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For Maddy DeVita, food has always been more than sustenance—it’s a source of joy, creativity, and personal expression. As the creator behind the “” social media brand, she’s built a successful career as a private chef and attracted a large following by sharing her culinary journey.

Maddy launched her Instagram account, Hand Me the Fork, in June 2020, initially documenting meals she made during lockdown. What began as a quarantine project soon became a passion. However, it wasn’t until she enrolled at the 51�Թ� in November 2022 that her social media presence truly took off. A video from her time as a student in the Culinary Arts program went viral, skyrocketing her followers from 2,000 to over 100,000 in just a few weeks.

“It all started with one video—‘egg day’ at culinary school. We made French omelets, American-style omelets, scrambled eggs, and poached eggs,” Maddy says. “When people clicked on my profile and saw that I was posting daily, they followed along to see new culinary school videos every day.”

Yet, Maddy didn’t always envision herself at the center of a social media following built around food. Maddy's original plan was to become a doctor. She was studying biology in college, with an interest in global health, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused her to reevaluate her goals.

Unsure of her next step, she reached out on a whim to Ebbio Farms in Tuscany, Italy, pitching her skills in social media management. The farm’s two female owners gave her a chance, inviting her to work and live with them for six weeks. 

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“I had been following the farm on Instagram for years, and I just messaged them, pitching myself as an intern who could help with social media,” Maddy says. “They needed help with a cookbook project, so I went to Tuscany, documented my journey on Hand Me the Fork, and created content for Ebbio Organic Farm too.”

That experience was a turning point. Soon after, she enrolled at ICE. The eight-month program, conveniently located in Manhattan, offered the perfect environment for Maddy to build her skills. Though she had considered learning on the job in a restaurant, she says she thought the training at ICE could lay the foundation for her career.

“It was the perfect length—eight months to establish a foundational knowledge base that would allow me to do whatever I wanted next in the food industry,” she says.

During her time at ICE, Maddy began documenting her life as a culinary student, creating day-in-the-life videos that demystified professional cooking. The videos, featuring lessons on knife skills, ingredient prep, and making stocks and sauces, among many other topics, gave followers a personal behind-the-scenes view of culinary school life. Filming and editing these lessons also reinforced the material for her.

“The short clips give people a taste of what culinary school is like. You get a good sense of the experience through these bite-sized videos,” Maddy says. “[ICE] provides a solid foundation, and people take you more seriously after spending eight months learning skills that could take years to acquire in a restaurant.”

To combine her love of cooking with her social media expertise, Maddy carried out her externship managing Chef Daniel Boulud's social media presence. The schedule was perfect for her—classes from 7 AM to 11 AM, followed by afternoons creating content for one of New York’s top chefs. Through this work, she learned how Chef Boulud’s kitchens operated and helped his team prepare him for media appearances, including interviews on Good Morning America.

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However, another opportunity came her way before she could join Chef Boulud’s team full-time. A private placement agency offered her a role as a private chef, and she found herself loving the work. Maddy spent the summer cooking for a private client in the Hamptons, managing all the meals for the family and their guests.

Serving anywhere from 4 to over 40 people, Maddy prepared lunch and dinner throughout the season. Some clients allowed her to take full control of the menu, while others were more involved, especially when catering to guests with dietary restrictions.

While she’s no longer filming her ICE classes, Maddy now shares the ins and outs of life as a private chef through her social media channels.

“This summer, a typical day involves waking up in the Hamptons and hitting the markets early, where you can spot other chefs doing the same,” Maddy says. “I don’t film every day, but if I think a menu is particularly interesting, I’ll capture it for my audience. Working as a private chef adds another layer of challenge to creating engaging content.”

As the summer season in the Hamptons wraps up, Maddy is preparing for the fall and winter. One of her passions is global health, so she's partnering with the World Food Program and leveraging her social media presence to raise awareness about hunger, food scarcity and efforts to combat these issues.

As she furthers the World Food Program's goals, she will continue private cheffing, now working for clients at their NYC homes. All the while, she plans to continue posting on Hand Me the Fork.

"There’s nothing more satisfying than coming up with a creative concept, executing it, and seeing the client love it—that’s the gold star moment for me as a private chef," Maddy says. "Social media is secondary to that, but it naturally follows when I share these authentic moments, and that’s what performs best.”