Local social media presence Ken Peng has reached a level of stardom in Gainesville with his various social media pages, including blogs and more recently his Facebook page "McElwainisms."
The page is dedicated to Coach Mac’s infamous thought-to-speech one-liners and has a current following of more than 2,000 fans. One of his most popular posts was after the NCAA suspension of starting quarterback Will Grier.
The photo was the popular image from "The Lion King" of Simba and Mufasa looking over Pride Rock.
The meme read:
"Coach Mac, what’s that shadowy place over there?"
"Will, that’s Complete Nutrition at Oaks Mall. You must never go there."
Peng, 29, works a 9-to-5 in finance. He remains connected to Gainesville with his social media outlets, most notably with his popular restaurant critique-style blog Ken Eats Gainesville, which he started about two years ago. Peng, who enjoyed traveling and immersing himself in culture via cuisine growing up, noted there were no true food publications in Gainesville. He decided to devour his way through the task of reviewing eateries in the ‘Ville.
But don’t call him a "foodie."
"Ironically enough, I hate the word ‘foodie,’" Peng said. "Who doesn’t love food? If you didn’t love food, you’d die!"
Peng says Ken Eats Gainesville is about directing attention to the vast food culture in Gainesville and telling the truth about what a person can expect when he or she decides to wine and dine at a local eatery.
Students like Lena Polejaeva, 27, are also interested in the food culture in Gainesville.
"I’m still testing out the food scene," the doctoral candidate said. "It seems like there are a lot of barbecue and Southern style options out there, but I haven’t explored those yet."
Peng finds fascination in food, and after gaining popularity with local restaurants, he insists on remaining as unbiased as possible when reviewing different places.
"I have people try to give me free stuff," he said, "but I operate under a very strict code that I have personally because I want to keep this honest."
His honesty has certainly paved the way for a lot of people who support his humor and love of football.
"I’m a huge football fan," Peng said.
He has always wanted to run a football-related blog and after watching a few interviews Coach Mac gave after being hired last December, Peng knew he would have a hit with McElwainisms.
"The page practically writes itself," Peng said. "This guy is kind of hilarious."
How was he so successful in building a following? Peng answers, there is no secret.
"I write now the same way that I was writing when I first started out," Peng said. "You just do it."
Local social media star Ken Peng, mostly known for his Ken Eats Gainesville blog, recently began the McElwainisms Facebook page.
