Milwaukee family becomes TikTok stars for the cooking videos they make together

To the Curtis family, cooking means more than planning a meal, mixing ingredients together and throwing it in the oven.

It's one of Shakayla Curtis' favorite ways to bond with her three young children while teaching them "a necessary life skill." And the Milwaukeeans have become TikTok stars for it.

Since Curtis' kids — 7-year-old twin girls Kaiden and Paiden and their 5-year-old brother Haiden — don't do screen time during the school week, they asked their mom if they could help with dinners.

Curtis said she used her phone to film the kids cooking to show family members. When she started sharing the videos on TikTok, too, they took off.

Curtis, known as Kayla Danielle on social media, has more than 740,900 followers on TikTok and over 324,000 on Instagram. And the family's success has led to sponsorships with major brands, including McCormick.

"It makes me feel so proud," Curtis said. "I'm so happy for them. I'm so impressed with them. I see that this can go really far for them. And I think for any mother, you just want to set your children up. You want to feel like you're doing the right things for your children. Teaching them this life skill is putting them on the right track ... I love it for them."

How the family found their niche

When Curtis joined TikTok in February 2022, she made videos sharing her everyday life as a then-single mom, she said.

Curtis, a Bay View High School alumna, gave birth to her twins days after graduating from Tennessee State University. She later got her master's degree from Cardinal Stritch University.

"I've always incorporated my children in because that obviously is my life," she said.

In December, Curtis documented what the family was up to during Christmas break. Two of those TikToks went viral.

"It just kind of went way over my head," Curtis said. "It wasn't like planned. It just happened out of nowhere. Very grateful."

One of the videos — amassing more than 11.2 million views and 2.1 million likes — showed the family standing along their kitchen counter and creating charcuterie boards with cheeses, meats, grapes and other treats. Then they made their way to the living room to make vision boards.

Within months and with the help of their mom, the kids have become quite the chefs. They're known on TikTok for the way they create meals together, each doing the same step at the same time.

So far, "The Dens Trio" — the children's nickname since their names each end with "den" — have made beef ribs, oxtail stew, butterfly drumsticks, Philly cheesesteaks, catfish and grits, jackfruit tacos and more.

"I want them to be able to say, 'My mom bonded. Do y'all remember cooking in the kitchen with Mom?' " Curtis said. "These are core memories they're going to have forever."

That's "very important" to Curtis because she said she didn't have those experiences growing up.

"I want them to grow up to not have to look back on their childhood and say what they didn't have," she said. "But more so, 'My mom did this. She made sure this.' Just to make sure they have everything they need."

How the cooking videos are made

On a given day, Curtis asks her kids if they want to cook. If they all say "yes," everyone throws out ideas on what to make.

Typically, two foods get selected for that day's meal, then Curtis picks up the ingredients.

Around dinnertime, the family gets started on the meal — and filming.

While Curtis gives the kids instructions, they "pretty much know what to do" at this point, she said.

"I know I'm teaching them something that they can take on forever," Curtis said. "I also enjoy it because they enjoy it ... They're always like, 'Look, Mom!' "

Once the meal is ready, Curtis plates it and makes drinks. And not just any drinks — often mocktails with fresh fruit, edible glitter or other special ingredients.

While the kids eat, Curtis cleans up and edits the video. From the beginning of cooking to the end of editing, the process takes about an hour and a half, according to Curtis.

The family usually makes two meals together each week. Every other week, they share the making of those meals as TikToks or livestreams.

The kids each have their own small appliances, supplies

When it comes to cooking supplies, whether it be a small appliance or a utensil, the family buys three of everything so "each child can have their own experience," Curtis said. Usually, Amazon is their go-to.

The kids have griddles, deep fryers, air fryers, grills, pasta makers, juicers, mixers, blenders, knife sets, cutting boards and cut-resistant gloves, among other cooking gear.

Within the last month or so, companies and brands have begun reaching out to the Curtis family with sponsorship opportunities, Curtis said. The kids have received seasonings, aprons and other supplies from McCormick, pots and pans from HexClad, a meal courtesy of InstaCart and more.

Plus, the family gets paid by TikTok as a result of the views and engagement with their videos.

"I feel so grateful, I feel inspired, I feel motivated," Curtis said.

'We want to take it further'

Cooking videos aren't the be-all-end-all for the Curtis family.

"We want to take it further, for sure," Curtis said. "It's going to be much bigger than just cooking on social media."

The family plans to create "Mommy and me" cookbooks, an animated YouTube series for kids and virtual cooking classes, Curtis said.

"I feel like now it's my duty to continue this on so that other children can experience it," Curtis said.

She will also be expanding the content to include more vlog-style videos, similar to what she used to do.

The family does much more than cook

Every other week, the family takes a break from posting cooking videos on social media.

"While we enjoy it, we do have other things going on," said Curtis, who works for Milwaukee County. "A lot of people are getting the misconception that we're just cooking all the time, when we're not."

The family goes to the park, has weekly movie nights and dines out twice a week. Paiden is in hip hop, Kaiden is in ballet and Haiden does T-ball, soccer and piano. They all attend summer camps and swimming lessons.

Kaiden is the oldest — and acts like it — but is also very goofy, Curtis said. While Paiden is "kind of in her shell" and is the most focused. Haiden's personality is "out of this world," and he's very social and active.

"My family means everything to me," Curtis said. "I'm so grateful."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Kayla Danielle's Milwaukee family are TikTok stars for cooking videos