Alexis Nikole Nelson

Last updated

Alexis Nikole Nelson
Born (1992-05-26) May 26, 1992 (age 31)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Alma mater Ohio State University
Known for Foraging, social media accounts
Awards James Beard Award (2022)

Alexis Nikole Nelson (born May 26, 1992) is an American forager, cook, and internet personality. She maintains the TikTok account alexisnikole and Instagram page blackforager, where she posts videos of her foraging finds along with cooking techniques and historical information.

Contents

In 2022, Nelson won the inaugural James Beard Award for Best Social Media Account.

Early life and education

Alexis Nikole Nelson grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her mother first showed her how to forage at the age of five by introducing her to onion grass. [1] She attended the New School Montessori and Walnut Hills High School, from which she graduated in 2010. She graduated from the Ohio State University in 2015 with degrees in environmental science and theatre.

Career

Nelson posts videos of her foraging finds on social media accounts. Her videos are informal, playful, and humorous, despite a long experience and encyclopedic knowledge of foraging. [2] She has maintained the Instagram account "blackforager" since 2019, and created the TikTok page "alexisnikole" in 2020. Nelson's posts concern such topics as the indigenous roots of foraging in America, the history of American foraging laws, and sustainable ways for her viewers to include wild plants and mushrooms in their diets, with a focus on vegan recipes. [3] [4] [5] In most of her videos, she documents ingredients that she finds in the wild and then turns them into dishes using her own or adapted recipes. [6]

Her popularity grew in 2021, from under 500,000 TikTok followers early that year to 3.3 million by January 2022. Her efforts were successful enough that she left her office job in September 2021 to focus on her foraging work full-time. National media attention that year included New York Times and Bon Appétit articles, as well as segments on The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Drew Barrymore Show . She was also added to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list that year. [7]

In April 2022, Alexis attended the 2022 TED conference in Vancouver, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic began. At the conference, she gave a TED Talk about her foraging work, and cooked sweet-and-salty seaweed chips using Vancouver-foraged bull kelp. [8] In June 2022, she won the James Beard Award for social media influence. Her accounts at the time had a cumulative 4.8 million followers. [9] [10] [11]

In January 2023 Nelson appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! . [12]

Nelson is currently working on a cookbook, to be published by Simon & Schuster in 2024. [7] [13]

In 2023, Nelson joined the YouTube channel Crash Course, where she will host a 15-episode series on botany. [14]

In December, 2023, an episode of Eat This with Yara featuring Nelson titled 'The Awful Truth About ‘No Trespassing’ Signs' won "Outstanding Lifestyle Program" at the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards. [15]

Influences

Nelson attributes her interest in foraging to both natural inclination and her family's African and indigenous heritage. [6]

Personal life

Nelson lives in Columbus, Ohio, with a partner and several pets. She practices a vegan diet. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa and Lena</span> German social media personalities

Lisa and Lena Mantler, collectively known as Lisa and Lena, are German TikTokers who rose to prominence on the defunct video sharing application Musical.ly. They had over 30 million followers, making them the #1 most-followed creators at the time on the platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Ariel</span> American social media personality (born 2000)

Ariel Rebecca Martin, known professionally as Baby Ariel, is an American social media personality who rose to fame after posting lip-syncing videos on the defunct video sharing app Musical.ly. She was recognized as one of the most influential people on the Internet by Time magazine in 2017, and she was featured on Forbes 2017 list of top entertainment influencers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TikTok</span> Chinese video-focused social media platform

TikTok and Douyin are short-form video hosting services owned by ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 1 second to 10 minutes. Douyin, available in China, was launched in 2016 while TikTok was launched in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loren Gray</span> American social media personality (born 2002)

Loren Gray Beech is an American social media personality, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for the Musical.ly career she began in 2015, and was the most-followed creator from March 31, 2019 to March 25, 2020 on the latter's successor, TikTok. She was signed to Virgin Records until February 2021, when she became an independent artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikita Dragun</span> American internet personality (born 1996)

Nikita Nguyen, known professionally as Nikita Dragun, is an American internet personality, YouTuber, make-up artist and model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charli D'Amelio</span> American social media personality (born 2004)

Charli Grace D'Amelio is an American social media personality. She was a competitive dancer for over 10 years before starting her social media career in 2019, when she started posting dance videos on the video-sharing platform TikTok. She quickly amassed a large following and subsequently became the most-followed creator on the platform in March 2020 until she was surpassed by Khaby Lame in June 2022. As of 2024, she is the 2nd most followed user on the platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addison Rae</span> American singer and actress (born 2000)

Addison Rae Easterling is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. Rae rose to fame on the video sharing app, TikTok. She amassed over 88 million followers, making her the fourth most-followed individual on the platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dixie D'Amelio</span> American social media personality (born 2001)

Dixie Jane D'Amelio is an American singer and social media personality known for her videos on TikTok. She is the elder sister of Charli D'Amelio. As of November 2022, she has over 57.5 million followers and 3.3 billion likes on TikTok, 24.2 million followers on Instagram, and 7.04 million subscribers and 619.12 million views on YouTube, where she also hosts a talk show called The Early Late Night Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabitha Brown (actress)</span> American actress and internet celebrity (born 1979)

Tabitha Bonita Brown is an American actress and social media personality. She creates online video content incorporating veganism, humor and motivational speaking. Brown has over 5 million followers on TikTok and over 4.2 million followers on Instagram as of March 2023. She has been described by HuffPost as "America's Mom" and her content has been characterized by critics as being "comforting" and "calming". She is the host of the Food Network’s first plant-based cooking competition It’s CompliPlated and host of the Emmy-nominated YouTube children’s show Tab Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avani Gregg</span> American social media personality

Avani Gregg is an American social media personality who first developed a following on TikTok. She plays Gemma in the web series Chicken Girls. She received the Shorty Award for TikToker of the Year in 2019, and was on the Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020 in the social media category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bella Poarch</span> American singer and social media personality (born 1997)

Denarie Bautista Taylor, known professionally as Bella Poarch, is an American social media personality and singer. On August 17, 2020, she created the most liked video on TikTok, in which she lip syncs to the song "M to the B" by British rapper Millie B. She is the most followed TikTok contributor from the Philippines. In May 2021, she released her debut single "Build a Bitch".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brittany Broski</span> American social media personality (born 1997)

Brittany Alexis Tomlinson, known professionally as Brittany Broski, is an American social media personality, YouTuber, and comedian. She initially gained fame after a video of her tasting kombucha for the first time went viral on TikTok in 2019. She signed to United Talent Agency later that year and has since hosted the TikTok-produced podcast For You (2021), the pop culture-focused podcasts Violating Community Guidelines (2022–2023) with Sarah Schauer and The Broski Report (2023–present), and the YouTube talk show Royal Court (2023–present). She has frequently been referred to as one of TikTok's biggest stars and noted for her meme-focused humor.

Tiara Mack is an American politician. She is a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate, representing District 6. Mack assumed office on January 5, 2021, having defeated the incumbent senator Harold Metts in the Democratic primary.

Sharlee Jade "Shaylee" Curnow, known professionally as Peach PRC, is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and social media personality. Her major label debut single "Josh" was released in early 2021, which peaked at number 38 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Peach is a prominent figure on the social media platform TikTok, where she posts content about her life, self-care advice with ADHD and drug and alcohol abuse, and her music.

Mikayla Jane Nogueira Hawken is an American social media influencer, known for posting makeup tutorials on TikTok and Instagram. As of February 2023, Nogueira has 14.6 million followers on TikTok, over 2.4 million followers on her Instagram page, and over 501K followers on her personal Instagram account.

Erynn Chambers, better known under her TikTok username rynnstar, is an American social media influencer, activist, and teacher. She is best known for her work on TikTok. She is also credited as a co-author on the country song "Beer Beer, Truck Truck", as a result of a viral video she made satirizing country music.

Brittany Dawn Nelson is an American former businesswoman and social media personality. She gained attention in 2019 as an online fitness instructor and self-claimed nutritional expert who offered services through her company, Brittany Dawn Fitness LLC. She promoted diet plans, individualized fitness instruction and other products that were allegedly not received by customers. The controversy led to a lawsuit filed by the Texas Attorney General against Dawn for misleading Texas consumers about her services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libs of TikTok</span> Far-right and anti-LGBT Twitter account

Libs of TikTok is a handle for various far-right and anti-LGBT social-media accounts operated by Chaya Raichik, a former real estate agent. Raichik uses the accounts to repost content created by left-wing and LGBT people on TikTok, and on other social-media platforms, often with hostile, mocking, or derogatory commentary. The accounts promote hate speech and transphobia, and spread false claims, especially relating to medical care of transgender children. The Twitter account, also known by the handle @LibsofTikTok, has over 2 million followers as of March 2023 and has become influential among American conservatives and the political right. Libs of TikTok's social-media accounts have received several temporary suspensions and a permanent suspension from TikTok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dylan Mulvaney</span> American internet personality (born 1996)

Dylan Mulvaney is an American TikTok personality who has detailed her gender transition in daily videos since early 2022. In October 2022, Mulvaney spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House about transgender rights.

Erika Thompson is an American beekeeper with more than 11 million followers on TikTok. She posts videos of herself handling bees with her bare hands and wearing no protective gear. She lives in Elgin, Texas, and keeps almost 50 beehives in her backyard.

References

  1. ↑ Moseley, Brittany (May 24, 2021). "Forager Alexis Nikole Nelson Wants You to Go Outside". Columbus Monthly. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Durand, Faith (August 7, 2020). "The Green, Magical Wild World of Alexis Nikole Nelson, Forager and TikTok Star". Kitchn. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  3. ↑ Mohtasham, Diba; Zomorodi, Manoush (September 9, 2021). "Meet Alexis Nikole Nelson, The Wildly Popular 'Black Forager'". NPR.org. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  4. ↑ Greenlee, Cynthia (July 30, 2021). "How Black Foragers Find Freedom in the Natural World". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  5. ↑ Dosanj, Aman (January 23, 2023). "Alexis Nikole Nelson Is Reclaiming Wild Spaces". Elle Canada. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Ogadhoh, Jaelen (August 1, 2021). "Alexis Nikole Nelson is bringing foraging into the mainstream". TheGrio. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Moseley, Brittany (January 19, 2022). "Alexis Nikole Nelson's Very Good Year: The Black Forager Reflects on a Jam-Packed 2021". Columbus Monthly. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  8. ↑ Akhtar, Allana. "6 most striking moments at the first in-person TED conference in years, from Elon Musk to Putin's portrait photographer to a metaverse demo". Insider. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  9. ↑ Ghose, Dave. "TikTok Star Alexis Nikole Nelson is Nominated for a James Beard Award". Columbus Monthly. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Here Are the 2022 James Beard Foundation Media Award Winners". Eater. June 11, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  11. ↑ Robinson, Cameron Teague. "'I'm still in shock': Alexis Nelson, the 'Black Forager,' on winning a James Beard Award". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  12. ↑ Edwards, Erin (January 18, 2023). "BlackForager Alexis Nikole Nelson Goes Foraging with Jimmy Kimmel". Columbus Monthly. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  13. ↑ Moseley, Brittany (December 7, 2022). "TikTok Megastar Alexis Nikole Nelson Learns to Balance Foraging Fame With Life Off-Screen". Columbus Monthly. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  14. ↑ Crash Course Botany Preview!
  15. ↑ Al Jazeera Staff. "AJ+ wins prestigious Emmy Award in Los Angeles". Al Jazeera. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.