(CNN) — Manu Solider is quick to admit he's not a real chef, but his live cooking streams from his tiny Paris apartment have captivated millions on TikTok, not because they want to see complicated recipes, but because his generosity is on full display.
The 33-year-old spends hours preparing dozens of meals, then hops on his bike to distribute them to people on the streets of Paris, with Solidaire taking online viewers along every step of the way.
“When I wake up in the morning, I think, 'What do I want to make today?'” he says.
Solider's cooking sessions take four to eight hours, from preparation to packaging, and his kitchen is just about 30 square feet, leaving little space for others to join in. Instead, he interacts with an audience of thousands online, creating a party-like atmosphere as he cooks.
“We laugh, we dance, we move and we're like a family in the live sessions,” he said.
Solider said when he first started delivering meals in 2022, he wore a GoPro camera on his bike helmet for his own safety. After a few months, he started asking people if they could appear in his videos. He says he uses these videos to change perceptions of homelessness.
“This is to show the world these homeless people. They've worked their whole lives, and now they're having some problems,” he said. “So maybe people can understand their situation.”
Solider's TikTok account has 352,400 followers and 5.6 million likes. His social media audience supports his work through links on his account and donations during his live streams. Last year, Solider received TikTok's Honorary Award for his work.
Solider first came into contact with homeless people while running two vape businesses, offering in-store phone charging and free coffee to people in need, but as the pandemic wore on, “business went down and so did happiness,” Solider said.
“I thought, 'I need to find a new way to be happy,'” he said.
One day, he made pasta for his family and had three servings left over, so he took 20 minutes to walk down the street to find three people who wouldn't have eaten if he hadn't offered them a meal.
“I go home with a really big smile on my face,” he said. “It's good for me and it's good for them.”
Solider found a new calling and started livestreaming on TikTok in the hopes of sharing recipes and improving his cooking skills.
That first delivery showed him he had a lesson to learn. When he approached people, he didn't know what to do when a stranger riding alone on a bike said, “Hello, are you hungry? I have free food for you.” Then he realized, “Manu, did you really ask me about homeless people? [they] Are you hungry?' Of course. [they] So Solider changed his approach: “We'll bring you free food. Do you want it?” and he found that people were much more receptive to his offer.
When he learned their needs went beyond food, he began distributing hygiene products and even offering to pay for their hotel rooms.
Now, with the world's attention on Paris due to the Olympics, many homeless people are being forced out of the city, and Solider worries the government is sending them into areas where they have no connections or resources – something he argues doesn't solve the underlying problem.
“We cannot hide poverty in the country without solutions,” Solider said, vowing to continue feeding those who depend on him. “If I can't find them on the streets, I will continue to hop on the train and deliver food.”
For Solider, one thing has remained the same since he first handed out free pasta dishes: the joy the job brings him.
“When I see the smiles I receive on the street, when I see the smiles I have doing this, and when I see the smiles of my followers… I'm grateful for that.”
CNN Wire
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