Communications major Lazarus Lynch is in his final year at SUNY Buffalo State, and is also a popular YouTube contributor. His channel, “Son of a Southern Chef,” has been in operation since 2010, and has over 134,000 views, with episodes including how to make foods such as Honey Sriracha wings and “Grocery Shopping at Tops Friendly Markets”.

“My goal is to have 10,000 subscribers by April, and we have 5,000 and it’s only been a couple months,” Lynch said.

On Feb. 27, Lynch is scheduled to be on “The Kitchen,” a popular show on The Food Network.

“The producer just sent me an email,” Lynch said. “That’s how it really happened. It was a really fast turnaround. To this day, I don’t know how my name came out in the mix.”

While it may seem completely coincidental to Lynch, his work ethic shows in his YouTube channel; a channel that treasures the final product, as well as camaraderie.

“I work with a great deal of people who have helped me and really inspired me,” Lynch said. “I had great mentors, people who guided me.”

Aside from his superb work ethic and passion for cooking, most of the credit to Lynch’s success may point to his YouTube channel.

“The comments and the journey, and all that follows… I think for most of my life I had it really good,” Lynch said. “It’s very exciting, and it challenges me at all times, and I love that. I love the fast pace.”

According to Advertising Age, the YouTube trend of turning amateurs into network hits is largely unnecessary for those already on the web. No matter what happens with his Food Network endeavors, Lynch plans to continue to focus on YouTube to some degree or another.

“But I have to confess that in a way it’s kind of confusing to talk about mainstream media as the ‘other’ in the context of these YouTubers, because they’re already mainstream stars – and YouTube itself is obviously mainstream media that’s completely permeated global media culture,” Simon Dumenco said in a 2014 article from Advertising Age.

And it’s only gotten larger.

For Lynch, this new lifestyle is working just fine.

“It’s very exciting. What I love about YouTube is that as the creator, I get to be in control of the creative product,” Lynch said. “From YouTube, there is a type of casualness that you don’t see on networks.”

Whether a network is in Lynch’s future, he’s decided that it doesn’t really matter. While he’s excited about graduating in May, he’s also confident that he’ll be able to follow his dream.

“Regardless of what I do, with or without a network, the base is always going to be on ‘Son of a Southern Chef,’” Lynch said.

email: [email protected]