OUR STORY

The Origin of Smackalicious: A Flavor Empire Born from Mukbang Magic

In the heart of Cincinnati, what began as a simple love for seafood and a camera turned into a multimillion-dollar flavor empire.

Bethany Gaskin, better known to her fans as Bloveslife, never imagined that her kitchen table would become the launchpad for a culinary sensation. With over 3 million YouTube subscribers and the title of “Queen of Eating Shellfish Online” bestowed upon her by The New York Times, Bethany carved out a niche in the world of mukbang—a viral internet trend where creators eat large, often indulgent meals on camera while interacting with their audience.

Bethany's rise began in 2017, with trays of steaming king crab legs, buttery lobster tails, and piles of mussels—always drenched in her now-iconic homemade concoction: the Smackalicious Sauce.

Fans couldn’t stop watching… or asking.
“What’s in that sauce?”
“How do we make it?”
“Can we buy it?”

The demand was undeniable.

Together with her husband, Nate Gaskin, who left his corporate role at GE Healthcare to manage her career, the Gaskins decided to take a leap. In September 2019, they partnered with a food manufacturer to produce 10,000 units of Smackalicious Sauce Mix.

They sold out in four days.

The next batch? Gone in four hours.

At that moment, Smackalicious stopped being just a sauce—it became a movement. The mix of herbs, spices, aromatics, and a splash of Coca-Cola created a flavor profile that couldn’t be replicated. Whether you were dipping seafood, tossing vegetables, or seasoning meat, Smackalicious transformed every bite into an experience.

By 2021, the sauce had generated $5 million in revenue, fueled almost entirely by Bethany’s authentic connection with her fans. No fancy ads. No celebrity endorsements. Just a woman doing what she loves—and millions of people who loved watching her do it.

Now, the Smackalicious Brand is growing faster than ever. Plans are underway to bring manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution in-house, and Bethany is hard at work crafting her next hit: Bloveslife Hot Sauce.

But the mission is bigger than any one product.

“Never give up on your dreams,” says Nate. “My wife is 46 years old—we never knew what this would become when we started.”

The ultimate goal? Smackalicious on the shelves of every Kroger, Target, and kitchen across America.

From mukbang to mainstream, the Smackalicious Brand is proof that with flavor, faith, and a little bit of butter, anything is possible.