Why Andrew Rea Decided To Build A Bed And Babish Vacation Rental – Exclusive

Andrew Rea is known for his "Binging with Babish" brand, a YouTube series that recreates favorited food items from television and movies. As the brand grew, it spawned cookbooks, cookware, and separate video series, like "Basics with Babish," focused on teaching beginner cooks need-to-know techniques and recipes, a theme that continues in Rea's new cookbook by the same name. However, one of Rea's most recent ventures is a bit unexpected; he's getting into the hospitality space with a "Bed and Babish" vacation rental.

The idea for the venture came about when Rea had his own lackluster experience at a vacation rental in upstate New York that had everything one could want — except for a properly outfitted kitchen. In a recent, exclusive interview with Mashed, he described, "I started ideating it about two years ago when I stayed in a beautiful cabin in upstate New York that was incredible and a wonderful, relaxing place to be — and it had three pans and the dullest knives on the planet, which is a pretty universal experience in vacation rentals. [A rental's kitchen] can be described as a chef's kitchen and they might have a six-burner Viking range with huge custom hood ventilation, but they don't give you the gear that you need to make a proper meal. I'd say that's happened to me 90% of the time in the places that I've stayed, maybe 100%, but I want to give the benefit of the doubt."

Unlike typical vacation rentals, Andrew Rea's Bed and Babish will offer foodies everything they need to enjoy a culinary-inspired getaway, whether they want to do the actual cooking themselves or just want to eat amazing meals during their stays. The property, which offers two bedrooms and two bathrooms and will be located in the Catskills of New York, is currently in the final stages of construction. Rea plans to open it very soon, though can't provide an exact date the property will begin accepting reservations.

He gave Mashed a bit of a sneak peek into what guests will be able to expect: "We're not only going to have a full suite of fresh, sharp, functional tools, but we're also going to have some a la carte options for having groceries waiting in the fridge; having heat-and-eat meals waiting in the fridge; having local beer, local cheese, things that are reflections of the community, and opportunities for people to grow their culinary skillset or just enjoy some lovely home-cooked meals in the mountains or the woods."

Andrew Rea's new cookbook "Basics with Babish" is out now wherever books are sold. Stay up to date on the Bed and Babish project on Instagram.