AL Dante Channel is a small family project created entirely at home by two people. My wife Viktoryia is the chef – she comes up with the dishes, flavors, plating, the visual choices for the dishes, the props in the frame and the whole culinary direction. I work as the director, cinematographer, editor and sound designer for the channel, and I also take care of the entire business side — brand communication, negotiations, running our platforms and teaching other creators. All creative and operational work behind AL Dante is done by me alone, while Viktoryia builds the world of the food itself. Our basenji, Dante, is the heart of our family and the soul of the channel. He appears in almost every video and over time naturally became our mascot and the face of our logo.
The name AL Dante is a wordplay we came up with. It comes from al dente — the Italian term for perfect pasta texture — and from the name of our dog, Dante, who in turn was named after the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. It reflects both our connection to food and the playful, personal spirit behind the channel.
Our goal is to prove that short vertical videos can feel like small films, where the viewer senses texture, warmth, steam, and rhythm rather than just watching a recipe. We want the food to feel alive and emotional, even in 15–40 seconds.
We do everything in our lived-in kitchen with no studio and no crew. Viktoria creates each dish, its flavor combinations, plating, and the mood of the food itself. I build the entire visual world around it: dark and minimal lighting, controlled shadows, close-up textures, slow camera movement, layered sound, editing, and color.
Our style is intentionally calm and cinematic. Instead of bright, fast social-media lighting, we use real shadows, steam, reflections, and slower pacing. Every video is built like a tiny movie moment. Our workflow is deliberate: Viktoria cooks and shapes the dish, I build light around its texture and mood, we film slowly to catch real, natural moments, I layer ASMR-style sound like knife cuts and sizzling, and color-grade through a custom workflow to maintain one recognizable tone. Dante walks freely around the kitchen during filming, and his natural presence became part of what people associate with our channel.
Even simple recipes take at least two full days to produce because we film in stages, refine details, and shape the final mood. Some projects, like the chocolate video, can take up to a week because of the precision we aim for.
Everything is created by two people and a dog, at home, with full control over every detail.
Over time, AL Dante Channel developed a visual identity that viewers recognize immediately. Many people say they can identify our videos within seconds because of the shadows, textures, movement, and the overall mood — and, of course, Dante appearing naturally in the background.
Our cinematic approach led to collaborations with brands such as PepsiCo, Napoleon, Bluefina, Ooni, Our Place, and others. They choose us not for large production teams or giant numbers, but for the atmosphere, visual identity, and handcrafted quality. Our work with them is built on trust, clear communication, and a professional approach to deadlines and delivery.
As the channel grew, other creators began asking how we achieve this look in a small home setup. Naturally, this turned into a small educational side of the project, where we teach students how to build cinematic vertical food videos using the same simple tools and methods we rely on daily.
Chefs, filmmakers, and creators often reference our channel as an example of atmospheric vertical food content. People connect with the calm, intimate tone of the videos and the feeling that it shows real life, real cooking, and a real home.
AL Dante Channel continues growing organically, staying true to what it is: two people and one dog turning simple cooking into calm, atmospheric, cinematic moments.
