that that's the main thing. Keep it the main thing. No matter what comes in between that. The main thing is the main thing. You grew up in a church? I did. I did too. Yeah. I grew up in a church as well. And first of all, community was the main thing. I feel like I obviously outside of the word and God and worshiping was just that built in foundation of community. Absolutely. I went to church camp every year. Oh my gosh. I went to church camp twice. They only had it two times. We didn't have the money for the third. Nobody know that about me. And again, this is why I think this is going to be amazing because I went to church camp every year and from like eight to like 14. Oh my gosh. We did like summer camp where it was like a week camp when we went out in the middle of Michigan. Uh, and then we had like all day camp where you would just go. We do like field trips, go to the zoo, uh, eat those like box lunches that they get on that little, uh, uh, it was like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Uh, yeah, I, I grew up in a church and, uh, I'm forever blessed to be able to have that connection. I didn't really have my connection with God personally or Jesus until I became older and I was able to make my own relationship. Uh, because I feel like it's two things that can happen when you grow up in church. You can either really fall into it or you can fall out of it. Sure. And when you don't have your own personal relationship, I think it makes you question a lot. Yes. Because you listen to the stories, you watching church folk and you know how black church folk is. Yeah. It's either all in or all out. And if you don't fully understand as a child, maybe it can make you lean towards all out. And that's how I was until I made my own relationship. Yeah. And I realized it's something more personable than just reading a book. You got to understand a book in order to read it and understand your own personal journey with him. And I feel like that living part of it is really true. When we talk about our age, because for me as a kid, it's like I knew the stuff and I'm understanding it. But there's only so much that I can understand. They just felt like words. Yes. Until you actually get into it and you can relate and you get like, oh, okay, that makes sense. I've been through that before. Yes. I know what that feel like. Until you can get to that point, it's going to be like, oh, I'm just reading. No, it's so true. Because somebody told me to read. And then you feel all weird. You do go that moment of judging yourself for asking questions because you feel like, oh, I'm being blasphemous. But it's like, man, you got to ask the questions to God so God can answer them. That's the fact. You know, in our community to ask questions is, you got to devil you. We got to pray the body of you. It's not wrong. It's like, I'm just trying to understand. Yeah, I'm just trying to understand. Yeah, that's the fact. Yo. Okay, so you welcomed a son. I did. Cardigan. Yeah, I did. Back in September. Congratulations. So, I mean, have you noticed any big difference? Because you just had, you know, this is your first boy. This is my first boy, yeah. And you only, you just had daughters. So, what is it like? It's not nothing yet because he ain't got a personality. So, it's like. You're going to just be lost. Yeah, he just be there. Like, I love that you said that because I always say, I don't know him yet. He don't know me and I don't know him. I just met him four months ago. So, until we can get to a place where he has a personality and I can see what it is that makes the difference. I've always heard it. it's a difference but my two girls are rough carter's five riley's three and cardigan's five months you got some little ones babies i'm in the trenches yes you think you and ronnie gonna want more okay before she kill me okay so we had a conversation she goes back and forth a lot right yes so my number one rule and again this is why i said i love doing this because you getting stuff out of me my number one rule is that i'm done when she's done okay boom whenever she ready to have more kids we have more kids if she want 30 of them we're gonna have 30 of them if she done the three we done the three because as much as i would want to say i want kids i'm not the one carrying them and that's not my body that's going through the inner effect the before effects the after effects people who don't have kids don't understand how real postpartum is and i feel like it would be selfish of me and unfavoring as a partner to be like oh i want more kids so we got to have more kids so whenever she's ready to have more we're gonna have more but she teeters a lot yeah so we'll be 30 this year uh i just turned 29 october she turns 30 in march okay um so she said by the time she's 30 she wants to be done having kids but this is before my son so now it's like one day i'll talk to her she'll be like yeah i can see maybe when he get four or five and other days i'll talk to him she'll be like i said i was done at 30 so it's like i don't know her birthday is march what is she aries or pisces oh she's aries my dad's at 26 yeah yeah so i don't know it'd be it'd be flip-flop whatever she want to do if we had more kids just know it's because she came to me and said i want more kids what kind of pregnant is she is she chill or is she different it depends yeah so with the boys she was more like quiet and she just like wanted her peace and wanted to be to herself with the girls it was food food food cravings non-stop like the most random weird three o'clock in the morning go get me a slushy from this gas station and it gotta be from this gas station and it gotta be from this gas station because i'm gonna be able to tell that you got it from a different gas station french fries from a specific mcdonald's uh milkshakes and french fries at the same time but then with my boy she literally just was like here that's she just want to chill people always say that about daughters whatever it is they make you hungry i don't know what that is yeah i don't know what that is i can't tell you what it is it was a stark difference yeah it was a complete different um so you and your wife ronnie y'all got married during covid but you were you were posting about possibly planning like a little larger celebration yeah we got married at the courthouse oh gee i mean the paper is the paper so we got married yeah that's a fact that's a fact so would you want to do something bigger for a celebration yeah you is would it be this year next destination wedding is is the plan uh but you know with with them you really got a plan um and i got a real big family yeah so trying to get a bunch in one spot i think that's gonna be the hardest part um especially if you talk about doing a destination i have passports man then we got to get the passport we got to get the passports we got to get the passports wait the five months the baby ain't even got a passport yet and it's like baby pass yeah trying to figure all that out it's gonna be the hardest part and at the same time you still want to enjoy and celebrate yeah because when i say we had no wedding it was literally during covid uh and she was pregnant at the time with my oldest um so we at the courthouse big belly everybody got masks on uh we are six feet away from each other but it's 30 of us uh and we in vegas so we at the elvis presley uh drive through where we are standing outside uh that's actually really romantic it was romantic in a sense but at the same time it was hot she's six seven months pregnant uh so i i think it's definitely something that i want to revisit um it's just gonna take a lot of planning i already know well i'll be looking you know we gonna we watch your life online so we'll be waiting we'll be waiting for the post absolutely well you better be there okay i love that i'm being i'm i'm being in grace like we met in new orleans and we're going to be in new orleans and we're going to be i told you when we first met that you are one of my favorite people and i mean that from the bottom of my heart and i don't take that lightly like the love is and i know you don't because your reviews i'm dead i'm dead serious bro i do not take that lightly that means so much you know i love louisiana i love you more in new orleans louisiana we are not only having family food day i want your family to be there and i want everybody to come and have fun man enjoy so fire you know i got my little boy he loved to be around a bunch of folks but you're black folks it's amusement rides we got carnival uh we do an obstacle course where my family's competing with other families oh my if you're all competitive you can jump in on that yeah so what kind of games are going to be there like are we talking like uh what is it welcome home roscoe jenkins oh old school family reunion competitive sweating arguing going back and forth having a time now is this the first family day it is it's the first one what made you decide to do this that's a great question okay so the we've had a conversation about what it looks like to do food tour before but i don't think i've ever really went in full detail uh it's eight to ten hours in a sprinter van with my kids and with my wife and with my family non-stop and we might be on the road for three weeks at a time um and we do that in a bunch of different states right yeah so if you got kids cranky in the back you're doing eight or ten hours non-stop we eating food that they can't necessarily eat uh we gotta stop at different places it's a lot that goes into it right um and i think for me i was looking for a way to do it that's more streamlined and have it to where it's not so it's a big event in the actual day uh this is the first thing that i've ever actually done like you know some people some people get 10 50 million followers and they're like oh i'm selling product immediately or come do my e-course of how to do this and then courses be going off immediately like the second you get any kind of notoriety immediately is selling something uh we four years in and this is the first thing that i'm actually selling i've tried to sell merch before and i get so much in my head that i can't fathom the fact of taking money from somebody i so this is the way i can have a personal connection and see people in person yeah and this is not a money grab it's not something we just throwing up i'm walking around the festival i'm talking to people i'm full-blown competing uh oh my god this is something where my team has already cussed me out in in advance of how crazy i know this might get uh and i don't care i want all parts may 16th in new orleans i mean the families of the core of this event like so many of your other projects i feel like this is exactly you and your brand how are you how do you feel about this event how has the preparation been because this is a big undertaking kiki kiki this is the hardest thing i've ever done i can only imagine i'm not gonna hold you up uh just from being on calls all day every day yeah uh vendors vendors the uh lineup so we got a very crazy lineup but it's for every generation uh so we got kirk franklin as the main we and he have you ever seen kirk in person kirk be stomping oh kirk be stomping so classic we did an event in atlanta and there was no uh mics there were no the power had went out so he had nothing but an electric keyboard and six people singing and you would have thought he had a marching band with him he was sweating he had a tank top on it was see-through by the time the performance was done he is one of the best performers i've ever seen in person so we got him as headliner but then we also got gracie's corner for the kids gracie's corner we love you i love some gracie uh she gonna be full-blown mascot walking around the festival uh but then we got shamar if you oh my god you playing for every generation so i i wanted music for every generation to be able to come and enjoy and it's not just one thing where one group of people are gonna be sitting and dancing everybody's sitting down i wanted to where everybody take turns yes and then at the end of it we all just listen to kirk and have fun because we got then we got uh new orleans um natives so we got manny fresh then we got hot sisa uh shout out to uh larisi we got larisi who's one of the biggest upcoming artists in new orleans we really tapping into the culture and tapping into what it is of of that city um and i'll get an exclusive next year we're going somewhere in the midwest so you've already got it planned absolutely oh my gosh i love that come on somewhere because again this is this is something that's a true passion of mine like this is something that i'm putting everything into uh it's really a when i say a passion of love i'm talking every day we just got ideas and conversations and that's why it's the hardest thing because i know if this does well it's because one is in god's timing but it's because this is genuinely something that we put together yes and not anything else i've ever done has been a collaboration with somebody yeah so we hosted a festival before but complex but it was with complex sure this is the first time where it's keith lee and family and we're family and keith lee that we've had a lot of we actually put it together with our own business our own llc is our own making our own portfolio from a business perspective and it's like we've never and i think what's so i think what's so crazy is that people don't talk about it enough yeah and it's like we four years in and this is our very first touch into that because before it felt like everything was quick get rich quick schemes sure and i don't like them quick money grabs them because you want something to be cyclical how is this supporting the community how is this like if i'm going to ask for something i need to be given exactly and we need to really feel reciprocated i don't want nobody to come and just be like oh i spent all this money with them and they just was what nair we ain't even seeing we didn't even know this event it just had his name on it no i want you to be able to see us i want you to see my kids having fun everybody please be safe at the same time don't run up on my kids they see my kids so they still kids not so but i want everybody just to have fun uh we are cousins i want everybody just to feel like family uh and it's just a day where we're just everybody can come and enjoy well you know the biggest question is what kind of food we gonna have up at that so if you ever seen a video and you was like oh that looked good nine times out of ten they're gonna be there oh so we getting all types all kind of food so not only food from new orleans uh but we got food from surrounding areas I can give you a few of them that are staples for me. There's a black-owned woman, because, again, it's still about community. There's a black-owned woman pudding shop in Pearland, Texas. When we first went, she was on the verge of closing. She has the best banana pudding I've ever had in my entire life. And I don't need to say that lightly. She was on the verge of closing. Now she has three different locations. Blessings. There's a place in Chicago, Illinois called Cleo's. Come on, Cleo's. Shout out to Cleo's. Cleo's, shout out to Cleo's. She had one location. Now she's at, I think, three or four locations. And these are grassroot mom-and-pop shops that are still independent. And places that can come, even a place from here in L.A., Easy Street Burgers. Oh, Easy Street Burgers, I've had. Places that are still mom-and-pop and places that can still use the visibility and take it and go to the next level. I love that. I mean, I want to go back to the beginning, but I just have to ask because you're saying this in this moment is, did you foresee? Did you foresee that being what your brand would turn, or your influence would turn into in terms of supporting Black-owned businesses and really giving people an opportunity to grow? I would say yes. I didn't think it was going to be a festival. I thought it was going to be something. Of course, we had the conversation about a restaurant, but a restaurant, I feel like, don't get enough credit for how hard that business is. If not one of the hardest, if not the hardest business to get into, especially if you have no experience in it. I don't take that lightly. I don't play with. When it comes to people's money. So I wasn't just about to set nothing up so you could be like, oh, his food trash. And he talking about everybody else's food. And his customer service saying, ah, you know, people be so ready to drag. Immediately. Immediately. What you do? But yeah, I immediately want to avoid that. So like I said, restaurant was in question. But then we started thinking about something that could be long-term. And like I said, building IP, it could be something that is existing every year. And I'm like, what better way than bring in a community together than have an actual family reunion? And what does a family reunion look like? A festival, music festival, full family. And this, this, I really wanted to separate from any other festival. Like I didn't want it just to be something that I slapped my name on. Like I said, I can't think of any other festival that has an obstacle course where you can compete. Except for the grown folk, you know. I can't think of any festival where you can go and listen to Shamar and Kirk Franklin in the same place. Yeah. I can't think of no festival where you can get small local owned spots from. Different parts of the country. And even out of the country. I can't think of any place that highlights and puts small businesses on the forefront of a festival. Because when you go to festivals, it's usually either all about the music. Or if it's all about the food, it's all about the staples. Yeah. Or the big wow factors. Because it's the sponsors. You get the big, yeah, the big sponsor places. But this is literally about the community for the community. I love this for you. I'm so excited. May 16th, New Orleans. This is huge news. Let's take it all the way back to the beginning. Because we got to know what type of kid Keith Lee was growing up. What was it like growing up in Detroit? I was bad, bro. Yeah, I was real bad. This episode is brought to you by the brand new drinks over at McDonald's. Okay, y'all. These drinks are officially the outside drinks of 2026. I'm talking concert season, game day season, vintage market season, picnic in the park with a cute fit and a lover season. These drinks. These drinks were built for any occasion worth showing up for y'all. The Sprite Berry Blast with Sprite Blue Raspberry and cold foam on top. That's your drink before the headliner hits the stage. The Strawberry Watermelon Refresher with freeze-dried strawberries with a little caffeine to keep the energy going is what you and your girlfriends are going to be sipping at the post-brunch afters. Six new drinks total. Crafted sodas with cold foam and refreshers with popping boba and freeze-dried fruit that go perfectly with even the chilliest of drinks. Four days and the hottest shenanigans. Before you pull up anywhere, I know you're stopping at McDonald's first because that's just the move now. New drinks now at McDonald's. Baby, we outside. I've told this story before, so I'll go a little deeper in detail. Okay. So I was a kid who had, you could say disciplinary issues, but my issue was the issue with authority. Yeah. And I'll be damned. My kids are the exact same. Oh, my gosh. You got it back. Back. You got it. You got it back. Kiki, when I tell you, I can't tell my daughter to do anything without why. I love it. For what? And I'll explain it, and she's like, oh, okay, I'll do it, Dad. But afterwards, can we talk? Because you were a little loud when you said it. Ooh, ooh. And she's five. You got a critical thinker on your hands. This is a good thing. And it's a great thing, and it's something that is to be admired, but it's something that is very difficult to deal with. Yeah. And that's why I was labeled as a disciplinary. It's a disciplinary issue, because instead of taking the time to figure out what it was or where I was coming from, I will automatically just get labeled and just get thrown to the side. Like, oh, he bad. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Especially, you know, I mean, first of all, schools in general, they can do that to kids. They ask questions, and it's not even really trying to challenge authority. It's trying to understand the meaning. Trying to figure it out. Like, I don't know, and I really want to know, because I'm inquisitive, so I really have to know why you're telling me what to do instead of just being like, because I said so. Yeah, like it was never going to do it. Yeah. Why did I think that that was what was going to do it? Yeah, that's a fact. But before food, it was MMA fighting, so I feel like that must have been a way to let some of that steam off. So I wrestled all through middle school and high school, and I went straight from high school to being a professional fighter. That's crazy. I tried to go to college. I couldn't afford it. And the second I left, I went straight to, because my brother had moved us all to Vegas from Detroit. Okay. And I went back to Vegas, and I started training with him, and I turned professional at 18, and I was fighting from 18 to 26. My last fight was at the end of 2022. That's when everything took off on social media. I remember when we all saw that. You was that fighter, too. We was like, whoa, that footage was like, okay, kill him. You know what's crazy? I feel like people immediately just see me as the food guy. And I know you can relate to this so much, because you've had so many different paths and so many different parts of your life that people will look at you and be like, oh, that's Akilah in the beat. Yeah, yeah. Or like, oh, that's Kiki. But at what point did you feel comfortable with that? Because I feel like I'm just starting to get comfortable with not being the fighter, because my whole life, that's all I thought I was going to be. Yeah. And so you just. I just mean, like, the fact that people are just making you the food guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. How do you do that? You know, I think that when I stopped, when I was no longer a kid, and it was, like, difficult for me to, like, make that transition from being a kid entertainer to being an adult, I was just like, I don't know what happened in my mind, but I just was kind of like, I leaned into it, I guess. I leaned into the fact that, like, you know, y'all have known me forever. You know what I'm saying? It's okay, even though I moved into a new. But yours is the reverse. Yes. It's like people aren't. Remembering where you've been. At all. You know, so it's a total different thing, and I think, you know, I don't know, I feel like for me, as a fan of yours, I live for the Keith Lee having the MMA pass, you know what I mean? And then also, like, now he's a food critic, like, this is crazy, like, I love the diversity in that. What character do people call you the most? Akilah. Akilah. Akilah, and they always call me Akilah, and then they always call me True Jackson. Uh-huh, you're always going to be true. It's always true, you know, the VP, they're like, I'm the new VP, you know? People walk up to you and say. Yes, it's crazy. It's crazy. That's hilarious. But, you know, it's one of those things where I just go back to it, and I'm just like, at least y'all, you know, y'all rocking with it. You hear me? At least they know you for something. And it's positive, either way, you know, so that makes me happy. But it is a weird thing, you know? So, have you and your brother, because I know your brother, Kevin Lee, is a UFC fighter. Yeah. Did y'all, what was it like growing up? Was y'all fighting, like. Absolutely. Oh my gosh, that sounds crazy. Every day, all day. So, I have three, I have two brothers, and then I have a guy brother, so that's why I was about to say I have three brothers, but then I have an older sister. My older sister is the one who gave it to me the most. Oh my gosh. She's in here somewhere, or she's probably listening from the opposite side. Hey, older sis. So, her name is Irma. What's up, Irma? She is my best friend. Growing up, she was a lot bigger than me, so she was full-blown, I'm talking about old school. If I do anything, she the one that's sitting on people. Okay. She the one putting people under the pillows and making you sit there with your arms next to you. Oh my gosh, I live for it. Yeah, my sister was. She was different. She was different. She was the strict one out of all of them, but now me and her are like thick as thieves, and she's seven years older than me. But if you were to see her- That's like me and my little brother. I'm going to bring her in when you're done, and you tell me who you think older. Okay. People always think she's my little sister. Always. Always. She got them good genes. Yeah, she got them real good genes. You've been very vocal about social anxiety. I have. And just saying it's been a part of your life since you were younger, but it's so interesting because I don't see that- Because I rock with you, Kiki. Yeah, that's why you don't see it, because I rock with you. Sitting in front of crowds, but you was killing it. Did that make you nervous, or did that help you? Yes and no. I feel like my anxiety shows itself in social settings more than it does in a setting like that, because I don't have to talk to people. So it's like I can punch somebody in the face, and whatever happens after this kind of happens after this. But talking to people for some reason always gave me this like- Because I'm an overthinker, so I overthink everything. So I can have a conversation with somebody, and if I say one thing that I don't like, I'm thinking about it and replaying it. A thousand times, nonstop. I do that, too. It's the worst. It's a doozy. Because then I go into conversations nervous about what I'm about to say, and then I end a conversation nervous, and then I lead a conversation even more nervous. And then that just kind of snowballs into this like overly anxious, kind of overthinking, like worried kind of situation. And I feel like social media doesn't make it any better, because one false move, and you meant every word you said. Kiki, people with them glasses, them undercover spies. Them meta glasses. The ones that are filming. Oh, my God. They are. It's a nightmare. Yeah. Because you're like, oh, I'm just having a social interaction, and you see the bleeping, and you're like, oh, it got me. I think I caught it. And I be mid-conversation like, oh, damn. I'm looking right at your camera Like damn I didn't got caught And you got the people online That be reading lips and s**t Give me the words Like what? Yeah See I can't I can't imagine What it's like to be Kiki Palmer Because I feel like I'm still in a space Where people see me As a family man And as The food guy So it's a level of respect I feel like people give me Yeah Where I don't have Like the screaming People coming Like running up And down the street But I see people like you Or people like I Show Speed Or Kaisa Nott Who garners a different audience Where I don't know What that feels like I think it's very interesting What you're pointing out Which is just like The type of audience That people You know The type of audience An artist has Absolutely And it's interesting Because I do have Some people Depending on if they know me From like social media Or if they know me From like my kid years That could come With some of that energy But then I also have Some of my fans That are like Either like the auntie committee And they be like Baby I got aunties That's me I love me some aunties Like that Yeah I love me some aunties When they be like Baby I get that every day And you go always Always gonna be good God got you And I can feel it All over you When I tell you I feel so received Yeah yeah yeah That's me every day And so then that energy Is like everything You know Because it's like Obviously I love all my fans Even the ones that come up With you know Crazy energy But it's true Depending on where people Meet you from You're gonna get that energy It's different Yeah You first started We're talking about Ronnie You first started Actually posting videos About cooking your wife's Pregnancy cravings Which then evolved Obviously Into your restaurant reviews And by 2023 You're signing Seven figure deals And you have Seven million followers Like So how did When you just Always a foodie Yeah Okay boom So I've always been a foodie I've always been somebody Who is in love With the art of food Because as a wrestler And a fighter You have to be focused On your diet And your nutrition So I've always been Around food scientists Or people who are Professional chefs People who are Food nutritionists And I've always Had to learn How to Because at first I never did Weight cutting The right way So in high school I wouldn't eat anything I wouldn't drink A lot of water I would try And make weight In a very unhealthy way I would eat Applesauce One jar applesauce For three days And be training Non-stop And it's very unhealthy For your body But then I learned How to What to eat And when to eat it Yeah so what's The proper weight of What's the proper thing When you talk about Cutting weight So it's like A give and take system So as much as you Give into your body You have to take out That a little bit more If that makes sense So if I Put in 700 calories I have to take out 750 Calories What But then But then substitute Minerals And substitute Good fats And Substitute good proteins And carbs To really give your body Fuel Cause if you If you do it right Your body is like A It could be either I don't want to Throw nobody under the bus But it could be either Like a Volkswagen Jetta Or it could be A Bentley And if you And if you Treat your body Like a Bentley Love a Jetta But if I have to choose Jetta You put a gun in my head Cause why would I do The hand too No but I love What you're saying Yeah cause I think It's really You can either Treat your Fuel your body And the best fuel That you can give it Like I said Is good carbs And good fats And good minerals And learning that Like I said I only learned it Through food nutritionists And having my brother with me Who would cut A lot more weight Than I did And just being able To see his journey And see his process And really see how Fine tuned It has to be And I think My love of food Has come from that And even when I was Cutting weight And I couldn't eat I would eat through people Like I had this real big thing Where I'm like I'm a vicarious eater So like I can be fasting For three days My family will tell you I can be fasting for three days All three of those days I'm watching Food Network Non-stop It's so weird How that is for you Anytime that I've had a moment Where I was fasting Or I was doing something specific Where I couldn't eat certain foods It sounds torturous But why am I watching Videos of food Eat it Eat it slower Like watching Eat it slower Pick it up They're cooking a crab ragoon Between sourdough toast And let it fall off the spoon Just slow down a little bit Like it's too Quit talking a little bit Just slow down Just let me see It's so good I want a slow pick up And yeah It's very fun to watch people eat Which is why we love Watching your reviews We live for this But I have to ask Do you still cook? Because we was watching you You know you was doing it With your wife I can't as much We be traveling so much I've slowed down On even doing food reviews Because Again This festival is such a main focus And I don't want to put out Something just for the sake Of putting it out I don't want to go do a food tour Just to say we did a food tour Everything has to be intentional And the reason why I haven't done a lot of food reviews Is because every day I'm focused on This food festival And making it the best Food festival on planet earth And I won't half-ass it I'm not going to just do something Because Oh I ain't posted in this long Or I need to do Whatever's going to happen Is going to happen If you want to unfollow me Because I ain't posting that much So So be it Yeah That's amazing Regardless You've had such a success story And I wonder how much You're surprised about How this has happened for you In this regard You know Did you expect it to come from this? You know Did you think that Hey me and my family Was going to be always on this But it was going to be from MMA Yeah I thought I was going to be A champion of the world I thought that I was going to have A bunch of endorsement deals Rolling in from that That didn't happen It didn't even get close To happening I got punched in the face And got kicked out of my contract That's crazy Bloody And my daughter is like Oh daddy bleeding And then that turned into Like I said Me doing what I felt like I was called to do Which And the only reason I started recording Is so I can get used to Being in front of the camera So I can do MMA interviews But that really was me Studying to be able to do this And I had no idea But isn't that so funny Because you just said You thought you were going to be The champion of the world And you were going to have Endorsement deals But you have endorsement deals Amen And you are a champion Amen You know but it's just It's a different space You don't even be knowing God be writing a script And also you don't have to get punched That's a fact So I'm I don't know about you That's a fact But that's fire You know what I'm saying I'm still doing all the things But I get to just be with My family doing it And the fact that we just Get to travel the world Eat food together Yeah it's a blessing man God be like Just chill That's a fact Just chill I mean plenty of people Post videos of food But why do you think Yours has resonated The way that you did I genuinely One Because I pray a lot I think that that Can't be understated Of how much The power of prayer is real Amen And I never ask him For anything I always just Thank him in advance For whatever's gonna happen And I think once you Live a life of gratitude And you live a life Of not wanting anything Or wanting for anything He gonna give you Everything that Is supposed to be for you And I think that's What it boils down to But Pat From a Business perspective I don't try to do anything I just eat And whatever happened After that Happened after that I'm not trying to get The best angles The best lighting I don't have the best equipment I got my phone I don't try and make The best food The best story I literally If I feel like I'm supposed to eat there I eat there And then whatever Happened after that Happened after that And everything feels true I be chilling You know like When I think about You're talking about The God of it all And the way you do it all To me it's all the same Because when I think about God I think about the way The truth, the light I think about the honesty It's just accuracy It's what cannot be avoided And when you acknowledge that And when you're working In alignment with What's true for you That's what people feel Absolutely They feel that alignment Even you have Your own style Of editing Like no one Could tell you to do that But that was just What felt true to you For sure And then now It's the Keith Lee vibe You know what I mean I'm a Vine baby And I don't think That that gets enough credit Come on I'm a Vine kid Talk about it So I graduated in 2014 So I'm a Vine kid We love Vine I'm a Instagram Before Instagram had reels Like that's the editing style That I come from And I just refuse To change it Because that's what I always related to And what I always enjoy watching Yes When thinking about The platform today I know you mentioned A lot of what Your message Your Mission especially now Has been about Family Day But I mean Would you just say It's supporting restaurants Bringing people together Or something else entirely When you think about Why you're doing What you're doing And as an influencer Yeah I would say It's about One Being a marketing platform For small restaurants But it's also About having A space For black families To be represented I'm a black dad With a black wife And black kids I think that's Extremely important In the show And I think It's something That's underrepresented When it comes to Mainstream media I think they allow us To be in spaces That They want to allow us To be in But we are able And we are blessed enough To be everywhere We're supposed to be at And I think that That's really one of The biggest highlights From anything that I do And from a business perspective Like I said It's a marketing platform And we're really Getting into a lot Of business bags this year And I think it's An important thing to show Especially when we talk about The black dollar And black ownership What I always try to say People whether they Care about the culture Or understand What the culture is about There's a lot of money Being left on the table Absolutely Because when one community Is not able to excel Everything else can't excel So if you just think about it From the business standpoint It's like look at all the money That's being left on the table Because people can't support Their businesses Because nobody You know what I mean It's like because If there's more money there Then there's more money everywhere And now we're talking about A more thriving economy Because everybody Can make money So everybody can create So it's important That we support The businesses And I feel like Right now we are in a space Where the dollar gets It gets funneled Through the same channels You know And it gets funneled Through the same people And it goes to the same It's a certain amount Of people that they I don't know how deep We're going to get to here But we're going to get here It's a certain amount Of people that they pick Every now and again And they keep them In the same rotation And I'm blessed enough To be one of those people That's going to be A disruptor of that And bring people Who don't necessarily Have a spotlight That are in food deserts That are in places That aren't in super big cities And it's like If you're not If you're from Chicago, right, if you're from outskirts of chicago and you see somebody come to robbins illinois and it's like people in robbins illinois have just as much if not more sometimes passion than people that are in the big cities and they don't get the recognition and like i said i'm blessed enough to be a disruptor of that and bringing people from those communities and from those places uh like i said a lady from the puttery she in peril in texas like where is if you ain't from houston you don't know where peril in texas yeah it's like an hour out of houston and it ain't nobody over there we was On the way driving over there, it wasn't nothing but grass and cows. But that's what it takes. Absolutely. That's what it takes is people like yourself, people like us in these positions. I know we can't do everything, but what we can do, like, let's do it. Let's spread the access, spread the platform, spread the wealth. So I really love that. I really, really do. So from the beginning, your review centered small, independent, often black-owned restaurants. How soon did you realize that was the market you wanted to cover? Like, when did you, was that, you know what I mean? It wasn't, like I said, from the beginning, it wasn't necessarily super business-minded. But now it is. In the beginning, it's, I'm very pro-black. I want to see everybody that look like me succeed. And in my day-to-day life, I was going to places that look like me. Again, I'm from Detroit. I went to all-black high school. I went to all-black middle school. I went to all-black church camp. And so that is my necessary, like, that's my deference, is to go to where my people are. And to go to, and it sucks as a reality, but nine times out of ten, the food deserts look like me and you. The people who aren't represented, and the people who are underfunded, and the people who can't get the loans, and are taking their kids back and forth from work, but still having people ask them for $10,000 for a marketing video that they can't afford, look like me and you. And it's like, come on, man. That's why we do what we do for free. Yeah, it's like, come on, get real. What's a small detail that you always notice that tells you? If there is one, oh, this place is about to be good. Ooh, from a food perspective, or like just a general? Yeah, like a restaurant. I got a few of them. Baby, this is Kiki Poma, yeah. There is a very specific kind of joy that happens when you get three generations of your family all under one roof. And if you know, you know. I'm talking about mom teaching the grandkids something in the backyard, daddy on the grill doing what he does best, the cousins running around being feral in the best way possible, and let me tell you, that kind of moment, you're not really getting that in a hotel. In a hotel, everybody ends up in their own room, doors closed, doing their own thing. It starts to feel more like a logistics exercise than a family memory. But when I book a stay on Airbnb, like when I went to Big Bear, ugh, it's a whole different vibe. You get a real home in a real neighborhood with enough space so nobody's on top of each other, but still close enough that everybody's part of the same story. And that's what makes it special. Spring is the perfect time to do it before summer gets hectic and everybody's schedules take over. Find a home on Airbnb and get your whole family under one roof. Trust me, that's where the magic is. So if we shooting a video, right, I will either, one, if there's a story that matches how the person is when you first meet them, or when you meet them, I think that's automatically a for sure sign. So people will reach out and be like, hey, I done had this restaurant for, you know, for 10 years and only one or two people come, but this is me and my mom or me and my dad and this is a family-owned spot. When you walk in, you could tell if they legit like that. And I feel like within a few seconds of a conversation, you could tell. But when it comes from a food perspective, one is presentation. I feel like when you, we all know when you see certain plates, especially when it comes to black diaspora food, when you see certain plates, the way that the mac and cheese glisten, it's a very specific texture. That has to be done for you. And you can see it with your eyes. But yeah, from a food perspective, but just, I'm big on connection. Like, I feel like I'm blessed enough to have discernment. And it hasn't steered me wrong yet. I feel like when I can know just off of a few bites and be like, this might get crazy. I love the vibe when you go to somewhere. It just made me think about going somewhere with my family and friends being like, we walk right in the door, we smell, ooh, this is about to be good. This is about to be good. You know it immediately. You walk in like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You start unbuttoning like, yeah, this is about to get crazy. Yeah. Come on, unbuttoning. Take your jacket off, get comfortable. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel like you know it immediately. You do. Now, we have to talk about in 2024, your followers spotting that worm. Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, my gosh, that was so spooky ooky. Yeah. So I didn't know what had happened. Spooky ooky is hilarious. So I didn't know what had happened until I posted it and I woke up the next morning. And typical for me, night after a post might be 2 million, 3 million. It was at like 13. And I said, hold on. I said, well, I said, well, I said, oh, this is a real good video because the food was good. So I'm like, oh, yeah, I said, oh, this is doing real well. They love this restaurant. Yeah, I said, oh, they love this spot. And then I went in comments. All I saw was worm, worm, worm. And I can't confirm or deny what it was. It did appear that something moved. I can't say it was a worm or not because you would know. I don't want no smoke because I don't know if that's what it was. But I did rewatch the video and it did appear that something moved. I saw the movement. Now, you know, there's a bonito flakes. There's a I don't know exactly. What bonito flakes are, if somebody can look it up for me. But it's like a dry seaweed that kind of moves if it gets touched. So it could have been that. That's what. So when I saw it, I also thought about because I saw a weird video before about some type of sashimi that moves. It's like a sashimi. It's like it's I don't know what bonito flakes are, but it absolutely could have been that. It could have been a worm. Right. Not here to confirm or deny. But all I know is I was healthy afterwards. Thank goodness. And you know how the Internet get. They immediately start telling me I had 72. Hours live and I needed to go get the work. That's crazy. Now I'm drinking my magnesium citrate all night. Charcoal. That's so crazy. Yes. One of those weird ones where you just get spooked. They just, you know what I mean? You know, people be scaring people. What is the craziest, most fun, if you can think of it, experience you've had while traveling, doing your food tricks? Oh, specifically food wise. But you have a crazy funny one. That was not food wise. Go ahead. I was one food wise. I would say. Hmm. Yeah, I like you. OK, so one, we went to South Carolina. OK. And his name is Bernard. I'm sure everybody has seen Bernard before. His name is BS Dining Experience. I think he has a super big oil fryer and it's literally like 30 feet long. And he be frying bear paws. He fry python. He fry. Anything you can get your hands on. Rabbit, squirrel. We went. Thank God he was frying chicken. But it was some of the best chicken I've ever had in my life. But it was the country is thing I've ever been a part of. We in this man backyard. The when I tell you that sort of the grill here. Right. His backyard stopped maybe like 10 feet after that. I love stuff like that. After that, the woods. And he like, I said, where you get the bear from? He gonna look at me and go. The woods. I said. I said. No, no, no, no, no. For real. Where you get it from? And he legit like walk me back there. It's just nothing but like open land. So they go back there and hunt. They grab the food. They take it. They take whatever hair off of it. Put in the fryer and pass it to you on a plate. My uncle used to cook coon raccoon. See, I'm from Detroit. So they had some coon. Venison chili. Squirrel chili. Yup. Yeah. I ain't eat no coon. I ain't eat no coon. I'll try everything once. I'll try everything. But I ain't eat no coon. That's crazy, man. Okay. Now, you've truly tried it all. So we need to do a quick little rapid fire, you know, to get your thoughts on the most hotly debated food topic. So I'll read a statement and you'll give an opinion. Let me sip one more time. Go ahead. Go ahead. Hey, I'm with you. Okay. Pineapple on pizza. Yes. Yes. Ordering a steak. Well done. No. You might as well chew on a tire. Is a hot dog a sandwich? Ooh. Dude, we got toppings on it. If it's a hot dog, it's a sandwich. That sounds so freaking cool. Like, she makes dishes like that. I cannot wait to go look at that. Back in, like, old school country dishes that our grandmas, grandmas used to make. And, like, the fact that they got lost in translation and we don't make them anymore. You know when they be saying we losing recipes? She finding all of the recipes. And that's, yeah, that's one of my favorite things. And how is she actually able to find them? What is she, I mean, what is she researching? I think she's just doing research. That's extensive. Because the research is there or the knowledge is there. I just think it's one of those things that you don't know if you don't know. And I'm sure that they have a bunch of, like, a plethora of, because we still are blessed enough to have grandmas that are living. That know and grew up eating stuff like that. But the fact that it's in front of us, I think it's super dope. That's amazing. So behind the Keith Lee effect are obviously real families. But what's one moment that reminded you of the human side of your influence? I got a couple. One, I would say there was a place called Dynamite Korean Barbecue. When we first went, it was in Vegas. When we first went, the owner. And he found out a week after getting his dream restaurant that he was diagnosed with stage three tongue cancer. What? And he was his whole life fighting for this restaurant. The second he get it, he started having mouth sores or he started having issues where he had to go to the hospital. And they told him he had tongue threes, stage three tongue cancer. The video he made initially was, hey, we don't have any people coming in. The rent is super expensive. I went in, maybe. I would say I forgot what month it was. It was like in December. Two days later, line wrapped around a corner. The owner was able to tell me he saw his dream come true. And he finally got everything that he was dreaming about and he was wishing for. And he was okay with that. And right after he passed away. We did a memorial service for him where over 4,000 people showed up and patronized the place. We pay for everybody to come eat. It was one of the dopest things. It was literally a community day before. A community day or a family day before a family day. And everybody was able to come and enjoy. His wife is still living. And the way she embraced me, I felt like she was like my auntie. She embraced me like, you don't know what this means, but thank you. And she gave me the biggest hug. I love that. I would say that's one. It's so many because we have so many conversations with owners right after we leave. And the stuff that people tell me is literally like second to none. So there's a place. And New Orleans, one of the very first places outside of Vegas that got the quote unquote Keith Lee effect. And this is the part that I've never told anybody. We was driving around first food tour ever that we've done outside of Vegas. And I'm in this mindset of like, this is not going to work. It's only happening in Vegas because it was like one off. So it was like random or like, oh, this just got booming. But outside of a different state is not going to be the same. Right. So we're driving around New Orleans. We got a list full of restaurants. I'm going through the list and I don't feel. I don't feel anything on this list. Like, you know, you look at something and you just it's like, yeah, we can go. But nothing stood out to me. Right. Yes. I prayed while he's in the car. And I said, I thank God in advance that I find a place that not only would benefit from us being there, but actually has great food. And this is exactly how I'm talking to him because I talk to him like he my cousin actually has great food and is where we supposed to be at. Five minutes later, I got an email from a place called Cajun. This is small. It was Cajun licious grill or something like that. It was a small family owned shack. And when I say shack, like it was like a 10 by 10 hut with four or five people in there and a shoulder to shoulder. And we went in some of the best chicken I've ever had in my life and around the corner. And to this day, they just opened a brick and mortar in New Orleans. And they're going to be at the Family Day Festival. Oh, yeah. So that's that's for sure. One of the ones that to me stands out because it was our first one. And I'm doubting the journey that we on. And I'm asking God to put us or thanking God in advance that we get put in the situation. And he literally put us where we supposed to be. When I'm literally sitting here talking to you about this, I started to think to myself, I mean, some people have been food critics forever and they don't necessarily get the impact of the Keith Lee effect. I mean, have you ever gotten feedback on that? Has any food critics been like, yo? So I get it. I get it. From both sides. I get the professional chefs who are like he ain't a food critic and and he just a influencer. I get that title. But then I also get people who are have been in the space for a very long time and they send love and respect for it. But I have I've always had imposter syndrome and I'm getting a lot better. I don't see myself how nobody else see me. So food critic, influencer, creator. I'm Keith. Yeah, I'm Keith. And nothing else but Keith. The only title that I have been accepting of lately is. Because out of anything that I have been blessed enough to do is, like I said, marketing from just and it has nothing to do with a professional because I'm not a professional chef. I'm not a person who has a big, extensive culinary background. I'm just a person who has a food. But that level of authorship in especially an industry like entertainment, even though it's not necessarily something you were trying to do. But, you know, this it becomes your public facing. So it becomes entertainment. People. They try to tell you who you are, who you are. They really, really do. And the thing is, like, these are things that I do. I do critique food. I do do X, Y and Z. I do. But that's not me. What I really am is an architect. I'm really a business person. I'm really this is something that my mind works business first. My mind works marketing first. So even when we're doing the festival, we're doing all of the marketing for it. Like we own the ground. We went to Mardi Gras and we's walking around. We went under the bridge. If you ever been in New Orleans under the bridge is like it's a big bridge that goes throughout the entire city. And people just come under there and party. It's like just people walking around is car shows and it's food everywhere. People dancing and DJs. And we literally just walk in the middle of 10,000, 15,000 people. And it's not again from a place of like, oh, I got something to sell. It's like, no, this is what I feel like I'm called to do. And I'm going to feet to the ground. Yeah, I think that's the only way if you are going to sell anything, that's the only way to do it. Because it's from a place of like, I appreciate y'all. I think that the fact that y'all gonna spend a single dollar. It means the world to me. So my mind always goes marketing first. Coming from Detroit, what is your connection to New Orleans? How did that become your. So random enough, the very first place that we did food tour was New Orleans. But we was in Puerto Rico because my brother had got married. And I'm very spontaneous. So I told them, hey, I want to go somewhere and eat some food. And let's go record it. Mind you, we never did a food tour before. We never did no traveling for nothing, for food specifically. When it come to recording. So they looking at me like, I'm crazy. And I'm like, let's just find the closest place. We're trying to get on a Disney cruise. And they're like, you can't get on a Disney cruise the same day. That's not how that work. So I said, what's the closest flight? And New Orleans happened to be the closest flight. And we went and I said, we was there for maybe a week. And it was still, in my opinion, some of the best food I've ever had in my life. Oh, my gosh. So it's just like kind of that memory of this is where it all began type of thing. And I'll give you something I never gave nobody before. Only my family know this. My mom. My mom's family is from New Orleans. And I grew up going to New Orleans as a kid. And the reason I never spoke on it for real is because I was a kid. So I used to go when my, so my grandpa passed away when I was six, I believe, like five or six. So thank you. But, you know, people, especially if you from there, they're going to be like, oh, where'd you, where'd you go when you was a kid? Or where your grandpa from? Or what's that? I don't have those answers. I still got family on my mom's side that lives out there. But I don't have those answers. So I've never said anything. I don't. I don't want the, uh, you from the knife ward or where'd you from? So I just always kept to myself. But yeah, I do have roots there. But again, this is a traveling thing. This isn't something that's only going to be native to New Orleans. Of course. This is something that will move around and we will go places like my hometown. Midwest 2027. Amen. I have a special connection to New Orleans because my parents, they met in New Orleans. They were doing like a speech interp competition that my mom won. And my dad was like, I'm in love with her. She's amazing. So I always think. I always think about my parents eating Popeye's for the first time. Shout out to Popeye's. How, how nervous does it get, especially because of the Keith Lee effect now, does it get to know that if you say something negative about a restaurant, they might really get messed up business wise? It's, it's crazy because what I may deem negative or what I may deem positive, somebody may deem negative. And it's so, especially in a world of social media. If you are somebody who, if you are a person who is a person who is a person who is a person who is positive 90% of the time, if you say anything that can remotely be deemed, oh, he don't like this, it gets turned into World War III. Other than if I was somebody who's always vulgar or always cussing. If I cuss once, oh, hell break loose. People used to do that to me too. Oh, oh, hell break loose. And it's like, I can cuss, I cuss a little. Yeah, I can cuss a little. I cuss a little. What'd she say? I cuss a little bit. I cuss a little. Just a little bit. I cuss a little. I cuss a little. And I think that's one of those things. One of the things when it comes to even negative critiques that I don't be critiquing nothing. I just give you my opinion. And I come from a place or a perspective of a customer and I come from a place of perspective of who, of somebody who just want to get on a plane, go to a random city and just grab some good food. Yeah. No ifs, ands, or buts. I just want to get on a plane, go somewhere. I don't want to have the biggest name to be able to eat there. I don't want to have to call 10 hours ahead. I don't want to have to have a whole bunch of people people around me in order to eat, I just want to eat some great food. And I want my mom to be able to go in after me and you don't know that's my mama and she get the same experience. Yeah. Yeah, then you want the real response. For sure. You know, food isn't necessarily polarizing, but you use it to highlight how certain issues impact people's real lives. So I have to bring up you supporting Mexican restaurants during ICE. You know, I mean, it's still going on, ICE raids. And then you sending, you know, asking brands to stop sending you PR, instead donate food. Absolutely. So I think that's really impactful and just shows that it means more to you beyond food. But, I mean, how did those ideas come to you? Was this something that you and Ronnie, your wife, would speak about? I'm not a political person. I am a human being. So my perspective came specifically from a human being standpoint. It had nothing to do with the politics of the situation or what side is what. I believe in right and wrong, and I specifically chose that time. And that place to speak on it, because it was something that was near and dear to me. I've seen the behind the scenes of these restaurants. I've been blessed enough to have connections with a bunch of different backgrounds and ethnicities and backgrounds. And I've been blessed enough to travel just like you have. And we all know this country does not exist without everybody. This is a place that is built on that. That's what we thought. So it's like, what's going on? And the second that I feel like that gets disrupted, if I'm blessed enough to have any voice, to say anything about it, then I even, I think people was, and I don't know why. And again, I ain't never said this before. I don't know why people thought I was on the other side. I don't know why you were surprised. People did? Yeah, people was like, oh, I'm so shocked. For what? Why did you give that gave that? I have no idea. It ain't never gave that. Kiki, it ain't never gave that. They be supporting the people. Everything is so community driven. Kiki, I'm one of the people. I'm amongst the people. So crazy. And I've always been with the people. So when people were shocked, I'm like, I'm shocked. You know, when people get to looking around, I got to looking around too. It's like that video when the dude is like, oh, I'm like, we both looking at each other lost. But yeah, I feel like it wasn't something that was a shock to the people who were closest to me. Sure, sure. Because again, I've always been very outspoken when it comes to stuff like that, because I believe in the empowerment and the movement of black and brown people. Yes. And if we don't do it, it's not going to get done. And we, and look, we, we all, we all are trying. We're trying to do it from our standpoint. Like you said, at the end of the day, I'm a, you're, I'm a human being. I know I ain't going to change the world. It's God's job. But if I can do a little something, if I can say what's on my mind in my life, then I, you know, I will. So I really appreciate you for that. I'm also think there's something cool that I, you know, want to point out is that you turned down, you know, nearly a million dollar deal because you don't eat the brand of the food. And I think this is important to say, because as a creator and in this economy, that's a tough decision for two reasons. A, because obviously ethically. But then also people do just need to live. You know, we never know when our next deal or things are coming through, but you to me showed an enormous amount of faith to know that if I say no to this and it's not true to me, the right thing is going to come my way. But I know it must've been difficult making that decision. I wasn't making money like that. So when they said a million dollars, I was like, well, how much? Who are you going to cash it out to? To me? So immediately, uh, my thought process was, is this? I'm going to be my last million dollars. And am I willing for this to be my last million dollars? Um, because it was something that went, went against who I am as a person. Um, it had nothing to do with the food itself. It had more to do with what they wanted me to do with the food. So they wanted me to take a bite of it and go, it's a 10 out of 10. Hmm. I never been him, Kiki, Kiki. I ain't never been him. Please keep, don't talk to me. I can't do it. Oh my God. Cause I, I wanted to, to work with them, but from a community standpoint, I, I brought up like, Hey, let's do it. This is again, two, three, four years before the family day. I said, let's do a community day. Let's do something where it's brought by this person or brought by this company. Um, and it really makes an impact within the community. Let's go to some schools. Let's go talk to some kids. Let's go and preach the importance of a nutritional balanced diet. Let's do that. Like, let's go do something that is, is centered around that. Um, and it was like, no, eat that and say, it's a 10 out of 10. Yeah. Well, if you don't want to work with me, then you don't see me as a partner. That's a fact. You see me as somebody who got 10 million followers and how many people on that platform got 10 million followers. But the great thing about what you're saying is, first of all, this is the exact same way that I think about my, when I'm working with a brand is like at the end of the day, if you see me as a partner, then you need to respect what I'm saying. And I'm telling you, cause I know you looking at me, you saying I'm a black girl and that you want the black audience, but I'm telling you right now, black, white, any of my audience members, cause they're, it's all included. It's a demographic. Yeah. They don't, they know what I'm being, when I'm being real, when I'm being fake, what makes sense. So I don't have a poker face. And if you don't want them to look at you crazy because you got me up here, it's going back to all of us. So like, it's like, that's why I said it would be my last million dollars because the people who rock with me and the people who know who I am, they immediately is going to be like, Oh, that's not him. And how fast did that happen? Oh, it's been a year since everything took off and he already with the million dollars. He already took it. Oh, he didn't, he got bought out that quick. And then the great thing about it is that people then at that point will know this is how you work with me. It ain't like I can't work with you, but you got to work with me. You know, you never want the title as somebody that's difficult to work with, but you also never want the title as somebody that's super easy to work with either. To the point where you just do, there's no thought or intentionality. Oh, he'll do anything. Oh, we, cause, okay, this is something I want to stress for people who are just getting into this space or are wanting to get into this space that all of these brands talk to each other. They all know each other. So if you accept a rate in one spot, he getting on the phone and he's saying, oh, he just quoted you a million dollars. He just took 50,000 over here. Oh, he just did it with no, I didn't even have to pay for his flight. He only got one hotel room and it's six of them. They do that and they are talking over coffee after the conversation or they're going to get on the phone and say, Hey, he, if you come to him, you got to come correct. You've got to set a family to feed. He got, he don't play about his wife. His wife got to be there. His, his, his kids got to be there. He, they don't play about that. And I feel like once you set that, yes, it's going to be hard at first. Yes, it's scary. Um, but the more that you say no, the more valuable you are. Yes, he is. And the more valuable people are going to value that because if you don't take yourself serious, nobody going to take you serious. If you show up and you have ass and everybody going to have ass because they like, oh, he don't even require that much. Right. But if you show up and like, oh, I'm blessed enough to be him. They going to treat you like you him. It's really true. It's really true. You just got to know your value. I think it's also. Everything is a game. You got to play it. Come on. It's all a game. You got to know. You got to know. Well, my time is up. I'm really sad about this. This has been amazing. Man, you, we kick it, bicking back, being boom. You are the kicker. That's you, girl. You him, man. That is you. You him. Now, I got to play a game with you because I play a game with all my guests. You've traveled the country. You've eaten everything. So we had to switch things up for you when you come into the show. Okay. We're going to do. We're going to do a blind taste test. Yeah. A blind taste test. Here's how it works. We'll put on blindfold, try a new item every round, and give our honest takes and best guesses. After the tasting, blindfolds come off, and we find out what we've actually been eating. Oh, come on. Are you ready, King? I am. I'm very excited. I did this just for you, King. Let's do it. Let's do it. I was super excited. This feels almost like a fried green tomato. Huh? It's not. It's like a who do you? Are you eating? Are you eating already? I already put it in my mouth. I'm too quick. Wait, wait, wait, wait. It's like a pickle or something. Wait, it's like a fried pickle? Oh, no. That ain't no pickle. Mine feels like fake meat. Kiki? Yours feels like real meat? I don't know what this is. I feel you on the pickle, though. It don't feel like nothing I've ever had before. Mm-mm. And it's breaded real bready. Real bready. I'm going to open this sucker up. I thought, wait, hold on. Hold on. There's a sauce in here. I'm about to get to the sauce. I'm about to get to the grip. Wait. It might be fried tomatoes. You were right. It's fried. Can we look? Yep. Ready to take off the blindfold? Wait. Hold on. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Let me get the sauce first. The sauce is going to tell me. Oh, that was sauce. Oh, that's right. Yeah. Mm-hmm. That is a fried tomato. Mm-hmm. Maybe green tomato. It's very good. It's seasoned well, ain't it? Mm. Mm. Blindfolds off? What restaurant is this? Blindfold up. Go for it. Yeah. Fried green tomato. It's a spicy aioli. Yeah. It didn't smell like a pickle. It felt like a pickle because I can grab this tomato and it felt real. And you know how them green tomatoes are a little bit sour? Mm-hmm. They still have a similar. Very, very good. Oh, no. It's good, though. I like this. Who did this? Who was these people? That tastes country. It's a black-owned restaurant. Fix-ins. Oh, that's fix-ins. Everybody likes fix-ins. I've had fix-ins before. Shout out to fix-ins. I can't even find a plate. Oh, wait. Oh, my gosh, kid. Oh, it's a taco. Oh, it's a taco with a green sauce. Wait. For sure. Yeah, a green sauce. For sure, I can feel the taco of it all. Mine feels too thick. Ooh. Is that good? That is spicier than a m******. Wait, really? Mm. Mm-mm. God. Mm-mm. Mm. Mm-mm. God damn. What's that? That orange salsa? That ain't green. I don't know about this, mama. Mm-mm. I don't know about this. Mine is just a fake meat. Mm-mm. Mm. Mine tastes like pineapple. Yeah, mine has a lot going on. Mm-mm. Mm-mm. It's spicy, though. Did you taste the salsa? I tasted it. Dip your finger to the salsa. I tasted it. I guess that's what it was like, habanero, just straight hot, no flavor. Straight habanero. Immediate back of the tongue spice. What meat is that? The meat is not ripe. I'm trying. I'm trying, Keith. This ain't good to me. I'm very sorry to them. Sorry to that man. Okay? I don't like this. It's very obviously a vegan taco. It is very obviously vegan. Everything can't be vegan. I don't think there was any separation of vegan and not vegan. Yeah. I think you knew immediately that it was vegan. I knew immediately it was vegan. Yeah. This is when you're doing a vegan thing and you do mushrooms. Yeah. You know, don't do the fake meat. Mushrooms. Grilled things. Oh, yeah. What kind of meat substitute is that? And I don't mean no shade. Because maybe to somebody that- Well, I said it was orange and I didn't know it was orange. It's a red sauce. This was just hot, by the way. That's hot. This was just hot. No flavor. Habanero at all. He said, I don't- He said, I don't- I don't want that. This wasn't right. He said- By the way, I say this to say, if you are a vegan, you might love this. Amen. See, that's why I rock with you. This is that, you know- Because everything is not for everybody. That's it. Amen. Amen. Different strokes with different folks. And that ain't your stroke. Y'all can go and get rid of her. Okay, this is hard as a brick. This is some dessert item that they put too much **** on. This ain't dessert. You know this is- This is dessert. Some **** as dessert. Like crumbled. This is a cookie. Yeah. Girl, this is a hard-ass cookie. And it's hard as a brick. It's hard-ass. Like, what the hell is going on? Eek-ee. Guys, no. Wait, is crumbled? Is it good? Is it good? No, it ain't good? It's good. Is it good? It's a little bit good, friend. It's a little bit good. Mmm. I know it ain't- I know it ain't- I don't know if it's good. It's not bad, right? It's sweet. It's sweet. Oh, really sweet. I can take my blindfold off? Yeah. Because we knew it was a cookie. Oh, I didn't know it was a matcha cookie, though. Oh, my gosh. It makes it better than a matcha cookie. This is a cake. This is real cake. Why do they do this? What kind of cookie is this? It's very sweet. It's very good. This one had to be snickerdoodle. This one I don't know. This is lemon and matcha. Mmm. It's in this snickerdoodle. Matcha yuzu. I can taste the snickerdoodle. It tastes good. This is the thing. I don't usually like anything this large. The moment that I see this size, I'm gone. But it does taste good. It is good. It's very good. And they can easily make this smaller. I will say, they are very hard. Yeah. This is a very hard cookie. But some people love all this monster cookie stuff. Some people love this. Kids do. Oh, wait. I should have grabbed this one first, because this was not hard at all. This one real soft. You can see it falling apart. It was very tasty, Keith. I don't know why every time I say Keith. I don't know why. I always say Keith. I pronounce it with an F. I should have had that one first. It was very good. That one tastes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It's very good. This one, absolutely delicious. You're not a huge fan of this one, though. I didn't love that taste. What did you think? You liked it. I liked the fact that it was citrusy at the end. And I could taste the matcha immediately. Yeah. That one, I think, is just softer. And it has much of a buttery taste. It tastes like cereal. That tastes like, if I had some milk, that would taste like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Yeah. That with a little dip of milk would be great. I'm giving this. Green with another chance. Do you drink matcha? I like matcha. You do. We got to eat some matcha together. You know some popping spots. I love some matcha. Because I hate when it gets gritty. I can't stand gritty matcha. Am I eating matcha or am I eating dirt? You don't like it to be super earthy. Yeah. I don't like when it goes super earthy like that. You know, I want the flavor. I like real matcha, though. I want that, like, whoo. Wow. You want that. I'm up. Yeah, I want that kick. What's your favorite type of food? Ooh. I never knew that. American cuisine. Yeah. Black American cuisine. I love American cuisine. So, wait a minute. I love black American food. Black American plate, what's on yours? Ooh. We need a protein, and then give me some sides. Yams. Yams, without a doubt. Collard greens. Collard greens. If I'm feeling in the mood, some fried catfish. Well, potato salad. Baby, catfish. You a Midwestern boy. I'm from Detroit. It got to be fried catfish. If I don't got fried catfish, I love a wing. I don't like wingdings. It got to be the whole wing. Yeah. I want to be able to do this. Yeah. I'm not mad. Like, it got to be a full pool. I want the process. I want everything. If it's not, I hate smothered foods. That's the only thing I don't like when it comes to- Interesting. Like, smothered- Steak. Yeah. Smothered. I don't like nothing smothered and covered. I'm a texture person. So, I took out the goddamn black photo. You made it look cool. Yeah, I don't like nothing that's, like, engulfed in gravies and stuff. I'm not mad at gravies and sauces. What's your protein? My protein, 1,000%, I'm here for caffeine. Caffeine. All day long. Now, back in the day when I ate that, pork chop. Pork chop, get you right. It got to be fried. It's got to be fried. You like it covered or just straight? I like a little cover. It doesn't have to be, though. Okay. But straight fried. At least, I'm into, like, my dad would do, like, you know, a smothered steak. I do love smothered steak with some grilled onions. You can count me in. But, see, that's not gravy smothered. You like peppers and- Yes, yes. Okay, I can get down with that. I like all that. I hate brown gravy and it's just, like, ladled. And it's just that. Yeah, ladled. I can see that. Yeah, so my plate would be so similar to yours. Only thing I might add is a little side of a potato salad. What kind of potato salad? What color is it? A little bit yellow. That's so hot. Only real potato salad eaters know. Why would I say that? It got to have a little tinge of yellow. It can't be white. It got to have a little, like, it can't be super yellow. But it got to have, like, just a little- That is so funny. Like, one of them, like, uh. Oh my gosh, that would be so good, man. I'm hungry. It's just that we got to go eat. We do. We do. This is a big-ass cookie. It's sweet, too. That was so sweet. Wow. Yeah, God, this is amazing, man. This is an honor of mine, bro. This is so dope. Oh my gosh, I'm so happy. I feel the same. This is so dope. You are the best, man. Thank you so much, man. You are amazing. Seriously. Yeah, you are amazing. This was so fun, guys. Keith Lee's impact goes far beyond food. Yes, the content blows up. But it's the care behind it that really moves people. From the toughest seasons of his life to building something that feeds his family and supports entire communities, Keith has done this his way. And whether he's in a car, in a kitchen, or in your city, his videos always keep it real. If you're anywhere near New Orleans, make sure you check out Family Day. And I'll see you next time on Baby, This is Kiki Palmer. Baby, this is Kiki Palmer, yeah.