We all live for food in one way or another, and many of us live to travel, too. Some people live for both in unique ways, but you’ll have to travel a long way to find anyone who’s done it uniquely as Will Sonbuchner, aka Sonny Side.
He’s the host of Best Ever Food Review Show, and is worth $2 million dollars, more or less, with a YouTube clan of 10.6 million followers.
Early Days
For someone who’s gotten to know a lot about food, Sonbuchner was surprisingly ignorant about the subject growing up in St. Cloud, Minnesota. His idea of an exotic meal was a night out at Red Lobster.
Indeed, Sonbuchner claims never to have eaten a fresh peach growing up. This contributes to his version of the rags to riches saga, which has him flunking out of three colleges and doing a stint as a server at Applebee’s.
The Travel Bug Strikes
It was only when Sonbuchner went to Asia that he found himself—and no, he didn’t find a guru, or a spiritual guide. Instead he found himself in South Korea, teaching English and learning film production while producing videos for what he calls “second-tier K-Pop stars.” Sonbuchner found his true calling when he started his show, Best Ever Food Review.
Based in Vietnam, he did things like chase down chickens for lunch in Madagascar, bond with Indonesian tribesmen over a roast pig, and discuss politics while sampling Hong Kong’s food stalls. All while wearing his trademark red bandanna.
It’s not always an easy gig, though. Sonbuchner’s knowledge of local customs ran afoul of local authorities when he was in Egypt. He ended up having all his equipment confiscated while filming for the show.
He did some boning up on Egyptian authoritarian customs after that. Apparently he was able to play nicely enough with government officials that some of the footage he took got released. Given that he represented himself as a vlogger and erstwhile journalist, he should probably count himself lucky to be alive.
Personal Life
Since Sonbuchner is a fun and charismatic guy, you would assume he’s great with the ladies! He’s married to a Vietnamese lady but his wife prefers to stay out of the spotlight. They tied the knot in an intimate ceremony.
According to Reddit, the lady in the reflection of the window is Will’s wife. During that video, Sonbuchner talks about an encounter with a lovely lady and then jokes “it’s my wife right there holding the camera.”
