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Strolling around with a vlog camera and Meta AI RayBans, one of Columbia’s influencers showcases the city’s hidden-in-plain-sight gems on social media. Ken Walker boasts more than 60,000 Instagram followers and over 650,000 likes on TikTok , but the Columbia native lived quite a life before finding internet fame. Walker went from a hot dog stand owner to Guinness World Record-holding chef to local social media influencer and guide to all things Columbia.
Columbia locals may know him for his food reviews of local restaurants on Instagram and TikTok. Each video is marked by his energy and positive, down-to-earth reviews of locally owned spots and nationwide chains in the Midlands. He isn’t just a regular foodie either, he’s a renowned chef with worldwide acclaim.
Walker started his career in Columbia with a hot dog cart, then a food truck serving seafood. He opened a restaurant, The Twist on Two Notch Road, before focusing on social media full time. His food truck, “Ken’s All-Star Cart,” was entered into a nationwide contest for his jerk teriyaki pineapple sandwich, dubbed “The Pineapple Express.
” And won. But Walker’s aspirations didn’t stop at national recognition. “The only thing bigger than a national competition is a worldwide competition,” Walker told Free Times.
Ken Walker is a realtor and social media influencer who spotlights hidden gems and locals' haunts around the Midlands. That’s how he won the Guinness World Record for the world’s most expensive crab cake in 2019. A $310 crab cake of king and lump crab meat coated in platinum leaf and platinum dust secured his ticket to the world record.
The win opened doors to him appearing on TV. That crab cake got him a spot on "Guy’s Grocery Games," and later more doors to the television world opened. The TV spot on Food Network was an “eye opener” for Walker.
“As time progressed, I started getting tired of food because I had been in food my whole life,” Walker said. “I was really good at selling things so I tried real estate.” Walker began the marketing side of his real estate business using TikTok which earned him a case study from TikTok and a spot on HGTV’s "House Hunters.
" But his pivot to food reviews and showcasing all the things Columbia came from a bet. “I started vlogging only because my best friend at the time told me I couldn’t find a place in Columbia she had never heard about after living here her entire life,” Walker said. “I found Molto Vino.
” Walker made that first video in 2022. More people in his life asked him to showcase Columbia. “I said ‘sure, I was going to do this anyway,’” Walker said.
“But I never thought I would get to where I’m at now.” Fast forward to now, Walker has seven brand deals and is the only Google social media coach in South Carolina. In that role, he helps businesses learn to capitalize on digital marketing.
“This year has been great for me,” Walker said. Walker was born in Columbia, but raised in Atlanta, supposedly one of the less-boring cities in the Southeast. His social media influence shows there’s more to doin Columbia than many locals let on.
The thing that has surprised Walker the most about Columbia is how people here take things for granted, he said. Ken Walker speaks about how his career has evolved, from hot dog stand owner to chef to social media influencer. “Coming from Atlanta, we see all the opportunity y’all have, but because y’all see it everyday, y’all don’t see it as opportunity” Walker said.
“I shouldn’t have been one of the first people to vlog Columbia, it should have been someone who grew up here.” He feels too many locals cast Columbia off as boring before giving it a chance. That’s simply not the case, Walker said.
“Now it’s a cool thing to go around and showcase all it has to offer,” Walker said. “It’s shown me that people who don’t like the city really don’t have a legit reason to dislike it.” And with a bigger city comes a higher cost of living, Walker said.
Average rent in Atlanta is nearly $200 more per month than in Columbia, according to Rent Cafe. It's another feather in Columbia's cap, the influencer said. And while Columbia's lower cost of living might be one of its main calling cards, Walker is committed to unearthing the hidden gems.
The Midlands' wealth of festivals is one of the underrated aspects of the city, he said. He described bringing his friends from Atlanta to Columbia and showing them around town. He said they’re always astonished at the amount of things to do every weekend.
With around 320 festivals to attend each year, almost every weekend there’s an exciting event to attend, Walker said. “Our festivals here are underrated,” Walker said. “But it’s definitely top tier.
” Walker said the thing that keeps him going is hearing from people who have grown up here, but had never heard of the events or businesses he showcases. “I almost always get positive feedback,” Walker said. “Occasionally, I get a guy yelling about how he still doesn’t like Columbia.
Like ‘calm down, sir. But you’re still helping my engagement so keep at it.’” Walker posts his content to TikTok (@kenwalkershow) and Instagram (@kenwalkertherealtor), where he'll keep showing all Columbia has to offer.
“People can explore Columbia because trust me,” Walker said. “They haven’t seen it all.”.
