Meet the influencer who spends $12,000 a month on food but does not cook and hates the smell of cooking in his home.
Influencer Cosmin Cernica, 29, splits his time between London and Dubai and has nearly 105,000 followers on Instagram.
The self-confessed gourmet foodie with a penchant for caviar, truffles and champagne, told Zenger News in an exclusive interview that he happily forks out $12,000 a month on food despite not cooking and not enjoying the smell of food being cooked in his home.
So he orders in and eats out. Cosmin said: “I don’t like cooking and I don’t actually like the smell of food being cooked in my house… so the only options left are to either order in or to go out – which I do five-six times a week when I am in London and every day when I am in Dubai.
“Going out to restaurants for me is not only about the food, but more about the experience – I am very particular with the places I go.”
Cosmin loves ordering in and going out, but we’re not talking about fast food here. He said: “Because I don’t cook at all, I always get my food delivered or I go to restaurants. I order my food from a luxury food delivery app that delivers gourmet food from the best restaurants in London.
“I love a truffle breakfast, if it’s weekend that will always be paired with champagne. I also love salmon sandwiches topped with caviar, they are my go-to breakfast.
“Even if I order all the time I try to eat reasonably healthy so I would never order something from McDonald’s let’s say, but when I fancy a ‘fast food treat’ I would order a Wagyu burger topped with Oscietra Caviar and 24K Gold leaf from my favorite Chef in Chelsea, Mr. Z, he always delivers his food in a Mercedes.”
The self-confessed “truffle lover” said he “would eat anything with fresh truffle on it”. Cosmin, who happily spends thousands of pounds on chocolate, added: “They are very expensive, especially the white truffle or if they are not in season in Italy and they need to be flown in from afar.
“My local shop in Chelsea would call me every time they have a fresh truffle delivery. I also eat caviar which can be quite pricey too and I love seafood, especially fresh lobsters, and red prawns.”
As the owner of the social media and digital marketing agency C&C Studios and a self-proclaimed “lifestyle influencer” with nearly 105,000 followers on Instagram, he has to look good too and also spends over 5,000 British pounds ($6,000) a month on health products – “I do spend a lot on cosmetic products too, I am obsessed with anything skincare or niche fragrances”.
Cosmin said he is not “a health freak”, but added that he does have “limits and rules”. He added: “I try to eat organic, I try to eat seafood and vegetables as much as possible but of course I love my champagne and sweet treats.
“I do buy a lot of chocolate, the Chocolate Hall in Harrods is my guilty pleasure, I once spent 2,000 pounds [$2,400] there in one go.”
Cosmin also loves pricey restaurants. He said: “I do like fine dining so my usual hangouts are in Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Mayfair. And of course when I am at my house in Dubai I would only eat out… the restaurants there are next level and the staff always makes you feel so special.”
Cosmin also likes trying different cuisines and exploring new flavors.
And to his eventual critics who might think that 10,000 pounds [$12,000] every month is a bit rich, he says: “I don’t feel like it’s too much, it is just a number and I feel like food should always be top quality, it is at the end of the day a necessity and I would rather spend more on super high-quality food rather than something else.”
Addressing the elephant in the room, namely how he can afford to spend so much on nosh, Cosmin said: “I run a boutique Social Media and Digital Marketing agency, we operate in Dubai and London and it specializes in luxury brands. I am also a luxury lifestyle and I work with different brands of digital campaigns.”
The 29-year-old Romanian-born globe-trotter splits his time between London and Dubai with his husband Robert. He said that he left home at 16 to study before moving to the United Kingdom.
Cosmin said: “I left home when I was 16 to continue my studies, moved to the U.K. and started my own business.”
He added: “This autumn I am launching a jewelry line called MIN with gender fluid pieces made in Dubai.” (sic)
