Chasing a Plate - Thomas & Sheena

Thomas and Sheena Southam, the New Zealand couple behind the digital food and travel brand ‘Chasing a Plate’, operate under a simple, powerful premise: to travel the world in search of the best food, believing it is the most direct path to understanding a culture. Since launching their YouTube channel on June 29, 2016, they have transformed this mission into a well-organized media operation, amassing 185,000 subscribers and over 31.2 million views across 482 videos. They present themselves as purveyors of authenticity, bypassing fleeting trends for the substance of local, “mom and pop” establishments. Yet, behind the scenes of their global culinary journey lies a complex narrative of strategic business pivots, a carefully constructed digital network, and a stark schism between mainstream acclaim and pointed online criticism.

Chasing a Plate - Thomas

Chasing a Plate - Thomas & Sheena: How It Started

Sheena: History and Growth

The ‘Chasing a Plate’ brand has evolved through four distinct operational phases, each marked by a calculated response to changing personal and global circumstances.

Its origin was in 2013 as a local food blog in Melbourne, Australia. Recently arrived from Auckland, the Southams used the platform to document and navigate their new city’s vibrant culinary landscape. This foundational period established the brand name and its core focus on discovery.

The second phase began in October 2016 with a radical pivot. The couple pooled their savings, resigned from their respective careers—Sheena as a lawyer in Auckland, Thomas from an organic food store—and committed to full-time nomadic life, shifting their primary medium from blog to YouTube. After an admittedly “horrendous” first video, the channel experienced explosive growth, surging from 1,000 to 60,000 subscribers in a single year. By January 2019, they had surpassed 65,000 subscribers while documenting their travels across more than 40 countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 triggered the third phase, forcing an abrupt return to New Zealand and rendering their global travel model obsolete. They responded with a strategic shift, dedicating their content to “showcasing the phenomenal food culture of Aotearoa New Zealand.” This period saw them produce a camper van series exploring the country from the North to the South Island, highlighting everything from Southland cheese rolls to high-end chefs.

The fourth and current phase commenced in September 2025 with the sale of their home in Northland and a strategic relocation back to Melbourne. The move was framed as a business necessity, driven by the logistical challenges of frequent travel with their young daughter and the need for a major urban hub with a superior food scene and public transport infrastructure compared to Auckland.

Chasing a Plate - Thomas

Chasing a Plate - Thomas & Sheena Content: Evolution and Style

Sheena: Content and Style

The channel’s philosophy is an explicit rejection of what they term “social media worthy” food. Their descriptions firmly state, “You won’t find food that’s been created merely to be social media worthy on here- no rainbow bagels, gold leaf soft serves- just honest food that tastes incredible.” This ethos guides them toward an adventurous and immersive style, documented in videos featuring dishes like blood-eel noodles in Taiwan, cow-head tacos in Mexico, and bull penis in Malaysia.

Their content is characterized by granular detail. In Kuala Lumpur, they guide viewers to Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam for a 4 MYR curry cheung fun or to Char Siew Yoong for a 39 MYR portion of char siew for three people. In Taipei, they navigate the Nanjichang Night Market, pricing a stinky tofu at 60 TWD and a big sesame tangyuan at 110 TWD. In Shanghai, they seek out a 65 CNY bowl of yellow croaker noodles at A Niang Mian. This meticulous documentation of places, dishes, and prices serves as a practical guide for their audience.

The on-screen dynamic features Sheena Southam, a first-generation Kiwi Chinese whose parents from Guangzhou and Hong Kong once ran a Cantonese roast shop, as the lead presenter. Her background informs her “knowledgeable passion.” Media analysis has described her food descriptions as “clear, concise, and yet 360,” delving into the stories and people behind the meals. Thomas operates as the primary videographer and editor, capturing the content with a kit that includes a Panasonic Lumix GH5 camera and a Rode VideoMic Pro Plus. Their most-viewed video, a feature on Nepali street food in Kathmandu, has garnered 1.8 million views.

How Chasing a Plate - Thomas

How Chasing a Plate - Thomas & Sheena Makes Money

Sheena Makes Money

‘Chasing a Plate’ is supported by a diversified and resilient commercial framework that extends far beyond simple YouTube ad revenue. Their monetization strategy is a multi-pronged network designed to capture revenue from various audience interactions.

Direct audience support is solicited through a Patreon page, YouTube Channel Memberships, and a direct PayPal link.

E-commerce is a key pillar. The brand sells branded unisex T-shirts through its own online store, shop.chasingaplate.com. They also sell a digital product, the “Chasing a Plate: Street Food at Home” e-cookbook, for $2.99 via the Payhip platform.

A well-organized affiliate marketing program generates passive income through partnerships with travel and creator-focused companies. These include SafetyWing travel medical insurance, Airbnb (offering a 59 NZD discount on first stays), Booking.com, and the music licensing service Artlist, which offers two free months through their link. They also provide affiliate links to the specific production gear they use, from their Panasonic Lumix G7 camera to their Rode Wireless Go microphone system.

During their New Zealand phase, they cultivated a significant B2B revenue stream, forming commercial partnerships with tourism body Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and local business associations in Panmure, Dominion Road, and Northcote to produce promotional content. As a brand extension, they also operate a secondary YouTube channel, ‘Chasing a Catch,’ focused on fishing.

Chasing a Plate - Thomas

Chasing a Plate - Thomas & Sheena's Network and Collaborations

Sheena's Collaborations

The brand’s industry standing was formally recognized in 2019 when they were named finalists in the “Best Culinary Travel” category of the prestigious Saveur Blog Awards. This nomination provided significant external validation from the food media establishment, elevating their profile within the industry. While their primary collaborations have been commercial B2B partnerships with tourism entities, this award signifies their successful networking and recognition among their peers.

Chasing a Plate - Thomas

Chasing a Plate - Thomas & Sheena: Public Reception

Sheena: Public Reception

The public perception of ‘Chasing a Plate’ is sharply divided. In mainstream New Zealand media, they have been celebrated with features in the New Zealand Herald’s Viva and Be Well magazines, Nadia magazine, and a television appearance on The AM Show in June 2021.

However, a discussion thread on the r/aucklandeats subreddit paints a starkly different picture. Here, users levy pointed criticisms, accusing the hosts of producing “fake” reviews and being “blatantly for sale for a free meal.” Their filming style is criticized for what some find to be an “annoying” focus on close-up shots of eating and audible chewing sounds.

The most damaging allegation, sourced from anecdotal eyewitness accounts within the thread, is of systematic food waste. These accounts claim the hosts order entire menus at establishments for filming purposes, take a single bite of each dish for the camera, and then leave the remainder of the food behind. Even within this critical forum, the sentiment is not entirely uniform; one user tempers their criticism by noting ‘Chasing a Plate’ are “the only tolerable local ones” among food influencers. Nevertheless, the food waste allegation creates a significant “credibility gap” and represents a potent reputational risk.

Chasing a Plate - Thomas

Philanthropy and Impact

Sheena: Philanthropy

In direct contrast to the allegations of waste, the Southams have produced content with a pro-social mission. Their “Food Disruptors” series highlights organizations working to create positive change within the food system. A notable collaboration in this series was with The Kai Ika Project, a New Zealand-based initiative that recovers and redistributes fish heads, frames, and offal—parts typically discarded by commercial and recreational fishers—to communities in need. This partnership publicly aligns the ‘Chasing a Plate’ brand with the principles of sustainability and food waste reduction, creating a jarring contrast with the unverified but persistent online claims against their production practices.

Chasing a Plate - Thomas

Chasing a Plate - Thomas & Sheena Today

Sheena Today

Now based in Melbourne, Thomas and Sheena Southam are embarking on the next phase of their enterprise, positioned to leverage a major travel hub to reignite their international content strategy. They have successfully built a resilient media business capable of adapting to global crises and evolving personal needs. Their future, however, will be defined by their ability to navigate the inherent “Authenticity Paradox” of their profession. The chasm between their carefully cultivated brand image—bolstered by mainstream press and philanthropic work—and the severe allegations circulating in niche online communities represents their single greatest challenge. How they manage this reputational fault line will ultimately determine the long-term viability of the brand they have painstakingly built.