Meet The Sorority Girl Going Viral For Reviewing Her House Chef's Meals

When you think of a typical college meal, your first thought might be cereal or slices of pizza from the dining hall. For the sorority sisters of Pi Beta Phi at the University of Nevada, Reno, mango glazed salmon or spaghetti pancakes with potatoes, scrambled eggs, and crispy bacon are more of their typical menu items. That’s because their meals are prepared by a house chef.

Kevin Ashton, or “Chef Kevin” as he’s called online, has amassed over 4 million followers on TikTok after sharing the everyday dishes he prepares for the Pi Phi sorority. One video of Chef Kevin (@oldschoolkevmo) making baked spaghetti for dinner in November 2024 has over 30 million views and 3 million likes, and his fan base continues to grow. Something you’ll notice in almost every video is Chef Kevin’s catchphrase, “What a treat,” as well as comments like, “can’t wait to see Laryssa’s review.”

Since Nov. 4, UNR sophomore Laryssa Kalayana has been posting reviews of Chef Kevin’s meals to her own TikTok, @laryssakalayana. The 19-year-old business and marketing major tells Elite Daily, “I started posting food reviews on my private Snapchat stories, and my close friends told me Kevin's audience really wants to know what the girls think of his food, so I should move to TikTok.”

I've wanted to be a content creator since I was a little girl. Now that it's actually becoming reality, it's something I don't want to stop ever.

When Kalayana’s first review of Chef Kevin’s classic cheeseburger with secret sauce went viral within 24 hours, she says it was “incredibly shocking.” Since she was already posting regularly on her Snapchat, Kalayana says, “I might as well take it a little bit seriously with the editing, do some voiceovers, and have a lot of fun with it.”

In just four months, Kalayana’s account has grown to over 8 million likes and 591,000 followers. “It still feels unreal,” she says. The college student, originally from Henderson, Nevada, also feels blessed to get to do what she’s always dreamed of doing. “I've wanted to be a content creator since I was a little girl,” she says. “Now that it's actually becoming reality, it's something I don't want to stop ever.”

Below, Kalayana dishes on how she works with Chef Kevin to post her reviews on time, her favorite meal she’s ever tried in the sorority house, plus her best tips for anyone wanting to join a sorority like Pi Beta Phi.

Elite Daily: When did you know you wanted to go to college, and how did you choose UNR?

Laryssa Kalayana: I knew that I was going to want to stay close to home, so UNR or UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) were my options. My brother, who is four years older than me, already was here at UNR, had experience in Greek life, and was telling me so many positive things, so I was really excited for that as well.

ED: So, you knew you wanted to join a sorority right away?

LK: Yeah, I knew as a freshman that I wanted to go through recruitment. I didn't know what sorority I wanted, because I obviously kept my options open, but when I found Pi Phi, I knew it was home.

ED: How was recruitment for you?

LK: I was so obsessed with RushTok and Bama Rush, so I would take notes on what to wear. It's very stressful when you're in the moment, but when you have the mentors around you and the right people encouraging you to just be yourself, it’s a super fun experience. I was stressed the first couple of days, but then realizing whoever accepts me wants me for myself and not the fake version of myself helped. I was able to meet a bunch of different girls who I'm still friends with, even though they're in different Greek organizations now.

ED: What were you doing on TikTok before your sorority meal reviews?

LK: My TikTok was just random stuff with my friends, doing the viral dances that were trending, and lip-syncing videos. It was what any normal college girl would post. Once I realized that my following was going up super fast from my meal reviews, I knew that this is something that I have to take advantage of.

ED: Going beyond your sorority meal reviews, are there any brands you would love to collaborate with?

LK: I love Chipotle so much; I’ve probably gone there more than 100 times in my entire life. I want to collab with Chipotle so badly, but also anything with sushi and Starbucks. I've gotten a few PR things from Hismile and Bussin Snacks. Receiving stuff like that is also wild to me, because I always loved watching the unboxing videos.

ED: Do you have a favorite dish that Chef Kevin has prepared?

LK: There's so many, but the one I would eat every single day would probably be the quesabirria tacos. They're so cheesy, crunchy, and the flavor is juicy. It's literally everything anyone could ever imagine.

ED: Do you and Kevin ever plan your TikToks ahead of time?

LK: Not too much, but he's definitely a mentor to me when it comes to TikTok. I've asked him for advice and what times he posts and stuff like that. I just put his notifications on, so whenever he posts a video, I post mine.

After I eat, I go right upstairs, edit, and do a voiceover so the review is ready. That's why editing and stuff can get a little bit hard, because I know I have homework to do. I also want to post my videos right after I’m done, but I wait for him to post his first.

If you don't have haters, you're not thriving.

ED: Do you ever make any requests?

LK: Yeah. Before every semester, there's a Google Sheet, and we get to put however many meals we want. Last semester, I put 16 meal ideas and suggestions. His daughter recently painted a super cute box that says, “Pi Beta Phi meal ideas,” and there's a little slip where you can drop in your ideas that way.

ED: How often are you filming content for TikTok during the week?

LK: It's twice a day, Monday through Thursday, and then once on Friday. It does become time-consuming, but it's so worth it because I have so much fun doing it. It's also easy to edit in CapCut.

ED: Walk me through a typical day at school for you.

LK: I have a 9 a.m. class, so I wake up at 8 a.m., get ready, go to my class, and then usually I go to the gym right after. Every day has different classes and different time periods, so it can change, but I go to class, go to the gym, and then go back home, record, eat, and then I edit.

Sometimes if I see that Kevin's posted during class, I really quickly try to post too, even though I'm supposed to be paying attention. But then sometimes I’ll be two hours late to posting, which is OK because my education, of course, comes first. The second half of the day, I come home, have time to relax, do some homework, and then at 5 p.m. is when I eat dinner. After recording, eating, editing, and doing the voiceover, I have another video to post in the morning.

Sometimes, we have our chapter meetings for Pi Phi. It is really busy here, but on the weekends, I get to have a social life and hang out with my friends.

ED: Do you have a secret for time management because you are so busy?

LK: I write a lot of my to-do lists every single day on my Notes app. My brain is always just squabbled and scrambled, so sometimes I forget about certain things. I don't think there's a secret, but that's usually what works best for me.

ED: Do you have any advice for someone wanting to be a content creator?

LK: Be yourself. Don't try to show a different personality that isn't true to you. Just be positive, and spread positivity. Also, don't focus on the negative comments, because that will happen. If you don't have haters, you're not thriving. Just have fun with it.

ED: Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to join a sorority?

LK: It's kind of the same thing. Just stay true to yourself, and don't try to be someone you're not. Wherever you end up is exactly where you belong.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.