Forklift Driver Who Shares His Recipes On TikTok Received The Sweetest ‘Employee Spotlight’ Video From His Company As Recognition
The kind gesture was appreciated by the man and his followers.
Milan_Jovic / Canva Pro For better or worse, traditional gender roles seem to be here to stay in our society. One of these age-old traditions holds that women do the cooking in a marriage or family. It’s not consistent with society’s view for a man to be the cook, much less to be celebrated for doing so.
However, that’s exactly what happened to one man, who has been sharing his recipes on TikTok since May of 2023. After racking up millions of views on his videos, he was honored by his company for the unique work he is doing.
A Tennessee forklift driver was recognized by his company for his recipes’ TikTok popularity.
Jeremy Bunn is a forklift driver at Masonite in Dickson, Tennessee. He started his TikTok account in 2022, originally posting his thoughts on dating and the single life, as well as what he refers to as "shenanigans." It wasn’t until May 17, 2023 that he shared his first food-related video — a simple, three-ingredient recipe for Mexican cheese dip.
That video garnered 1.1 million likes and set Bunn on the path to TikTok fame. He has now amassed a following of over 580,000.
His workplace, Masonite, took notice. Bunn is a forklift driver for the door manufacturing company. At the end of September, the company honored Bunn with an "Employee Spotlight" video. He shared the video with his followers on TikTok.
“I knew [it] was coming, I just didn’t think they would make it that big of a deal,” Bunn said of the video. “At first it was a little embarrassing … but that’s awesome.”
His followers agree. “Good for your company to recognize what a good person you are!” wrote one commenter. Another said Bunn was honored “because it’s wholesome content and they’re proud of you.”
Bunn started cooking after his divorce.
Bunn shared with his followers that his divorce was the catalyst for his cooking journey.
“When I first got divorced, I legit thought I was going to starve to death,” he said. “My ex-wife did all the cooking.”
One of Bunn’s most popular videos is a recipe for baked spaghetti — or, as he calls it, “million-dollar spaghetti.” He says he found it on Pinterest after growing tired of fast food and becoming desperate for something more.
Clearly, Bunn has come a long way, although he still often references Pinterest for his recipes, which he calls “cheap and easy meals that are delicious.”
“My niche has been cheat meals. That’s what everybody seems to want,” he said. With recipes for dishes like Dr. Pepper crock pot pulled pork, taco nacho dip, and chili cheese dog casserole, it’s clear Bunn is appealing to the side we all have that wants to take some time off from healthy eating and just enjoy food.
Masonite’s spotlighting of Dunn opens up a bigger conversation about the importance of companies supporting their employees.
A company that has your back can make going to work every day feel much easier and less stressful. According to the Harvard Business Review, companies “that support work/life balance promote productivity, reduce turnover, and improve employees’ mental and physical health.” BetterUp reports that companies that support their employees experience benefits like improved engagement and culture, as well as higher retention.
In a time when it is common for people to feel like they are going through the motions at work, company support is essential. Masonite did this for Dunn with a video that he described as a “big honor.” Stories like Dunn’s show that it is simple gestures that can make the biggest difference in someone’s life.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer who covers entertainment and news.