An Andover food influencer made it big by reviewing Dunkin’ drinks, Taco Bell, and pickle smoothies

By reviewing outlandish food products from McNugget Caviar Kits to Mountain Dew Flamin’ Hot, Andover native Zach Ciampa — known as @snachwithzach to his 408,000 Instagram and 537,000 TikTok followers — has become an enthusiastic social media source for food content.

Read more Trump will see doctors for his annual physical. What the public finds out is up to him.

In a social media landscape filled with taste tests, protein mania, and “What I eat in a day” videos, Ciampa has become known as the “food news guy,” reporting on national fast food, snack, and drink releases.

In 2021, Ciampa was living in New York City pursuing a music career when he came across an unusual menu item: Van Leeuwen’s Kraft Macaroni and Cheese-flavored ice cream. He decided to post a video of himself trying the dessert.

“I reviewed it on my music Instagram’s page, and everybody was like, ‘Oh, you should create a food account,’” he recalled. “Everybody knew me throughout college and high school as the home cook guy, the guy that was always cheffing things up. I was always experimenting with making food.”

After the pandemic, Ciampa moved home to Massachusetts for a research analyst job. Looking for ways to occupy his time, he decided to create a dedicated food page, where he reviewed wacky items like Old Bay-seasoned Goldfish and Grillo’s Pickle ice cream from J.P. Licks.

However, Ciampa found that food review content was “a very saturated space,” and wanted to create posts that would set him apart from other creators.

He ultimately came up with the idea of release and menu roundups. In these videos, Ciampa compiles a list of new items from chain restaurants and snacks and drinks from grocery stores. The posts typically include information about each item, their release date, and where they can be purchased. His first video of the series, posted in 2023, has amassed more than 414,000 views at the time of reporting.

“If there’s anything that anybody should take out of this, it’s sometimes you got to follow your random ideas, especially when it comes to social media,” Ciampa said. “You never know what that one idea is and what that one video is that’s going to take things and pop it off.”

Since starting his platform, Ciampa’s methods for compiling his lists have changed. Early in the series, he collected news from online research. Now, companies send him information and product samples directly.

“Over time, I’ve become one of the biggest independent sources for food news, at least as far as snacks and fast food go,” Ciampa said. PR companies have realized “that it’s a great avenue for publicity.”

Read more ‘Debbie Downer’ is enjoying an upswing

In addition to his roundups, Ciampa continues to post taste tests. Recent videos include him trying Dairy Queen’s breakfast cereal ice cream collection, a Strawberry Pop-Tart-flavored iced tea from Liquid Death, and a pickle Oreo cookie made for April Fool’s Day.

While his videos largely focus on national chains, Ciampa is also passionate about the Massachusetts food scene.

“I personally love fast food and snacks, 100 percent that makes my world go round. But also I love going to my local spots,” said Ciampa. “I think they give us a lot of things that big chains can’t.”

For sushi, his family frequents Karma in Andover. Another favorite is Salem’s All Souls Lounge, which he visits on almost a weekly basis. “Their whole menu is so creative. They’re very reasonably priced, and they’re delicious,” Ciampa said.

He loves defunct spots including Harrison’s Roast Beef and Fajitas & ‘Ritas downtown.

“I think that we could do a better job as Boston and the Greater Boston area at supporting our local restaurants, because we have the capability to be a fantastic dining city,” Ciampa said.

In addition to social media, Ciampa cohosts “The Beef Medium Podcast,” where he and his brother, Matt, interview people in the food industry, including chefs, taste testers, and fellow influencers. In the future, he hopes to experiment with more long-form content such as YouTube vlogs, which he believes “gives you so much more runway to explore and talk about the things that you’re eating.”

Across platforms, Ciampa tries to keep an open mind about the items he tries.

“One of my big philosophies, and I try to practice what I preach … is that everybody’s tastes are different,” he said.

“It’s not our place to tell someone whether their tastes are valid or not,” he continued. “Best I can do is provide a perspective as to what my tastes are, and people will agree or disagree as they see fit, and that’s OK.”

Read more Officials lift evacuation orders for some California residents living near a damaged chemical tank