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Chef Jacques La Merde has a massive Instagram following. And he’s not even real.

The World
A sampling of Chef Jacques La Merde's meticulously tweezed dishes of high-end food.

A sampling of Chef Jacques La Merde's meticulously tweezed dishes of high-end food. 

Chef La Merde/Instagram

Foodies love good presentation.

But the ingredients at high end eateries can get a little ridiculous.

That's maybe why Chef Jacques La Merde (don't translate that name from French to English) rocketed to fame. He photographs meticulously plated dishes with ingredients you'd find at Noma, and a truck-stop. Think Hostess cupcakes paired with fancy moss.

In a year or so, his Instagram account amassed more than 100,000 followers — 123,000 at last check.

Foodies love a good presentation.
 
But the ingredients at high end eateries can get a little ridiculous.
 
That's maybe why Chef Jacques La Merde rocketed to fame. He photographs meticulously plated dishes with ingredients you'd find at Noma, and a truck-stop. (Think Hostess cupcakes paired with fancy moss.)
 
In a year or so, his Instagram account amassed more than 100,000 followers. (123K at last check.)

WHOA ARRIVED AT WERK 2DAY AND IT SMELLED SO BAD I WUZ ACTUALLY CONVINCED JOSE WAS BACK EATIN DAIRY. TURNS OUT I WUZ WAY OFF AND THERES THIS THING CALLED A "GREASE TRAP" UNDER THE SINK AND U KNO WUT ELSE IS SOMETIMES U HAVE TO EMPTY IT!!!!! DID U GUYS KNO ABOUT THIS?!!! WOW ITS LIKE EVERY DAY IS GREAT B/C I LEARN SUMTHIN NEW!!!! THINGS GOT A BIT MESSY BUT WE'RE COMIN OUT THE OTHER SIDE NOW AND AFTER A SILKWOOD SHOWER WE R GOIN 2 BE READY TO CRUSH SERVICE!!!! SPEC 2NITE FT. M&M MEATS FROZEN SAUSAGE ROLLS ON A SOIGNÉ SEA OF FRENCHS YELLOW MUSTARD W/ CHEEZE BITS, BICKS RELISH AND OF CRSE FLAVOR ENHANCIN SAGE BITS!!!! ONE SWEET POTATO CHIP FOR TEXTURAL INTERPLAYYYYY!!! #whoknew? #soigné #theartofplating #fourmagazine #cheflife #cheezebits #lactoseintoleranceisactuallynotfunny #sausageparty #tweezers #negativespace #josebetternotuseupallthehotwater #silkwoodshowerFTW

A photo posted by @chefjacqueslamerde on

Most fans were in on the joke, knowing that Chef Jacque La Merde was a parody. But many were surprised the person behind it was a women: Chef Christine Flynn. She works at IQ Food Company in Toronto.

And her alter-ego hits the perfect comic pitch. "I think I created my own category," she says. "I like to call it, 'benevolent satire.' You read it and you laugh, but it's not at the expense of anyone."

Simply put. The account it fun. It's not mean. 

"My mother really likes that element of it," she says. 

La Merde is an Instagram star. But Flynn has a good perspective about it.

"It's difficult to wrap my head around it," she says. "But having a lot of followers on Instagram is a bit like being rich in Monopoly. Like, it really doesn't mean anything. I'm just happy I got a chance to make people laugh." 

Much of it comes from her captions. While Chef La Merde is a bro-tastic dude, he also has a heart. He has to deal with stuff chefs have to deal with, like slicing a finger on a mandolin. 

Flynn says it mirrors her own life. "There's no shortage of material in kitchens."

 

THAT CRUNCH THO!!!!! SLO MOTION MORE LIKE BRO MOTION!!!!!

A video posted by @chefjacqueslamerde on

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