On the internet in 2025, 15 minutes of fame are more like 15 seconds of fame. Someone can disappear from public consciousness just as quickly as they entered it with a simple scroll of your For You Page. This plight is something Brooklyn’s hottest line cook, Giovanni “Gio” Luciano (aka @giovanniskitchen) knows well: “I was just like, ‘When is this gonna stop? When is this gonna end?’”
Luckily for the 24-year-old creator, his rise is more than a flash in a pan. Gio has racked up millions of views across several platforms from viral food haul videos that typically follow this formula: Gio cheekily smirking at the camera while he tells his eager followers, “Here’s what I eat before service as a line cook in Bushwick,” showing off obscure arrangements of food in plastic quart containers, completing each meal with a cigarette (or two) for dessert.
While the structure is clear-cut—even to the point of being deemed performative by some viewers—it’s this content that has earned Gio a loyal audience. His following drools over every move their “trans TikTok heartthrob” makes, he has caught the attention of Addison Rae1 and King Princess,2 and he even scored a nomination for People magazine’s Sexiest TikToker of 2025. When I meet Gio for matchas in Bushwick, it’s just days after his Versace eyewear campaign (alongside Aimee Lou Wood and Joseph Quinn) dropped. And while Gio’s life has changed drastically in the past 10 months since he logged on and the internet swooned, he is working to retain some normalcy in his life—although something tells me Gio’s “15 minutes” are just heating up.
1. Gio made a cameo in Addison Rae’s “Times Like These” music video, which you can enjoy here.
2. He also served as the toxic lover and muse in King Princess’s “Jamie” music video.
What was the last meal you had?
Well, I’m eating a muffin right now. There’s a little bit of lemon in it. I think there’s pistachio. It has a nice crisp on the top. Notes of lemon and some love.
Speaking of love, how did you fall in love with cooking?
I’ve been cooking since I was a kid. My mom would always put on Top Chef, so I watched that growing up. And then in high school, when I would get bored, I started cooking and baking really late at night for some reason. But I wasn’t really working in the kitchen fully until I was 19 or 20 at this chain restaurant in Massachusetts.
Is that where you’re from?
No, I’m from Georgia, but I’ve lived in San Antonio, Houston, Las Vegas, Louisville, and Florida too. I've just moved around my whole life. I went to school for computer science in Massachusetts, but I dropped out after the fall semester.
So did you stay in Massachusetts after leaving school?
I eventually moved in with my dad in Daytona, and I worked my first scratch kitchen3 in Florida. But I learned a lot of things there. I learned the best way to julienne an onion, to be more loud in the kitchen, and what it’s like working with a bunch of guys because at the time, I hadn’t even transitioned.
3. For those of us less familiar with chef lingo, a scratch kitchen is basically a restaurant that prepares everything from scratch.
Tell me more about that.
Well, you are treated very differently in that space as a woman versus as a man. And as a trans person, there’s, like, different levels. Passing adds a whole other thing to how you’re respected.
How did you get into posting your videos?
I was working 8- to 10-hour days at King in the West Village, and I was learning so much. Like, that restaurant taught me so much; the chef there is just really fantastic. But after a while, I was getting burnt out, and I was like, “I want to make silly videos again.”4
One day, the front of house ate the family meal,5 and I was in a rush, so I ran to the deli and just sat on a stoop. I made a video showing what I was eating, and I got some positive responses so I decided to make a few more, just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke because you know how TikTok trends come and go so quickly.
4. For newer followers of Gio, he actually used to make content that ranged from queer comedy to “thirst traps” (his words, not mine).
5. A family meal, per Gio, is “essentially, a way to feed all of your staff while not wasting food that you maybe don’t want to serve that night or that week.”
Would you say cooking is your love language?
Yeah, I like to cook and bake for people and for events. I remember I made a bunch of cookies for PSL [Party for Socialism and Liberation] for purchase to raise money for Palestine. I just want to show that I care, which usually is through cooking. And if someone cooks for me, I’m like, “Thank god.”
Someone please cook for Gio!
People will be like, “Oh, I’m so nervous to cook for you,” but I don’t care. Like, please cook for me.
Now I have to ask the million-dollar question: What’s your relationship status?
I’m taken.
Do you ever post about this?
Not really, I like to keep it private.
Well, what would you say is an ideal date night?
I like dinner and a movie.
What’s a great movie you would suggest people watch on a date night?
The first movie I watched with my girlfriend was 10 Things I Hate About You. It’s an essential ’90s rom-com. It’s perfect.
What would you say is the perfect meal to cook for someone if you want to impress them?
If you make pasta from scratch, that’s love. You’re kneading dough for, like, at least 20 minutes. You throw in some garlic, some anchovies or maybe some capers, and butter, emulsify it, and make a sauce. Or the pasta I made for my pop-up6 was a butter sauce with pancetta, toasted pecans, Parmesan, and fried sage.
6. On September 15, Gio, alongside his friends, hosted a pop-up at La Cantine in Bushwick where he curated a special menu. And don’t you worry if you missed the first one—he says he definitely plans on doing more in the future.
I’m sure you get a lot of wild DMS. Do you remember off the top of your head the most outlandish one you’ve ever gotten?
I’ve just had people that are, like, high and going through psychosis or something. And I’ve gotten it, like, three times.
Oh god, did you respond to them?
No, it scared me, honestly. I do wish them well.
Okay, real talk: Is it a red flag or a green flag to bring a date to a DJ set?
How long have you been dating?
Hypothetically, it’s a first date.
Red flag, red flag! Why would you have someone watch you play for at least an hour? That just seems very selfish to me when you’re trying to get to know them. Have you done this?
No, thank god! How did you get into DJing?
I was really big into EDM when I was, like, 11. I was really into Deadmau5 and Skrillex, and then I was trying to do Virtual DJ when I was 13 or 14. I fell off a little bit because my dad was like, “You can’t keep being in your room.” But I recently came back to it when my roommate gave me her DJ board, which is really, really sweet of her. I started practicing and learning. But the DJ community here is very sweet. It’s so queer and accepting.
It’s really been a part of your life for a while.
Music has always been there for me. I’ve always listened to house music or techno music, ever since I was a kid, so it’s nice to finally do a full circle and be like, “Wow. I’m actually doing this thing that I wanted to do when I was like 12 years old.”
So it’s safe to say you are definitely not performative at all.
No, I think I’m very sarcastic and that’s really hard to read on the internet. I guess the people who do are the right people.
Speaking of music, you’ve been in many music videos at this point. Some might say you’re a muse now.
If any pop star would like me in their music video, hit me up.
What was the best part of your day when you were on set with Addison Rae?
The whole experience was nice. It’s fun to just shoot and do something I’ve always had an interest in. I went to school a little bit for film! But Addison’s really a very sweet, nice person, and I really liked seeing her, like, snap and turn on. I was very proud to be in that video.
And what about the King Princess video?
It was really nice to act a little bit more. It was just really, really nice to be around queer people and making art. I just really love music and film, so to be a part of the marriage of the two was very special.
Do you want to do more acting?
Yeah, I’m doing a short film called Marshland.7 It’s about a trans man in rural Oregon trying to find his way in community and being accepted and trying to just be himself. We need more stories like that.
7. Directed by Ray Chambers, the film is currently in post-production.
You’re staying busy. Also, congrats on being one of People’s Sexiest TikToker nominees! This makes you the second trans man in history ever to be nominated in any category. How does all of this feel?
It’s very much an honor. Like, my mom read those magazines! It was really surreal. It’s a big honor. Shoutout to whoever nominated me.
Obviously, your life has changed so much in the past few months, but have your future goals changed?
There’s so many routes you can go with cooking—and also DJing—so I think trying to go from there is where I’m headed. I just want to do something with music, cooking, and acting. And I think at least having that as a starting point is great. That’s the trifecta.
A triple threat, some might say.
I’m a person who likes to put my hands in many baskets—it’s always how I've been. I’m really trying to broaden my brain and my knowledge and grow myself.
Would you say you’ve learned more in the kitchen or from TikTok?
I’d have to say the kitchen.
What’s the most impactful thing you’ve learned?
Just that feeding people is great. That’s how we live. Connecting with everyone in the community is probably the most rewarding part. And I do it with Tiktok as well. I’m making a community there. I’ve learned how important it is to connect with people.
Parts of this interview have been edited and condensed for clarity.
