We all live for food in one way or another, and many of us live to travel, too. Some people live for both in very unique ways, but you’ve have to travel a long way to find anyone who’s done it quite as uniquely as Will Sonbuchner, aka Sonny Side.
He’s the host of Best Ever Food Review Show, and he’s worth a lot of money – $2 million dollars, more or less, with a YouTube clan of over 9.6 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, where popcorn chicken was apparently a favorite.
Indeed, Sonbuchner claims never to have eaten a fresh peach growing up, and when he did he was surprised that it wasn’t served in a can surrounded by icky, gooey syrup. 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, a mentor 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 protests and 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, to the point where he ended up having all his equipment confiscated while filming for the show.
He did some boning up on Egyptian authoritarian customs after that, and apparently he was able to play nicely enough with government officials that some of the footage he took is in the process of being released. Given that he represented himself as a vlogger and erstwhile journalist, he should probably count himself lucky to be alive.
Personal Life
Sonbuchner does have a dating life of sorts, and it’s a rather active one at that. He’s frequently seen flirting with various ladies in his show, and he’s been accompanied by some comely female hosts from time to time.
Sonbuchner did finally ’fess up to having a girlfriend in 2020, and last year he tied the knot with Carly Corinth’s, although the food show host has been so circumspect about their union that there are conflicting reports about this, not to mention rumors about their divorce.
It resulted in a show episode called “Food Challenge with My Dog! My Wife is Gonna Kill me!,” so at least someone got a good meal out of the whole thing.
