Tim Laielli smiles a lot. If you’re like me or any of his literally millions of followers on social media and YouTube, you know the grin, along with his voice and humor. Over coffee, he’s a normal Dripping Springs dad in jeans, boots, and a backwards snapback. Known as “barefoodtim,” his online following makes him one of our town’s most influential, well, influencers.
Tim makes food videos, but he isn’t a chef. In fact, he has no professional cooking experience or formal training. His father, an actual chef, passed down a love of cooking to him, but no actual skills. Tim is entirely self-taught, with 15 years of experience feeding his family.
“I advocate for more men cooking at home—not just leaving it to women. Men should take initiative to feed their families,” he says. He’s active on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube with DMs open to helping everyone. “I enjoy interacting directly with followers and encouraging their cooking journey,” he says.
Tim’s videos show him cooking for his family. He narrates the action, cracks dad jokes, and tells stories about his life and family, with lots of self-deprecating humor. A standard example: “Every Fourth of July, I’m quickly reminded how lucky my family is to have me,” he quips. “Don’t get too jealous though: What I offer in the kitchen, I lack everywhere else. One hundred percent of dads think they can grill and they’re pretty much all wrong. They have good intentions, though, and that’s what matters.”
He says he tries to toe the line with humor and wants viral content for the right reasons: “Effort goes into both the cooking and the voiceover work,” he says. “I aim for people to laugh and appreciate the message.”
One successful and long-running feature is called “hometowns,” where Tim makes signature dishes from cities across the country and reports to the audience “if it sucks.” Think fried pork tenderloins from Indianapolis and Cleveland’s Polish boy sandwich. He’s lived and traveled all over, but when he and his wife Lindsey moved to Central Texas in 2015, he knew it was home. Tim is a wedding photographer by trade, and Dripping Springs offered the opportunity to be close to many stand-out venues.
The couple has two daughters. Emery is a sophomore at Dripping Springs High School, and Toni is in eighth grade. The family loves being in the Hill Country with everything they need, away from the stress of Austin life.
He jokes that Drip’s featured “hometown food” would have to be pizza or burgers. Following the recent Texas flooding tragedies, he was inspired by P. Terry’s fundraising and generous donations. While waiting in line for a burger, he decided to donate 100 percent of his eBook sales for the following five days, raising more than $6,250 for the Austin Disaster Relief Network. “I’m most proud of turning online influence into real-world impact,” he says.
There are a lot of exciting real-world projects on the horizon, too. Tim slyly asks if I would be interested in a local breakfast burrito spot, hinting at an upcoming pop-up opportunity. He’s also writing a book, set to be published by Harper Collins around Father’s Day 2027. In the meantime, he’ll be busy cooking and creating content with some fall flavor.
The goal for the “barefoodtim” project and the book is to help people feel comfortable cooking at home, lower the intimidation barrier, and make it fun. It’s also about making restaurant-quality meals in your own kitchen.
Any tips for a dad looking to feed his family this season? “Go get a Dutch oven. I love mine. Drop it in the oven—braises, chuck roasts, potatoes, anything goes,” he says as his face lights up. “One pot—so comforting, so easy. If you’re trying to improve cooking, it’s the best thing to buy and learn to use.”
“Cooking new dishes isn’t as difficult as people think. Many get scared, but it should be approachable, not intimidating,” he explains. “Cooking at home should be fun, not overly serious, and focused on quality meals.”
“Women tell me all the time, ‘my husband could never do this,’” he continues. “That’s crazy. Cooking for your family, along with exploring different cuisines, is not that difficult. It shouldn’t be scary. It should be fun. I love to hear that I’ve helped people feed their families. That’s fun for me.”
He grins, but I know he’s not joking.
BareFoodTim.com | @barefoodtim
“Cooking new dishes isn’t as difficult as people think. Many get scared, but it should be approachable, not intimidating.”