Did you know Mississippi has its own queen… Well, she’s actually the sassy version, Kween.
She’s Caroline Davis, known as the Mississippi Kween to her 1.3 million followers, and she’s a cook, a mom, an entrepreneur, an author, and a world-renowned social media star.
The Bay St. Louis native is well-known on social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. In her videos, she always has a down-home Mississippi recipe with tons of cheese, that she of course samples before cooking, and a big southern smile. Sometimes she even ropes her children into making appearances. The videos she creates and posts for more than a million followers are only about three minutes long but can take hours to shoot so it’s not an easy business. She also has a cleaning company, manages several Airbnbs, and wrote a cookbook called Alright Ya’ll Easy Southern Cooking from the Mississippi Kween.
“Right this second those are my proudest moments,” Davis said. “I took a bet on myself and I won. Looking back and all I went through to get off the ground, I don’t know how I did it but I’m so proud I did. I’ve had the opportunity to work with major brands, write a cookbook, and meet so many amazing people through my business and social media.”
She previously worked in food service management and custodial management for about 20 years and seemed to be constantly struggling to make financial ends meet.
“I got sick of knowing I could do more and not actually doing it,” Davis said. “In September 2021, I took a bet on myself, quit my job with no real plan, and I started cooking full time on TikTok and started a business cleaning and managing Airbnbs.”
And it seems to have paid off well. A typical day for Davis begins before 6 a.m. with a ton of coffee and ushering her children to school.
“After all that, I start working from my computer doing stuff for my small business and answering emails and messages from my followers,” she said. “My day never stops. The majority of my work is from my phone which might sound easy but it is a lot to keep up with on a lot of different platforms. I normally stop at some point midday to make content for TikTok before going to the Airbnbs and then grocery shopping for dinner, which is normally centered around a recipe I’m making for Tiktok in the evening.”
And if that wasn’t enough for this internet star who describes herself as a shy, extroverted introvert, on Feb. 2, she joined the HomeChef Throwdown challenge for Lasagna Love on TikTok. The competition has seven influencers from across the country cooking and baking assignments every Thursday with a product from a small business in their recipe. Celebrity Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, who is a judge on the Food Network show, Chopped, loved the idea of the challenge and to help out, he donated some cookware and promotes the challenge on his TikTok. Davis is joined by fellow influencer Matthew Bounds of Gulfport in the competition.
Fans can vote each week on TikTok for their favorite recipe with a $1 donation to Lasgana Love and at the end of seven weeks, the two creators with the most donations will compete in a live finale.
“Food is so important on many different levels,” she said. “Most importantly it brings people together in a way other things cannot. So to watch my TikTok community grow and thrive over food has been a blessing to me, I know lots say I’m a positive influence on their lives but no one will ever understand how positive it was for me to watch food bring so many people together in one place. It changed how I saw the world so all the positive influence can’t be fully attributed to me, it’s my community, it’s us together.”
And it’s definitely a community with a lot of love, however, being a TikTok creator is a full-time job and so you might be wondering how did Davis’ alter ego the Mississippi Kween happen?
“By complete accident,” she said. “I joined TikTok to keep an eye on what my teenagers were posting and consuming. I thought it was just a kid’s app and then I saw people my age posting so I decided to start posting. All my children at one point made fun of me for making Tiktoks and rightfully so because before I cooked for tiktok I spent a year making super cringe videos and they were not shy about letting me know they were cringe. Now they think it’s amazing and my teenagers always tell me they’re proud of me.”
She has a little advice for anyone wanting to follow the breadcrumb trail she’s blazing on her platforms.
“Be prepared to work,” she said. “Be prepared for sleepless nights. Be prepared to work for free until you get your socials off the ground. Being a social media influencer is not for the faint of heart. It’s work. Constantly, all day long, and depending on your content type, it can also be expensive when you’re starting out. You have to be all in to make it happen but all in is very stressful and non-stop. It’s so much fun but don’t go into it thinking it’s easy, you have to put the work in and keep putting it in.”
When Davis does get a little time for herself, she enjoys sunshine and fresh air coupled with true crime thrillers.
“Tell me all the grisly details and then show me all the pictures,” she said. “I also love to be in my yard when it’s warm and sunny out. I will spend all day out there cleaning up and doing yard work. I also love to just take drives and go see what I can see.”
Catch the Mississippi Kween cooking up her favorite dishes every day on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
