December 25, 2024 • 31 mins
Join Kate as she chats with Danny Mondello, aka mealsbycug, right after their run. In this episode, Cug shares his journey from a brief stint in accounting to building a viral food empire. He opens up about creating his “Cugine” persona, how he approaches his creative process for making videos, and the challenges of balancing content creation with taking breaks. Cug also takes us behind the scenes of his collaborations, including working with Post Malone and dining at the White House. He shares insights into his daily routine, fitness habits, and the unique approach he brings to his brand.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hush, Hello, welcome to post run high. Thanks for having me,
Thanks for coming.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Yeah, it was brutal.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Okay, for a little bit of context. Coush and I
just filmed an episode of the Treadmill Show. We ran
about a mile. Our pace slowly got faster as we
were running. I think it was the first time you've
ran in a year, which is okay.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah it was. It was tough. It was probably the
toughest thing I've done over yet. Telling myself, I gotta
start doing like you know something. But I go for walks.
I do walk home, Okay, do like two tree walks
a week, you know, nice calming.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Music in the Where are you walking?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Just around the neighborhood? Head down? Don't want to see
nobody around Brooklyn? Yeah I love that.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Okay, you so you walk around, don't want to see anybody?
Why because you're getting recognized all around.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I just don't want to talk to nova. I just
want to get my run walking run, can't run. I
just you know, be left alone.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I get that. The first time Kush and I ran
together was about a year and a half ago for
the Running Interview show, and we ran around Williamsburg and
I think almost every single block, somebody was screaming how
you doing or how is your sister? It was wild.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
It's like every day, I guess, but whatever you get
used to, it's part of the territory. It's good in
big you know'd rather that than nothing. I'm very introverted,
so I don't really like talking to people.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
I find that so wild that you were saying, I'm.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Just like staying olevision. I'm like, no, I'm shy, Yeah,
leave me alone.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
It's shocking because I feel like from knowing you online,
it seems like you would have an extra hearted personality.
But I often find with content creators that a lot
of us are more introverted, So I can totally understand that.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I mean, you could be whoever you want to be online.
Didn't I tell you that? Don't trust anyone online when
you're like growing up in school. You don't know who
you told me to. M h. I took that in
like a different way and that way, But like, I
could be anyone I want online.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Who do you feel like you show up as online?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
I guess this character Cuishine and I created, and it's
colder than your sister's heart. Out this instead of getting
a bacon, egg and heart attack. We're going to do
a little egg in the whole extra. But a little
cliss ain't leaving the fucking house today. Cuisine is me too,
Like it's just very exaggerated. You know, so few things
I do in real life. I'd like, uh, you see
(02:27):
me cook in a white robe. I do wear a
white robe around the house, so that is like real.
But for the most part.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
You know, you turn it on, right, Yeah, you turn
it on for that.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I wants to do cush twenty four hours a day.
You gotta be fucking right.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
I actually talked about this with Little Mo. Little Mo
was one I know, you and Mo are good friends,
and he was one of the first people that I
had on the podcast. And if you guys want to
go listen to that episode, go to my YouTube channel
because you can watch it there. But a Little Mo
was talking about how he has like a scale from
like a one through ten, and he's like, I can
(03:02):
either give you a ten, which is full little Mo,
or I can give you a five, which is a
more kind of rained in version of myself. So I
feel like that definitely relates to people that are in
the content or entertainment space.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah, you know, you gotta read the situation and give
what it looks appropriate.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Right.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
But you're known for your one liners, yes, so I
feel like that is you right, you're naturally kind of
a funny person.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
I guess I'm naturally funny. I mean the one line
is in the videos I do, right, you know, just
write jokes.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
And well you write them out.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, I'm not as as quick as maybe I once was,
or maybe I don't know. It gets harder and harder,
you know what I mean. A video that I did
like three years ago that I got two million viewers.
If I did the exact same one would get fucking
two views. So like, I have to be a little
more clever and think about, you know, everything I do
and everything I wear, and you know, alpha change. It
(03:59):
sounds stupid, but you know the little things, right.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
What do you feel like is the cou's uniform Because
the shirt that you're wearing right now, I know you
were the first time we filmed together, which I love.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Guys. I wore it just for OK because I figured
you brooke good luck last time, so I figured, you know,
we'll bring it back.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
This is literally the cutest thing ever. Like when you
told me that you were wearing that. My heart but
I was so happy.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
So cute, a little nostylish.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, God, is it the sopranos on your shirt?
Speaker 2 (04:27):
It's just tony, you know. I think there's a quote
or something. I don't even know. He is in a
white robe, which is what I like to cook in,
m you know whatever.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Some inspiration, yeah, I mean, who else to be inspired
by them?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Rather just serial murderer? You know, it's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Okay, Let's back it up a little bit though, because
I want to paint the picture of who Coush is.
So let's share your backstory a little bit. Good Danny
True True, Well, first, Danny Danny intertwine. Yeah, so actually
this is kind of funny. But Coosh and I when
we first at our run, we were together for probably
like an hour and a half filming and it wasn't
(05:04):
until the end of the video that I found out
that your name isn't actually Kujh, it's Danny. And I
was like, wait, what who is cush? Then you know,
get how'd you get the nickname? Like, how how does
Kujh come from?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Danny? Some people don't know that Cujine is like a.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Nickname, right, So let's talk about Danny and then we'll
get into Kush and how the name came to be
and how you started out online. But talk to me
about growing up in Staten Island. What were you like
as a kid, You know, kind of like the same.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
He's just like a quite good two older brothers, you know,
regular family. Grandma lived in the apartment in the house,
so that was nice. I got to grow up with too,
you know. I just you know, played sports, stayed out
of trouble a lot. I guess I did okay in school.
I don't even know.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Yeah, did you ever think you would find yourself working
in the entertainment industry, which is kind of what I
consider content?
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Yeah, yeah, I think it is too. I think more
and more as we go on, we're starting to become
will recognize as entertainers and into like the Hollywood world
almost because they see us more than they see like
a Hollywood actor on screen. They see us every day.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
I think it's really similar. So, I mean, the fact
that you're getting recognized all around Brooklyn and New York
and honestly wherever you go is equivalent to an actor.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Yeah, So I guess it works, I don't. But yeah, entertainment, no,
I never saw. I was always too shy. I never
thought I could do this. You know, I think everyone
grows up and they want to be a movie stuff
because who doesn't want to be a movie star when
they're a little kid or like something like that, you know,
or astronaut or someone famous. But they never really pursued.
(06:43):
It kind of just happened. I just make life take me.
I go with the flow. I don't really I don't
change life. I make life change me.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I like, you go with the flow. Yeah, absolutely, it's
kind of just letting the universe figure out your poth do.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Make the simulation simulate.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
It's so funny talking to Kush about how how he
works and all of that, because you're like, I don't
really work. I'm lazy, and I'm like, I don't get
it because you have. You're so successful, Like you can't
be lazy to be this successful. I mean you're in
a good situation.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah, I guess I set myself off for success. You know,
it's you got to play the game a little bit.
Put the game.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
You know, you ended up going to college where you
were there for accounting, which I find fascinating. The pipeline
from studying having an accounting degree to being a massive
content creator is just yeah, it.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Just doesn't go doesn't go hand in hand. But yeah
I did it. I kind of knew I wasn't going
to be an accountant. I'm just I was just good
at it, So I was like, I could just coast
to college with you know, I like numbers, so it
wasn't too hard. But I always worked in like Deli's
and Super Mak, so I was always around food. So
that's what I really like to do. So when I
(07:54):
got out of college, I got an accounting job. Quit
in five days.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Wow, Baroto, Wait, that's so interesting, right, So you did
end up graduating, getting a full time job in accounting,
working for a short period of.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Time five days. I just quit. I was like, I'm
not doing this bullshit sitting in the Cuba, go yeah,
looking at a computer screen.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Good for you that you knew it wasn't right for you.
So many people.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Stay, yeah, I wasn't gonna be miserable. I mean, I'll
be miserable, but at least I'll be miserable in the kitchen,
you know, getting screamed at by a chef because the
fucking steak is two role at some ship. We knows
what I did.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Wait, so you went from an accounting job for five
days to then working in a kitchen. Is that what
you ended up doing?
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Yeah, so I had. I was still living in Newpools,
so I went back to like my old job in
the deli, and then I just worked there. And then
Covid hit and then I just got a job at
like a restaurant as a line cook, but still upstate,
and you worked through act to Alcohovid. So I actually
I had to work to al Covid kind of sucked.
(09:00):
I didn't get that extra singx hundred brotal. I'm still
fucking salty.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
M m oh my god. Being a line cook is
a grind, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Yeah, it's hard, but it's like a sport because, like,
you know, you wake up and you like prep and
then you're on your feet for like eight to ten hours,
no breaks. Hot, it's like ninety five degrees in the kitchen,
gotta with pants and you know, sleep, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
I mean, I feel like that was a stressful job.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
It's definitely stressful, right, no wonder all over the place. Really,
I mean I used.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
To what kind of food were you making?
Speaker 2 (09:31):
It was like fast casual, but uh, you know, burgers, sandwiches, beninis, salads, bowls.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Did you ever think maybe I'll go to culinary school.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Not really, it's expensive, push you don't really need it.
You could learn just get a job in a kitchen
and just cook and you learn. You learn way more
in a year of that than you will in four
years cooking and spending two hundred thousand dollars on a
degree that says you could salt the steak or some shit.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
You know. Backing up a second, just to paint the picture,
you started really cooking a lot when you were in college, right.
I read that you moved off campus and you know,
you had a big kitchen for the first time, and
you started checking up food and at that time was
when you started your first meal's pay koos account, which
I'm assuming was Instagram.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Yeah, Instagram, Yeah, that's what happened. Was basically, my mother
was like, I'll pay for groceries, but if you want
to go out to you got to pay. So obviously
I was like, all right, I guess I'll just cook
and then I just double it. So I feel like
maybe what you do with your content, and mine is
like I cook every day or used to, so why
not film it? Like you run every day? Why don't
(10:37):
you film? You know, I think a lot of people
asked me, like, how do you become a content from?
Like just pick something that you do every day and
just add on to it. It's only going to take you
another half hour hour to create that content. Plus you're
on the fucking Instagram six hours a day. Anyway, you
might as well pay as well, might as well make
some money, attempt to make some money off it.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
So you started out filming yourself making food. What kind
of food were you making back.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
In those days? It basically this exact same food. It's
just the talent food, meat pools, chick and gutlet. It
was really really simple stuff. I would kind of just
make macaroni for like the roommates and we would just out.
You know.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
I find it so fascinating that when you first started
posting content, you weren't putting your face in the content.
But now it's like you're so known for you. It's
like as soon as somebody sees a video on their
for you page and it's your face, they're watching you know.
So at what point did you make the shift and
start putting yourself in your content.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
It was before it blew up. I mean I don't
even know. I almost just gave up me. It was
like oo shine, not because I never did it to
do this, It just I just stopped doing it, just
because I was like, all right, you know, I did
it and that's all I wanted to do, and I'm
happy I did it, and you know, it ran its course.
So I was like only posting like once a month
for a couple of you know, for the last few
(11:52):
months before I got viral. And then my friend sent
me a video and she's like, if you could do
fucking better than it was of someone else, and she
was like, you're better than this guy, why don't you
do better? I was like, all right, just kicking the
ass I needed, I guess.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Yeah, it takes a friend.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Yeah, definitely, definitely takes a lot of like your regular friends,
which I always have haven't really lost. I haven't lost
any of them, but they humble you. You need your
regular friends to the ground. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
I'm a big believer with content that there's like certain
like layers to it. It's like if your content makes
sense for your family and friends and they're like, this
is a good thing for Koosh or this is a
good thing for Kate. Right. If they see it and
they accept it, then it kind of gets into that
next layer of like periphery friends, and if they see
it and understands it and accept it, then it like
(12:39):
keeps going from there.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, does that make sense? You build it from like yeah,
because when I had like the when I first started
making content, you know, I only had a couple hundred
file It was just like my friends. I treated as
like a regular Instagram page, but like I would make
jokes that I knew like my closest friends liked. And
it wasn't for the mass public. It was just because
(13:00):
oh fucking Pat will think this is funny and me
say this. You know, it would literally be for like
one or two people at some videos because I knew,
like they would find that funny. And that's all I
wanted was to make that, you know, people around me laugh.
That was just doing it was like a hobby. Like
when people will be like even now, like you ask me,
like what are your hobbies, It's like, well, my hobby
was just cooking and doing this little meals by cooliche page.
(13:22):
But now that's no longer a hobby like became of job,
so now it's more of a fucking pain in the iss.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
And you know, so you're like, what are you what
are your new hobby problem? I don't that's the problem.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
It's you know what I mean, because I sometimes just
want to like make a video and like fuck off,
but like I know, I can't post because it would
do horrible, so there's no point of doing it. You know.
It's like sometimes all the fun is sucked out of it,
and you're like, fuck, I gotta I'm not doing this
for ships and giggles. I gotta make some money over here.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Absolutely. I mean that is one of the hard things
about content. And it's like you do something for so
long and then it's kind of like you just have
to mix it up right and get like recreatively inspired,
because I feel like what you're describing is almost like
burnout that people talk about a lot, right, Like, how
do you deal with that?
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Just chug along? I mean keep You.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Can't just chug along because you keep themes a cycle.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Though, well you know, so I can, you.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Know, right right? Well, okay, so.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
For me, you just got to stay relevant. So like
for me, my whole thing right now is just stay rope.
And so that's why I do a lot of collabs.
You hit me up. I was like, I know I
had to. I'm gonna be fucking miserable running, but I
know it's very good for me and I know it
would be good for you. So you know, if it's
good for everybody, then I like to do it.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Have you ever thought about hosting a podcast or something
like this?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, I mean I think I'm going to get into
like long form and early twenty Fuck we're in twenty
twenty five, so I think I'm gonna start doing that.
But like subscribe it base because I want to get
a little degenerate on there, and you can't really do
that with YouTube, you know what I mean. I kind
of want to like do like my favorite dive balls
and just go there and just kick gritty and discussed things.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
You know, where would that be? Like where would you
post that content?
Speaker 2 (15:05):
But like I subscribe you know, like Patreon, maybe not Patreon,
but like something like that God where you kind of pay.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
For access to that content. Yeah, basically OnlyFans.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Yeah, yeah, we're at there.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Yeah, you heard it here guys twenty twenty five coups
just launching his only Fans Sick.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
You want to collab ten.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Dollars a month you get access to exclusive content from
meals by Huge.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
May not be what you're looking for, but what you need.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I totally could see you with a long form podcast.
I do have to say, like, based on kind of
like what we were just talking about, doing this and
sitting down with people has like recreatively inspired me and
made me love my like running interview show content again.
Even so I feel like it's just a matter of
like mixing things up. But I'm curious, like what would
your advice be to people that want to get into
the content space being that you've been in it for
(16:00):
a couple of years now, right, how many years are five?
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Full time? Three? I started the page in twenty seven,
so like seven years been doing it, but like full
time a little over three years? Would be the advice
do something that you like, because you know, it's like
picking a job, like don't don't do a job that
you're gonna hate, and like nobody loves their job. I mean,
I don't care what anyone says. If you know, people
(16:24):
may enjoy their job, but nobody loves it to the
one hundred percent degree. So pick some content that you
want to that you won't mind doing, and then that
you're doing anyway and that you find funny. And you
just gotta find a way to differentiate yourself. That's like
the main thing in marketing when take a marketing place,
it's like what differentiates you from the other brands or
(16:46):
from the other products that you compete with. So, you know,
I'm a cook or you know food reviewers, so I
just have to put my own spin on cooking and
whatever and make sure that no one can emulate mer know,
you want to be one of one.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
I agree, And I think it's like leaning into your personality,
like nobody can be you. So if you're just being
so authentically you, it's.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Going to work.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
And I think that's a testament for your content, like
you're so authentically you and that's what your audience loves. Right. Yeah,
I'm curious when you were working your line job into covid,
at what point did you go full time with your content.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
I think my first viral video was in a July
twenty one and then July what is that the summer
I guess. So I was just kind of messing around
with it, you know, and then kind of taken off.
But I was still working, and my friends were like, fucking,
why do you like just go hard at this thing
(17:43):
and then see what happens. And then, you know, that's
what I did. I took their advice in the back
of a dive pod at this place called Snugs, and yeah,
it just I think in October, no in September, they
do the San Gennaro Fest, the Italian feasting Lilately, and
you know, I was the first, Like I was getting
recognized like over the summer here and there, but I
(18:03):
was upstate and you know, small community, so it wasn't
too you know hard. So when I went down here,
like everyone knew me. You know, I was taking a
lot of pictures. So I literally went back up, you know,
whatever it was the next day or two whenever I
had to go back to work and hit my two
weeks in, I was like base, but they kind of
(18:23):
knew I was on the way out too, you know.
It was just just good timing. And then you know,
I just went hard for like for those three months.
I had three months left on my lease up there,
I did a video a day. Unless my video hit
a million, then I would treat myself in that film
the next day. You know what I mean, take the daybreak,
you know, you got to take breaks. You know, all
(18:44):
these kind of thing creators just go hard and odd
and all and they run themselves down to the ground.
And I don't like it, you know. I try to
tell them, like, celebrate your wins. You have to celebrate
your wins and what else are you gonna win for?
I don't celebrate birthdays. I celebrate wins, you know.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Can I tell you something when I'm It's so funny
because Koush and I are the same age, but you
are such like a calming person to talk to, Like
you give like grandpa vibes. Anybody ever told you.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Yeah grandpa? But yeah, I'm very calm, demean it. My
demeanor is.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Very yeah, Like I need to be told over and
over again that everything's okay and you can take time
to yourself because instead I'm filming five Treadmill episodes. Yeah,
you're going to bring yourself drinking three celsi.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Yeah that's not healthy. You know, I might be healthier
than you, even though you run everything.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
I think you are like based on our heart rates
over there, I control yeah minm without a maximum in
like zone two. It was all over the place. But yeah,
it is really interesting. You are such a calming person.
Maybe we need like a therapy podcast where you just
kind of sit with people and let's do that. Let's
let's let's turn the table therapy.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
I don't know about that. What do I?
Speaker 3 (19:49):
What do you?
Speaker 2 (19:49):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Let's all Coosh is in the driver's you now, Yeah,
what are we calling it?
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Cool it with?
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Alright? Introduce it?
Speaker 2 (19:57):
I don't cool it with cool. I'm here with Kate
Max the runner. She just made me run, so I'm
not happy with it right now. So how was the
run today? What would you feel?
Speaker 1 (20:09):
You know going into it? I was definitely a little
bit tired at first. I did around this morning. It
was twenty eight degrees outside, so I was definitely slow
in the beginning of our run. But then I started
feeling good. The runners high. I started hitting our space.
Heater was right behind me, so I started warming up.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
So the runners high. Tell me about a running high.
I don't understand the runners high because you know, I
could smoke and get it high and you drink, you
get drunk. But a runners high I never got that.
Who gets high from a run? I get tired and depressed.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Right.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
A runner's high can either hit or it doesn't hit.
I feel like there's some runs.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
That I have missed. So you don't always get a
runner's high every time you.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Run, I don't think so that could be open to discussion.
I'm sure my runners listening are probably like, that's not true.
You get a runners high every time. I definitely feel
like it just depends. Like sometimes I'm running and I
feel super good and I'm like blasting my music, I'm
picking up the pace. I'm like picturing myself running a marathon,
like at an extremely fast pace, which is like not
(21:10):
really possible right for me. But I don't know a
runner's high as a hit or miss. Either you feel
it or you don't. But now I want you to
experience a runner's high.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
I mean, I feel like you have to be a
seasoned runner just to know what about runner's high.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
You know, what about when you're playing basketball? Do you
get a runner's high or like at least like a high.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Yeah, you get a little high sometimes you's making a
good play, you know, I don't play as much as
I used to, well, maybe even like to. I don't know.
It just doesn't happen as much. My joints don't work
like they used to work.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Grandpa. I'm aki, you are a twenty seven year old,
nine year old man.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
The blood work is probably crazy.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Yeah, you know, you kind of remind me of a
little bit Larry.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
David, guy guy.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Just the way you're sitting right now, I feel like
he would be sitting.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Like this, Like, you know, I think this is just
like an old school I always have the legs schools.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
I think it's comfortable in this therapy session. What else
do you want to ask me before we switch back
to you.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
I don't know. I can't subscribe you solo after or anything.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
So you know what I had the other day? Can
I tell you about an experience? Okay, So I was
on a panel and I do not do well on panels.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
MEI that I run from public talking. I've only done
it like once, and I was mortified.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
My body gets like really hot. I don't know what
it is.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
Yeah, I stuck getting the highs. I'm like, it's not good.
You know, I have like a Martinia too. You calm down,
you do what you.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Gotta do, right, well, something better than a martini. I
don't know if I'm allowed to talk about drugs on
this podcast, but basically, my friend was staying with me
and she gave me this thing called a Delta blocker,
which apparently a lot of people that do panels take
and essentially it just kind of calms you down.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
I think it's you out. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
It didn't like black you out and like make you
like followus. But I was the calmest I've ever been.
I was I'm not funny. I was cracking jokes on stage.
My manager is sitting in the corner, He's like, what
is going on? My mic for some reason kept going out,
probably because I was saying too much too confidently, and
I was like joking into the mic, like singing into
it like it was wild. And anyways, next time.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
You do a pan you need one of these. Yeah,
drugs are a wonderful thing.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Yeah, you have cooked with some iconic, iconic people Post Malone,
French Montana, the Rizzler.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Let's talk about that. How wild is it to be
cooking food with some of these people?
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Uh? Yeah, it's it's cool. I mean I really do
have felt like my like regular friends, they they find
it so cool. Me I just look at it as work.
I'm just like, all right, I'm feeling with you today.
Like I don't really look at them as celeberties. I'm
just like, this is the job today. Let's do it
just like today, Like right, this is a job we
gotta run. That's kate, whatever, and we'll do what we
(24:07):
gotta do. Like I just look at it as work.
So you know, a lot of people will be like
that's sick, that's cool, and I'm like, fuck, I don't
even want to do it at the time because it's work.
Like people don't understand like what I do, what we do,
it's still work. It might be cool, and you know,
there are some fun opportunities, but at the end of
the day, you are they had to film and produce,
and the people that hire you hire you to bring
(24:30):
your game and do what you have to do, right,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (24:33):
It is true, Like I feel like a lot of
people will ask me, like, do you get nervous when
you're running with certain someone in particular? You know, like
I recently did a video with Tim Walls running through
Central Stork and I was definitely nervous, but at the
same time, I totally get what you're saying. It's like
we're showing up, We're doing our job right, and that's
kind of it. It's almost like I black out during
I black I.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Black out why I do like those when they're like
bigger Celebrita. I kind of just black out and I
just do it and that's it.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
But what was it like hanging out with Post because
I'm obsessed with him.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
He's the nicest, sweetest guy. Yeah, he's like the biggest
hot He's very very nice guy, very wholesome, you know exactly.
You know, what you see is what you got, you know,
just drinking bud Light, smoking cigarettes. Bay afoot. Great guy.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
I saw him for the first time perform a few
months ago. I was at the Netflix as a Joke Festival,
which is where I interviewed Bert Kreischer and uh Tom
and Jelly Roll together. It was that was a blackout
situation for me. I was originally told we were going
to like go for a run Bert Tom and I
and then it very quickly turned into like a three
minute walk and I had I was literally flown out
(25:43):
to La for this. So I'm like, oh my god,
I need to get a video out of this. I
need to get as much of an interview as I
possibly kept in three minutes, you know, because they had
people chasing them, like talk about fandom. Jelly Roll is
like I love him, Yeah, and he's just so loved
by it, especially everybody that was.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
There drinking band in lay over the summer. You were, Yeah,
we were just having to be in the same hotel. He
wasn't there, but it was the rest of his band
members they were. They're they're cool guys, They're a fun time.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Yeah, that's a pretty iconic situation. What do you feel
like has been like the craziest situation that you found
yourself just naturally in.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
The White House. Okay, it's just the situation is ridiculous,
Like why am I in the White House? Just like
some jerk off on the internet. But you know, you
get invited, you got to go right into the light house.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Did you meet the President?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
No, we did see the President and the first Lady.
They did speak, but they didn't mingle with anybody. But
there you know, it's good. You know, I was just
like chilling in the white out because there was a dinner,
so you're just like sitting on their furniture, you know,
putting your drink down on like the you know, cabin
and shit. It's cool. All the pictures and paint things
(26:51):
you know, of ex presidents and it was a fun experience.
Shandily Is was sick. The service was crazy. It was
like call bone time you put a drink down, it's
getting picked up within three seconds. And the level of class,
like the Secret Service and all the staff have there.
It's exactly what you would want your government to act like.
(27:13):
I guess you know what I mean. It was exactly
what I thought it should be and.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Was all right, you're doing a lot. People love you.
I'm curious what's next for you? What are you like
excited about potentially working.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
On with the one with the long form next year.
I'm I have a Christmas party that I'm planning. It's
gonna be bananas.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
What's the Christmas party?
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Which is ugly sweater is? We got midgets coming, We
got a blackjack table, we got where do you find
midgets online? Well, there's a there's a me Donald Trump
and a middle Joe Biden. So we're gonna make them
the bull tenders. That's gonna be like my first long
form video. It's just Cujine's Christmas Body, and it's gonna
be really just like an industry event, like only like
(27:56):
people like us only inside is you know, it's gonna
it's going to be a fun time.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
You know this is so cool? Are you planning it
all on your own? No?
Speaker 2 (28:04):
I got like some My buddy is really gonna help.
But you know I got the vision.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
Who's is Christmas party come in to New York City?
Is this? Do you want this to be a tradition
for you?
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Yeah? I do want this to be like a I
think like an annual thing where you know, I get
the group of my friends together and people I've worked
with throughout the year.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Where's the party's in Brooklyn?
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Like a not a restaurant?
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Do you I have your sweater picked out? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Sick?
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Can you tell us what it is?
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Of course? Hey, the reason I'm doing this.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Part because of where did you find it?
Speaker 2 (28:41):
At a vintage shop? Throwbacks? Throwback? He's got a couple
of shops in the Lower east.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Side, but it is I love the Lower east Side.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Fantastic bugs, Bunny on a ski that's wild.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Why was I expecting, like you to find some obscure
like staff and stat in Italy sweater.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Yeah, some guinea.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
I was not expecting bugs, bunny. But I'm so happy
with the bugs, bunny. That's a really cute swetter.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
It's fine.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Yeah, that's a good se sweater do ski? No, okay,
all right, Well what else do you have going on?
Speaker 2 (29:13):
No, I just I'm gonna really be focusing on long
form content. And yeah, I kind of pushing like that
subscriber service and quota quota one of twenty twenty five,
because twenty twenty four, this year was kind of like
a dead year. I didn't really do much. I kind
of just coasted.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
What does a day in the life look like for
you when you're coasting?
Speaker 2 (29:32):
You know a lot of people are like, you're doing this,
doing that? And normally I wake up, you know, and
then I'll go for a walk. If that, then I'll
take myself out to lunch. I'd like to eat lunch alone,
you know, just like one of the local restaurants. I'll
come back, just hang out, watch a little TV, you know,
and then maybe at night I'll go out for a
dinner or a couple of drinks. And hang out with
(29:53):
friends and that's it. Like I don't really do to
Everyone thinks I lived this crazy extriving in life because
they just see like one of two stories here there
and I and you know, some some stuff I do
is a lot of fun. But for the most part,
I just live a normal, simple lifestyle, you know what
I mean. I still have to take the trash out.
I still have to go drop my laundry off and run.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Really, I believe that you do all those things. I
feel like you are living a very just sustainable life.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
You know, I could, You know, I could. I'm very
I could, you know, live on twenty grands a year
in the mountains and I still be happy. You know,
I don't need much, you know, I don't think materialistic
things really get me crazy.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
That's good. That's a good way to be. That's a
little different than me. I love buying things.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
I mean I do. I do. You know, once in
a while, I do. Treat yourself as you celebrate your
in So sometimes you celebrate your wins with you know,
ordering McDonald's, eating an edible and just drooling in front
of it.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
I wish you were high for this.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
This would have been I would have been way too introverted.
I get weird. I only get really, I really just
smoke alone. I did smoke a little this morning, and
I regretted that, obviously, because I was huffing and puffing
like a basted on that treadmill. But we made it.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
We made it, all right. Well, I like to end
my podcast with one final question, and that is what
are we manifesting for twenty twenty five?
Speaker 2 (31:14):
To continue to make people happy? You know, whatever you get,
end of the business. As long as they're happy, I'm happy.
Don't worry about me. Be happy. You know, the people
be happy. As long as I can make them happy.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
You know, you are making people happy. Cush is the
Internet's Grandpa. I'm calling it right now. All right, that's
what we're gonna start becoming, nonice because you're so calming, You're.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Like great, right, I mean I know I am, you know,
just people don't think I am because of my videos.
I'm very you know, you know, out there and extroverted.
I guess my videos look like I am.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
But all right, well, thank you so much, coush. That's
a wrap. You're the freaking best.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Thanks for having me take it.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
O
Hush, Hello, welcome to post run high. Thanks for having me,
Thanks for coming.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Yeah, it was brutal.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Okay, for a little bit of context. Coush and I
just filmed an episode of the Treadmill Show. We ran
about a mile. Our pace slowly got faster as we
were running. I think it was the first time you've
ran in a year, which is okay.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah it was. It was tough. It was probably the
toughest thing I've done over yet. Telling myself, I gotta
start doing like you know something. But I go for walks.
I do walk home, Okay, do like two tree walks
a week, you know, nice calming.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Music in the Where are you walking?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Just around the neighborhood? Head down? Don't want to see
nobody around Brooklyn? Yeah I love that.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Okay, you so you walk around, don't want to see anybody?
Why because you're getting recognized all around.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I just don't want to talk to nova. I just
want to get my run walking run, can't run. I
just you know, be left alone.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I get that. The first time Kush and I ran
together was about a year and a half ago for
the Running Interview show, and we ran around Williamsburg and
I think almost every single block, somebody was screaming how
you doing or how is your sister? It was wild.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
It's like every day, I guess, but whatever you get
used to, it's part of the territory. It's good in
big you know'd rather that than nothing. I'm very introverted,
so I don't really like talking to people.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
I find that so wild that you were saying, I'm.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Just like staying olevision. I'm like, no, I'm shy, Yeah,
leave me alone.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
It's shocking because I feel like from knowing you online,
it seems like you would have an extra hearted personality.
But I often find with content creators that a lot
of us are more introverted, So I can totally understand that.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I mean, you could be whoever you want to be online.
Didn't I tell you that? Don't trust anyone online when
you're like growing up in school. You don't know who
you told me to. M h. I took that in
like a different way and that way, But like, I
could be anyone I want online.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Who do you feel like you show up as online?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
I guess this character Cuishine and I created, and it's
colder than your sister's heart. Out this instead of getting
a bacon, egg and heart attack. We're going to do
a little egg in the whole extra. But a little
cliss ain't leaving the fucking house today. Cuisine is me too,
Like it's just very exaggerated. You know, so few things
I do in real life. I'd like, uh, you see
(02:27):
me cook in a white robe. I do wear a
white robe around the house, so that is like real.
But for the most part.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
You know, you turn it on, right, Yeah, you turn
it on for that.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I wants to do cush twenty four hours a day.
You gotta be fucking right.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
I actually talked about this with Little Mo. Little Mo
was one I know, you and Mo are good friends,
and he was one of the first people that I
had on the podcast. And if you guys want to
go listen to that episode, go to my YouTube channel
because you can watch it there. But a Little Mo
was talking about how he has like a scale from
like a one through ten, and he's like, I can
(03:02):
either give you a ten, which is full little Mo,
or I can give you a five, which is a
more kind of rained in version of myself. So I
feel like that definitely relates to people that are in
the content or entertainment space.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah, you know, you gotta read the situation and give
what it looks appropriate.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Right.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
But you're known for your one liners, yes, so I
feel like that is you right, you're naturally kind of
a funny person.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
I guess I'm naturally funny. I mean the one line
is in the videos I do, right, you know, just
write jokes.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
And well you write them out.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, I'm not as as quick as maybe I once was,
or maybe I don't know. It gets harder and harder,
you know what I mean. A video that I did
like three years ago that I got two million viewers.
If I did the exact same one would get fucking
two views. So like, I have to be a little
more clever and think about, you know, everything I do
and everything I wear, and you know, alpha change. It
(03:59):
sounds stupid, but you know the little things, right.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
What do you feel like is the cou's uniform Because
the shirt that you're wearing right now, I know you
were the first time we filmed together, which I love.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Guys. I wore it just for OK because I figured
you brooke good luck last time, so I figured, you know,
we'll bring it back.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
This is literally the cutest thing ever. Like when you
told me that you were wearing that. My heart but
I was so happy.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
So cute, a little nostylish.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, God, is it the sopranos on your shirt?
Speaker 2 (04:27):
It's just tony, you know. I think there's a quote
or something. I don't even know. He is in a
white robe, which is what I like to cook in,
m you know whatever.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Some inspiration, yeah, I mean, who else to be inspired
by them?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Rather just serial murderer? You know, it's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Okay, Let's back it up a little bit though, because
I want to paint the picture of who Coush is.
So let's share your backstory a little bit. Good Danny
True True, Well, first, Danny Danny intertwine. Yeah, so actually
this is kind of funny. But Coosh and I when
we first at our run, we were together for probably
like an hour and a half filming and it wasn't
(05:04):
until the end of the video that I found out
that your name isn't actually Kujh, it's Danny. And I
was like, wait, what who is cush? Then you know,
get how'd you get the nickname? Like, how how does
Kujh come from?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Danny? Some people don't know that Cujine is like a.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Nickname, right, So let's talk about Danny and then we'll
get into Kush and how the name came to be
and how you started out online. But talk to me
about growing up in Staten Island. What were you like
as a kid, You know, kind of like the same.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
He's just like a quite good two older brothers, you know,
regular family. Grandma lived in the apartment in the house,
so that was nice. I got to grow up with too,
you know. I just you know, played sports, stayed out
of trouble a lot. I guess I did okay in school.
I don't even know.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Yeah, did you ever think you would find yourself working
in the entertainment industry, which is kind of what I
consider content?
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Yeah, yeah, I think it is too. I think more
and more as we go on, we're starting to become
will recognize as entertainers and into like the Hollywood world
almost because they see us more than they see like
a Hollywood actor on screen. They see us every day.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
I think it's really similar. So, I mean, the fact
that you're getting recognized all around Brooklyn and New York
and honestly wherever you go is equivalent to an actor.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Yeah, So I guess it works, I don't. But yeah, entertainment, no,
I never saw. I was always too shy. I never
thought I could do this. You know, I think everyone
grows up and they want to be a movie stuff
because who doesn't want to be a movie star when
they're a little kid or like something like that, you know,
or astronaut or someone famous. But they never really pursued.
(06:43):
It kind of just happened. I just make life take me.
I go with the flow. I don't really I don't
change life. I make life change me.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I like, you go with the flow. Yeah, absolutely, it's
kind of just letting the universe figure out your poth do.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Make the simulation simulate.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
It's so funny talking to Kush about how how he
works and all of that, because you're like, I don't
really work. I'm lazy, and I'm like, I don't get
it because you have. You're so successful, Like you can't
be lazy to be this successful. I mean you're in
a good situation.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah, I guess I set myself off for success. You know,
it's you got to play the game a little bit.
Put the game.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
You know, you ended up going to college where you
were there for accounting, which I find fascinating. The pipeline
from studying having an accounting degree to being a massive
content creator is just yeah, it.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Just doesn't go doesn't go hand in hand. But yeah
I did it. I kind of knew I wasn't going
to be an accountant. I'm just I was just good
at it, So I was like, I could just coast
to college with you know, I like numbers, so it
wasn't too hard. But I always worked in like Deli's
and Super Mak, so I was always around food. So
that's what I really like to do. So when I
(07:54):
got out of college, I got an accounting job. Quit
in five days.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Wow, Baroto, Wait, that's so interesting, right, So you did
end up graduating, getting a full time job in accounting,
working for a short period of.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Time five days. I just quit. I was like, I'm
not doing this bullshit sitting in the Cuba, go yeah,
looking at a computer screen.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Good for you that you knew it wasn't right for you.
So many people.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Stay, yeah, I wasn't gonna be miserable. I mean, I'll
be miserable, but at least I'll be miserable in the kitchen,
you know, getting screamed at by a chef because the
fucking steak is two role at some ship. We knows
what I did.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Wait, so you went from an accounting job for five
days to then working in a kitchen. Is that what
you ended up doing?
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Yeah, so I had. I was still living in Newpools,
so I went back to like my old job in
the deli, and then I just worked there. And then
Covid hit and then I just got a job at
like a restaurant as a line cook, but still upstate,
and you worked through act to Alcohovid. So I actually
I had to work to al Covid kind of sucked.
(09:00):
I didn't get that extra singx hundred brotal. I'm still
fucking salty.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
M m oh my god. Being a line cook is
a grind, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Yeah, it's hard, but it's like a sport because, like,
you know, you wake up and you like prep and
then you're on your feet for like eight to ten hours,
no breaks. Hot, it's like ninety five degrees in the kitchen,
gotta with pants and you know, sleep, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
I mean, I feel like that was a stressful job.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
It's definitely stressful, right, no wonder all over the place. Really,
I mean I used.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
To what kind of food were you making?
Speaker 2 (09:31):
It was like fast casual, but uh, you know, burgers, sandwiches, beninis, salads, bowls.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Did you ever think maybe I'll go to culinary school.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Not really, it's expensive, push you don't really need it.
You could learn just get a job in a kitchen
and just cook and you learn. You learn way more
in a year of that than you will in four
years cooking and spending two hundred thousand dollars on a
degree that says you could salt the steak or some shit.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
You know. Backing up a second, just to paint the picture,
you started really cooking a lot when you were in college, right.
I read that you moved off campus and you know,
you had a big kitchen for the first time, and
you started checking up food and at that time was
when you started your first meal's pay koos account, which
I'm assuming was Instagram.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Yeah, Instagram, Yeah, that's what happened. Was basically, my mother
was like, I'll pay for groceries, but if you want
to go out to you got to pay. So obviously
I was like, all right, I guess I'll just cook
and then I just double it. So I feel like
maybe what you do with your content, and mine is
like I cook every day or used to, so why
not film it? Like you run every day? Why don't
(10:37):
you film? You know, I think a lot of people
asked me, like, how do you become a content from?
Like just pick something that you do every day and
just add on to it. It's only going to take you
another half hour hour to create that content. Plus you're
on the fucking Instagram six hours a day. Anyway, you
might as well pay as well, might as well make
some money, attempt to make some money off it.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
So you started out filming yourself making food. What kind
of food were you making back.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
In those days? It basically this exact same food. It's
just the talent food, meat pools, chick and gutlet. It
was really really simple stuff. I would kind of just
make macaroni for like the roommates and we would just out.
You know.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
I find it so fascinating that when you first started
posting content, you weren't putting your face in the content.
But now it's like you're so known for you. It's
like as soon as somebody sees a video on their
for you page and it's your face, they're watching you know.
So at what point did you make the shift and
start putting yourself in your content.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
It was before it blew up. I mean I don't
even know. I almost just gave up me. It was
like oo shine, not because I never did it to
do this, It just I just stopped doing it, just
because I was like, all right, you know, I did
it and that's all I wanted to do, and I'm
happy I did it, and you know, it ran its course.
So I was like only posting like once a month
for a couple of you know, for the last few
(11:52):
months before I got viral. And then my friend sent
me a video and she's like, if you could do
fucking better than it was of someone else, and she
was like, you're better than this guy, why don't you
do better? I was like, all right, just kicking the
ass I needed, I guess.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Yeah, it takes a friend.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Yeah, definitely, definitely takes a lot of like your regular friends,
which I always have haven't really lost. I haven't lost
any of them, but they humble you. You need your
regular friends to the ground. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
I'm a big believer with content that there's like certain
like layers to it. It's like if your content makes
sense for your family and friends and they're like, this
is a good thing for Koosh or this is a
good thing for Kate. Right. If they see it and
they accept it, then it kind of gets into that
next layer of like periphery friends, and if they see
it and understands it and accept it, then it like
(12:39):
keeps going from there.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, does that make sense? You build it from like yeah,
because when I had like the when I first started
making content, you know, I only had a couple hundred
file It was just like my friends. I treated as
like a regular Instagram page, but like I would make
jokes that I knew like my closest friends liked. And
it wasn't for the mass public. It was just because
(13:00):
oh fucking Pat will think this is funny and me
say this. You know, it would literally be for like
one or two people at some videos because I knew,
like they would find that funny. And that's all I
wanted was to make that, you know, people around me laugh.
That was just doing it was like a hobby. Like
when people will be like even now, like you ask me,
like what are your hobbies, It's like, well, my hobby
was just cooking and doing this little meals by cooliche page.
(13:22):
But now that's no longer a hobby like became of job,
so now it's more of a fucking pain in the iss.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
And you know, so you're like, what are you what
are your new hobby problem? I don't that's the problem.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
It's you know what I mean, because I sometimes just
want to like make a video and like fuck off,
but like I know, I can't post because it would
do horrible, so there's no point of doing it. You know.
It's like sometimes all the fun is sucked out of it,
and you're like, fuck, I gotta I'm not doing this
for ships and giggles. I gotta make some money over here.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Absolutely. I mean that is one of the hard things
about content. And it's like you do something for so
long and then it's kind of like you just have
to mix it up right and get like recreatively inspired,
because I feel like what you're describing is almost like
burnout that people talk about a lot, right, Like, how
do you deal with that?
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Just chug along? I mean keep You.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Can't just chug along because you keep themes a cycle.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Though, well you know, so I can, you.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Know, right right? Well, okay, so.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
For me, you just got to stay relevant. So like
for me, my whole thing right now is just stay rope.
And so that's why I do a lot of collabs.
You hit me up. I was like, I know I
had to. I'm gonna be fucking miserable running, but I
know it's very good for me and I know it
would be good for you. So you know, if it's
good for everybody, then I like to do it.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Have you ever thought about hosting a podcast or something
like this?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, I mean I think I'm going to get into
like long form and early twenty Fuck we're in twenty
twenty five, so I think I'm gonna start doing that.
But like subscribe it base because I want to get
a little degenerate on there, and you can't really do
that with YouTube, you know what I mean. I kind
of want to like do like my favorite dive balls
and just go there and just kick gritty and discussed things.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
You know, where would that be? Like where would you
post that content?
Speaker 2 (15:05):
But like I subscribe you know, like Patreon, maybe not Patreon,
but like something like that God where you kind of pay.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
For access to that content. Yeah, basically OnlyFans.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Yeah, yeah, we're at there.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Yeah, you heard it here guys twenty twenty five coups
just launching his only Fans Sick.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
You want to collab ten.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Dollars a month you get access to exclusive content from
meals by Huge.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
May not be what you're looking for, but what you need.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I totally could see you with a long form podcast.
I do have to say, like, based on kind of
like what we were just talking about, doing this and
sitting down with people has like recreatively inspired me and
made me love my like running interview show content again.
Even so I feel like it's just a matter of
like mixing things up. But I'm curious, like what would
your advice be to people that want to get into
the content space being that you've been in it for
(16:00):
a couple of years now, right, how many years are five?
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Full time? Three? I started the page in twenty seven,
so like seven years been doing it, but like full
time a little over three years? Would be the advice
do something that you like, because you know, it's like
picking a job, like don't don't do a job that
you're gonna hate, and like nobody loves their job. I mean,
I don't care what anyone says. If you know, people
(16:24):
may enjoy their job, but nobody loves it to the
one hundred percent degree. So pick some content that you
want to that you won't mind doing, and then that
you're doing anyway and that you find funny. And you
just gotta find a way to differentiate yourself. That's like
the main thing in marketing when take a marketing place,
it's like what differentiates you from the other brands or
(16:46):
from the other products that you compete with. So, you know,
I'm a cook or you know food reviewers, so I
just have to put my own spin on cooking and
whatever and make sure that no one can emulate mer know,
you want to be one of one.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
I agree, And I think it's like leaning into your personality,
like nobody can be you. So if you're just being
so authentically you, it's.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Going to work.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
And I think that's a testament for your content, like
you're so authentically you and that's what your audience loves. Right. Yeah,
I'm curious when you were working your line job into covid,
at what point did you go full time with your content.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
I think my first viral video was in a July
twenty one and then July what is that the summer
I guess. So I was just kind of messing around
with it, you know, and then kind of taken off.
But I was still working, and my friends were like, fucking,
why do you like just go hard at this thing
(17:43):
and then see what happens. And then, you know, that's
what I did. I took their advice in the back
of a dive pod at this place called Snugs, and yeah,
it just I think in October, no in September, they
do the San Gennaro Fest, the Italian feasting Lilately, and
you know, I was the first, Like I was getting
recognized like over the summer here and there, but I
(18:03):
was upstate and you know, small community, so it wasn't
too you know hard. So when I went down here,
like everyone knew me. You know, I was taking a
lot of pictures. So I literally went back up, you know,
whatever it was the next day or two whenever I
had to go back to work and hit my two
weeks in, I was like base, but they kind of
(18:23):
knew I was on the way out too, you know.
It was just just good timing. And then you know,
I just went hard for like for those three months.
I had three months left on my lease up there,
I did a video a day. Unless my video hit
a million, then I would treat myself in that film
the next day. You know what I mean, take the daybreak,
you know, you got to take breaks. You know, all
(18:44):
these kind of thing creators just go hard and odd
and all and they run themselves down to the ground.
And I don't like it, you know. I try to
tell them, like, celebrate your wins. You have to celebrate
your wins and what else are you gonna win for?
I don't celebrate birthdays. I celebrate wins, you know.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Can I tell you something when I'm It's so funny
because Koush and I are the same age, but you
are such like a calming person to talk to, Like
you give like grandpa vibes. Anybody ever told you.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Yeah grandpa? But yeah, I'm very calm, demean it. My
demeanor is.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Very yeah, Like I need to be told over and
over again that everything's okay and you can take time
to yourself because instead I'm filming five Treadmill episodes. Yeah,
you're going to bring yourself drinking three celsi.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Yeah that's not healthy. You know, I might be healthier
than you, even though you run everything.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
I think you are like based on our heart rates
over there, I control yeah minm without a maximum in
like zone two. It was all over the place. But yeah,
it is really interesting. You are such a calming person.
Maybe we need like a therapy podcast where you just
kind of sit with people and let's do that. Let's
let's let's turn the table therapy.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
I don't know about that. What do I?
Speaker 3 (19:49):
What do you?
Speaker 2 (19:49):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Let's all Coosh is in the driver's you now, Yeah,
what are we calling it?
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Cool it with?
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Alright? Introduce it?
Speaker 2 (19:57):
I don't cool it with cool. I'm here with Kate
Max the runner. She just made me run, so I'm
not happy with it right now. So how was the
run today? What would you feel?
Speaker 1 (20:09):
You know going into it? I was definitely a little
bit tired at first. I did around this morning. It
was twenty eight degrees outside, so I was definitely slow
in the beginning of our run. But then I started
feeling good. The runners high. I started hitting our space.
Heater was right behind me, so I started warming up.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
So the runners high. Tell me about a running high.
I don't understand the runners high because you know, I
could smoke and get it high and you drink, you
get drunk. But a runners high I never got that.
Who gets high from a run? I get tired and depressed.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Right.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
A runner's high can either hit or it doesn't hit.
I feel like there's some runs.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
That I have missed. So you don't always get a
runner's high every time you.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Run, I don't think so that could be open to discussion.
I'm sure my runners listening are probably like, that's not true.
You get a runners high every time. I definitely feel
like it just depends. Like sometimes I'm running and I
feel super good and I'm like blasting my music, I'm
picking up the pace. I'm like picturing myself running a marathon,
like at an extremely fast pace, which is like not
(21:10):
really possible right for me. But I don't know a
runner's high as a hit or miss. Either you feel
it or you don't. But now I want you to
experience a runner's high.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
I mean, I feel like you have to be a
seasoned runner just to know what about runner's high.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
You know, what about when you're playing basketball? Do you
get a runner's high or like at least like a high.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Yeah, you get a little high sometimes you's making a
good play, you know, I don't play as much as
I used to, well, maybe even like to. I don't know.
It just doesn't happen as much. My joints don't work
like they used to work.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Grandpa. I'm aki, you are a twenty seven year old,
nine year old man.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
The blood work is probably crazy.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Yeah, you know, you kind of remind me of a
little bit Larry.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
David, guy guy.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Just the way you're sitting right now, I feel like
he would be sitting.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Like this, Like, you know, I think this is just
like an old school I always have the legs schools.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
I think it's comfortable in this therapy session. What else
do you want to ask me before we switch back
to you.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
I don't know. I can't subscribe you solo after or anything.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
So you know what I had the other day? Can
I tell you about an experience? Okay, So I was
on a panel and I do not do well on panels.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
MEI that I run from public talking. I've only done
it like once, and I was mortified.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
My body gets like really hot. I don't know what
it is.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
Yeah, I stuck getting the highs. I'm like, it's not good.
You know, I have like a Martinia too. You calm down,
you do what you.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Gotta do, right, well, something better than a martini. I
don't know if I'm allowed to talk about drugs on
this podcast, but basically, my friend was staying with me
and she gave me this thing called a Delta blocker,
which apparently a lot of people that do panels take
and essentially it just kind of calms you down.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
I think it's you out. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
It didn't like black you out and like make you
like followus. But I was the calmest I've ever been.
I was I'm not funny. I was cracking jokes on stage.
My manager is sitting in the corner, He's like, what
is going on? My mic for some reason kept going out,
probably because I was saying too much too confidently, and
I was like joking into the mic, like singing into
it like it was wild. And anyways, next time.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
You do a pan you need one of these. Yeah,
drugs are a wonderful thing.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Yeah, you have cooked with some iconic, iconic people Post Malone,
French Montana, the Rizzler.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Let's talk about that. How wild is it to be
cooking food with some of these people?
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Uh? Yeah, it's it's cool. I mean I really do
have felt like my like regular friends, they they find
it so cool. Me I just look at it as work.
I'm just like, all right, I'm feeling with you today.
Like I don't really look at them as celeberties. I'm
just like, this is the job today. Let's do it
just like today, Like right, this is a job we
gotta run. That's kate, whatever, and we'll do what we
(24:07):
gotta do. Like I just look at it as work.
So you know, a lot of people will be like
that's sick, that's cool, and I'm like, fuck, I don't
even want to do it at the time because it's work.
Like people don't understand like what I do, what we do,
it's still work. It might be cool, and you know,
there are some fun opportunities, but at the end of
the day, you are they had to film and produce,
and the people that hire you hire you to bring
(24:30):
your game and do what you have to do, right,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (24:33):
It is true, Like I feel like a lot of
people will ask me, like, do you get nervous when
you're running with certain someone in particular? You know, like
I recently did a video with Tim Walls running through
Central Stork and I was definitely nervous, but at the
same time, I totally get what you're saying. It's like
we're showing up, We're doing our job right, and that's
kind of it. It's almost like I black out during
I black I.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Black out why I do like those when they're like
bigger Celebrita. I kind of just black out and I
just do it and that's it.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
But what was it like hanging out with Post because
I'm obsessed with him.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
He's the nicest, sweetest guy. Yeah, he's like the biggest
hot He's very very nice guy, very wholesome, you know exactly.
You know, what you see is what you got, you know,
just drinking bud Light, smoking cigarettes. Bay afoot. Great guy.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
I saw him for the first time perform a few
months ago. I was at the Netflix as a Joke Festival,
which is where I interviewed Bert Kreischer and uh Tom
and Jelly Roll together. It was that was a blackout
situation for me. I was originally told we were going
to like go for a run Bert Tom and I
and then it very quickly turned into like a three
minute walk and I had I was literally flown out
(25:43):
to La for this. So I'm like, oh my god,
I need to get a video out of this. I
need to get as much of an interview as I
possibly kept in three minutes, you know, because they had
people chasing them, like talk about fandom. Jelly Roll is
like I love him, Yeah, and he's just so loved
by it, especially everybody that was.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
There drinking band in lay over the summer. You were, Yeah,
we were just having to be in the same hotel. He
wasn't there, but it was the rest of his band
members they were. They're they're cool guys, They're a fun time.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Yeah, that's a pretty iconic situation. What do you feel
like has been like the craziest situation that you found
yourself just naturally in.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
The White House. Okay, it's just the situation is ridiculous,
Like why am I in the White House? Just like
some jerk off on the internet. But you know, you
get invited, you got to go right into the light house.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Did you meet the President?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
No, we did see the President and the first Lady.
They did speak, but they didn't mingle with anybody. But
there you know, it's good. You know, I was just
like chilling in the white out because there was a dinner,
so you're just like sitting on their furniture, you know,
putting your drink down on like the you know, cabin
and shit. It's cool. All the pictures and paint things
(26:51):
you know, of ex presidents and it was a fun experience.
Shandily Is was sick. The service was crazy. It was
like call bone time you put a drink down, it's
getting picked up within three seconds. And the level of class,
like the Secret Service and all the staff have there.
It's exactly what you would want your government to act like.
(27:13):
I guess you know what I mean. It was exactly
what I thought it should be and.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Was all right, you're doing a lot. People love you.
I'm curious what's next for you? What are you like
excited about potentially working.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
On with the one with the long form next year.
I'm I have a Christmas party that I'm planning. It's
gonna be bananas.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
What's the Christmas party?
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Which is ugly sweater is? We got midgets coming, We
got a blackjack table, we got where do you find
midgets online? Well, there's a there's a me Donald Trump
and a middle Joe Biden. So we're gonna make them
the bull tenders. That's gonna be like my first long
form video. It's just Cujine's Christmas Body, and it's gonna
be really just like an industry event, like only like
(27:56):
people like us only inside is you know, it's gonna
it's going to be a fun time.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
You know this is so cool? Are you planning it
all on your own? No?
Speaker 2 (28:04):
I got like some My buddy is really gonna help.
But you know I got the vision.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
Who's is Christmas party come in to New York City?
Is this? Do you want this to be a tradition
for you?
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Yeah? I do want this to be like a I
think like an annual thing where you know, I get
the group of my friends together and people I've worked
with throughout the year.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Where's the party's in Brooklyn?
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Like a not a restaurant?
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Do you I have your sweater picked out? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Sick?
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Can you tell us what it is?
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Of course? Hey, the reason I'm doing this.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Part because of where did you find it?
Speaker 2 (28:41):
At a vintage shop? Throwbacks? Throwback? He's got a couple
of shops in the Lower east.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Side, but it is I love the Lower east Side.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Fantastic bugs, Bunny on a ski that's wild.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Why was I expecting, like you to find some obscure
like staff and stat in Italy sweater.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Yeah, some guinea.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
I was not expecting bugs, bunny. But I'm so happy
with the bugs, bunny. That's a really cute swetter.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
It's fine.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Yeah, that's a good se sweater do ski? No, okay,
all right, Well what else do you have going on?
Speaker 2 (29:13):
No, I just I'm gonna really be focusing on long
form content. And yeah, I kind of pushing like that
subscriber service and quota quota one of twenty twenty five,
because twenty twenty four, this year was kind of like
a dead year. I didn't really do much. I kind
of just coasted.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
What does a day in the life look like for
you when you're coasting?
Speaker 2 (29:32):
You know a lot of people are like, you're doing this,
doing that? And normally I wake up, you know, and
then I'll go for a walk. If that, then I'll
take myself out to lunch. I'd like to eat lunch alone,
you know, just like one of the local restaurants. I'll
come back, just hang out, watch a little TV, you know,
and then maybe at night I'll go out for a
dinner or a couple of drinks. And hang out with
(29:53):
friends and that's it. Like I don't really do to
Everyone thinks I lived this crazy extriving in life because
they just see like one of two stories here there
and I and you know, some some stuff I do
is a lot of fun. But for the most part,
I just live a normal, simple lifestyle, you know what
I mean. I still have to take the trash out.
I still have to go drop my laundry off and run.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Really, I believe that you do all those things. I
feel like you are living a very just sustainable life.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
You know, I could, You know, I could. I'm very
I could, you know, live on twenty grands a year
in the mountains and I still be happy. You know,
I don't need much, you know, I don't think materialistic
things really get me crazy.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
That's good. That's a good way to be. That's a
little different than me. I love buying things.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
I mean I do. I do. You know, once in
a while, I do. Treat yourself as you celebrate your
in So sometimes you celebrate your wins with you know,
ordering McDonald's, eating an edible and just drooling in front
of it.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
I wish you were high for this.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
This would have been I would have been way too introverted.
I get weird. I only get really, I really just
smoke alone. I did smoke a little this morning, and
I regretted that, obviously, because I was huffing and puffing
like a basted on that treadmill. But we made it.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
We made it, all right. Well, I like to end
my podcast with one final question, and that is what
are we manifesting for twenty twenty five?
Speaker 2 (31:14):
To continue to make people happy? You know, whatever you get,
end of the business. As long as they're happy, I'm happy.
Don't worry about me. Be happy. You know, the people
be happy. As long as I can make them happy.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
You know, you are making people happy. Cush is the
Internet's Grandpa. I'm calling it right now. All right, that's
what we're gonna start becoming, nonice because you're so calming, You're.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Like great, right, I mean I know I am, you know,
just people don't think I am because of my videos.
I'm very you know, you know, out there and extroverted.
I guess my videos look like I am.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
But all right, well, thank you so much, coush. That's
a wrap. You're the freaking best.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Thanks for having me take it.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
O
Host
Kate Mackz
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