The year was 2012, and Doron Petersan just won Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” for the second time. Cupcakes were a hot trend. Lines to try the vegan cupcakes with the national baking show’s stamp of approval extended far past the front door of Sticky Fingers bakery for weeks after the episodes aired. (Even nonvegans were scrambling to get their hands on a treat void of any eggs, butter or milk.)

“That was the height of Food Network,” said Petersan, who founded the now Takoma-based bakery nearly 25 years ago. “Everybody was watching.”

A national television appearance once nearly guaranteed publicity and a sales boost, but some local members of the dining industry argue it’s lost its powers in an age when consumers are increasingly turning to social media and local food experts for restaurant recommendations.

Just ask Kevin Hsieh, a 29-year-old Gaithersburg High School alum whose Taiwanese street food spot Bao Bei finished in second place on Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race” last year. His silver medal is framed on the wall of the Rockville-based restaurant, but he didn’t notice any meaningful upticks in visitors after the season aired.

“I would love to give you an answer like, ‘When we went on this show, it changed our life,’” Hsieh said. “But it really wasn’t the case for us.”

Has social media killed the TV star?

National food shows have historically given local restaurants and chefs a chance to make a name for themselves on a much larger scale. See: Gordon Ramsay, who went from a United Kingdom-based chef to an internationally beloved figure, in large part thanks to his food show empire, with more than 20 food shows including Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Master Chef,” “Next Level Chef” and “Kitchen Nightmares.”

That’s not necessarily the blueprint for the next crop of celebrity chefs.

In the era of social media, consumers look for trusted voices in an endless sea of food expert options. Creators can build their own platforms to develop closer, more direct bonds with their viewers. And they don’t even have to wait to be plucked from obscurity to do it.

Take, for example, Tineke “Tini” Younger, a 24-year-old chef raised in Frederick County, who appeared on Ramsay’s “Next Level Chef” show in 2023 after gaining notoriety as a chef on social media. She didn’t even win her season, but remains the biggest star in the show’s history thanks to her online presence. Her most viral video, a mac and cheese recipe, amassed a whopping 116 million views on TikTok, where she regularly shares cooking tips with her more than 12 million followers.

“Everybody is getting their information from their phone,” Petersan added. “You’re watching media change in front of your eyes. It’s bizarre and there’s no way to navigate it, because it’s literally being created. There’s no rules.”

That lack of rules is one thing Hsieh appreciates: He isn’t forced to lean into the theatrics of a reality show to draw attention. On TikTok, he’s found more success drawing eyeballs and customers by showing his real personality — more laid-back and humorous — directly to his more than 50,000 followers (some of his videos have collected upward of four million views). While “Food Truck Race” was an educational experience, he also recalled having to begrudgingly recreate dramatic moments to provide viewers a more entertaining narrative.

“Something has to go wrong,” he said of being on a competition show. “I never think like that in real life. Anytime something goes wrong, I just work on a solution right away. So faking that bothered me.”

It can also bother consumers, who Petersan added are increasingly craving the entire instant, unfiltered message directly from the source. “You can see right through the bullshit,” she added.

Recommendations from your ‘dear friend’: The power of local experts

That isn’t to say food television no longer serves a purpose. The entertainment factor remains. But in an increasingly global digital world, many consumers are reverting back to a more local focus when it comes to who helps them decide where to dine out next.

Locals restaurant in Poolesville, according to its owners, benefited enormously from its feature on PBS’s “Signature Dish,” a restaurant show that airs on WETA-TV throughout Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and parts of West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

After the episode starring Locals’s chicken and waffles aired two years ago, the farm-to-table restaurant was suddenly running out of the dish every Saturday and Sunday. Weekend brunch rushes needed double the ingredients. The initial boom lasted roughly six months, but many new customers, to this day, continue to credit “Signature Dish” for introducing them to the restaurant.

“We were just amazed by the impact of the show,” co-owner Sandy Wright said. “People who are ‘Signature Dish’ fans watch it avidly. It’s awesome, because you’re getting a recommendation basically from — even though nobody’s met this guy — their dear friend, Seth [Tillman, the host of the show and a D.C.-native]."

Locals has had past national media exposure in its 3 1/2 years as a restaurant, but Wright maintains that “Signature Dish” has had the best return on investment for the local spot.

“I don’t see people coming in, going, ‘I saw you in this magazine,’” Wright said. “It’s very centralized. It’s a regional thing.”

Food Network’s lasting credibility

Even if being on TV doesn’t always instantly make a business go viral, Hsieh and Petersan maintain that a connection to a well-known program like Food Network, or Ramsay, still holds some power in the food industry. It’s just more of a compelling “about” page or social media bio tidbit, rather than a massive driver of sales.

“It gives a business like mine even more credibility,” Petersan said. “When people are hesitant to try something or they think, ‘This is only for people with allergies or people who are vegan,’ I’m like, ‘No, you have to taste it. ... If you taste it, then you know that this is why we won.’”

Hsieh added: “I do think it was a really great experience. I’m glad that I was able to be on a Food Network show and kind of immortalized Bao Bei in a different avenue. But it’s really cool to just build my own brand.”

As seen on TV: 20 local spots where you can dine like a celebrity chef

Hungry for more? These restaurants and bakeries in and around Montgomery County have been featured on some of your favorite food shows, including “Chopped,” “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” “Barefoot Contessa,” Selena Gomez’s “Selena + Chef,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s “With Love, Meghan” and “Signature Dish.”

Silver Diner

Location(s): 9811 Washingtonian Blvd., Gaithersburg; 12276 Rockville Pike, Rockville

TV show(s): Co-founder and executive chef Ype von Hengst competed on Food Network’s “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay”

Z&Z Manoushe Bakery

Location: Rockville

TV show: WETA’s “Signature Dish”

Full On Craft Eats & Drinks

Location: 4007 Norbeck Road, Rockville

TV show: Co-owner and chef Michelle Harris competed on Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen.”

Clyde’s Tower Oaks Lodge

Location: 2 Preserve Pkwy., Rockville

TV show: Then-executive chef Jeff Eng competed on “Chopped.”

Kantuta’s Restaurant Bar and Grill

Location: 2400 University Blvd. W, Silver Spring

TV show: WETA’s “Signature Dish”

Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly

Location: 5268-H Nicholson Lane, Kensington

TV show: “Signature Dish”

Jaleo by José Andrés

Location: 480 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C.

TV show(s): Andrés, a Bethesda-based chef, has appeared on more than a dozen food-related shows, including “With Love, Meghan,” “Top Chef,” “Chef’s Table,” “Selena + Chef,” “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” “Barefoot Contessa,” “Iron Chef,” “Master Chef,” “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” and his own culinary competition show, “Yes, Chef!” co-hosted with Martha Stewart.

Mansa Kunda

Location: 8000 Flower Ave., Takoma Park

TV show: “Signature Dish”

ZAO Stamina Ramen

Location: 7345 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda

TV show: “Signature Dish”

Bao Bei

Location: 12015 Rockville Pike Suite E, Rockville

TV show: Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race”

Q by Peter Chang

Location: 4500 East-West Highway #100, Bethesda

TV show: “Signature Dish”

Steze Burger

Location: Popup locations around the DMV

TV show: “Signature Dish”

Cielo Rojo

Location: 7211 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park

TV show: “Signature Dish”

Georgetown Cupcake

Location: 4834 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda

TV show: TLC’s “DC Cupcakes”

ZAO Stamina Ramen

Location: 7345 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda

TV show: “Signature Dish”

Parthenon

Location: 5510 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.

TV show: Fox’s “Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service”

Sticky Fingers

Location: 314 Carroll St. NW, Washington, D.C.

TV show: “Cupcake Wars”

All Set Restaurant and Bar

Location: 8630 Fenton St., Plaza, 5, Silver Spring

TV show: “Signature Dish”

Melina

Location: 905 Rose Ave., North Bethesda

TV show: “Signature Dish”

Seoul Food

Location: 7302 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park

TV show: “Signature Dish”