Bon Appétit Test Kitchen RPF

Bon Appétit Test Kitchen RPF focuses on the chefs and staff featured in the test kitchen videos on the Bon Appétit YouTube channel. This includes people such as Claire Saffitz, Brad Leone, Carla Lalli Music, Chris Morroco, and more.
It has led to the creation of a number of fanworks. A significant portion of the fanfic created in this contemporary RPF fandom is locked to archive users, presumably in an attempt to preserve The Fourth Wall.
The series has also become a setting for AUs in other fandoms. 
==History==
Interest in the fandom was highest around 2019/2020, driven in large part by the popularity of relatably long-suffering Claire Saffitz's video series, "Gourmet Makes." 
In 2019, the hashtag #IWDFCFTBATK -- I Would Die For Claire From the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen -- became popular thanks to a Youtube fan video.I would die for Claire from the Bon Appetit test kitchen by Mike's Mic, posted to YT on June 25, 2019 A number of memes were also popular on Tumblr.'I want you to know that I can accept zero criticism right now' Claire Saffitz meme by elephantsshoe-blog, 2019, 172,630 notes as of October 2021
Over the summer of 2020, however, a series of exposés about the culture of structural racism at Condé Nast, Bon Appétit's parent company, came out in the news media, putting a damper on many fans' enthusiasm.The food world is imploding over structural racism. The problems are much bigger than Bon Appétit. in Vox.com, June 11, 2020Three Bon Appétit Stars Quit Videos Over Racial Discrimination at Forbes.com, August 6, 2020Bon Appétit video stars leave the Test Kitchen series due to alleged racial discrimination, in The Washington Post, August 7, 2020
Following these revelations, a number of cast members left the company to pursue solo opportunities or join other companies, and the camaraderie of the ensemble cast, which had attracted many fans in the first place, was lost.
==Fandom==
It is perhaps worth noting that the structural issues at work in the real-life Test Kitchen were reproduced in the fandom, as most fanfic revolves around three white cast members. 
===Shipping===
As of October 2021, on AO3, 190 works used the fandom's tag. 
The most popular ships in the fandom were mostly het: 
* Brad Leone/Claire Saffitz, Brad Leone & Claire Saffitz
* Alex Delany/Claire Saffitz
===Example Fanworks===
===Fanfic===
* an ocean away from home by thebaddestwolf (2019)
*something gave you the nerve to touch my hand by professortennant (2019)
*the slippery slope of soda bread by ecorone (2020)
====Test Kitchen AUs====
* A Taste So Sweet by mi3likki (2020), a BTS fic written for the prompt: Yoongi works in the Bon Appetit test kitchen. Up and coming rapper Namjoon comes in to film a "Tries to Keep Up with a Professional Chef" video
* #PPWDFCFTBATK by orphan_account (2020), a MCU story in which Peter Parker is a BA fan. 
*pride and pruno juice by SaintHeretical (2020), a Star Wars Reylo story. 
===Fanvids===
*so tired (VID) by bessyboo (2020), a Claire-centric crack vid set to "My Immortal" by Evanescence.
===Fanart===
*BA test kitchen crew by Lillian Lai, 2019
*ensemble digital drawing by kenesu, Jan 22, 2020
*Carla and Chris fanart by kalidels, 2020
===Podfic===
*(Podfic of) Gourmet Makes: Saka’s Kettle by exmanhater (2020)
*(Podfic of) Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Elvish Lembas by carboncopies, girlwithabubblegun, LittleRedRobinHood, luvtheheaven, reena_jenkins, Schmaylor (2020)
== Fannish resources ==
*Bon Appétit Test Kitchen (Web series) AO3 tag
* Pod Appétit, a Bon Appétit fancast
* Meme Appetit on Instagram, an account dedicated to memes about the Bon Appétit test kitchen
== External links ==
* Bon Appétit YouTube Channel
* #IWDFCFTBATK page at KnowYourMeme.com
* 25 Memes About The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen That Will Make You Laugh at BuzzFeed, March 27, 2020
==References==
Category:Fandoms by Source Text
Category:Chef RPF
Category: Web Series