Netflix star Daym Drops talks CT roots and Emmy nominations

The New Britain native has traversed the country on his Netflix show “Fresh, Fried & Crispy,” which debuted on Netflix in June 2021, stopping in cities like St. Louis, San Diego, Denver, Cleveland and Birmingham, as he checks out the best fried dishes in each destination that come from “the streets, fancy restaurants and home kitchens.”

“I was filming reviews just for fun, but this one just blew up,” he said about that 2012 Five Guys review. “I remember the bag being full of grease, the burger being juicy and surprised on how good it was. I broke down the burger for the viewers, and I now can see how and why that video changed my life.”

With Daytime Emmy nominations and a national following to his name, Patterson is bringing his food critiques back to where it all started. In February, he announced he will be showcasing Connecticut restaurants in weekly episodes for a new YouTube show.

“The reality is [that] networks that I film food shows with never seem to allow for me to come home and do my thing,” he wrote in a Facebook post announcing the series. “So I will just do it myself!”

Patterson said the series will bring viewers to dining destinations around Connecticut to sample all that the state has to offer. “This is going to be all about, ‘Why Hartford? Why New Britain? Why Stratford? Why Stamford?’” he said. “You are going to learn a little about each city and town here in Connecticut.”

The show will also focus more on the owners, chefs and customers, he said, and show less of himself. According to Patterson, it’s more about them anyway. “This time, viewers will  have the opportunity to hear what customers have to say about the food and hear from the owners and chefs,” he said.

A long way from his viral Five Guys review, the Connecticut native, who grew up in Stratford, has since appeared on national television with Dr. Oz, Jimmy Fallon and Rachael Ray. He also hosted his own Travel Channel series, “Best Daym Takeout,” in 2013, and starred in fast food commercials for Popeyes and Burger King. 

“It still feels surreal,” said Patterson. “I remember watching a show on the Travel Channel, ‘Man vs. Food,'” and thinking that the man in the show has the best job in the world. He would travel to try food and get paid for it.”

Now with a show of his own, one thing Patterson said he tries to focus on is reviewing food that people like. “At the end of the day, we all like and eat the same things. That’s why I don’t only review fast food but other things as well,” he said.

It’s his wide appeal that Patterson says differentiates him from other food critics.

“I am not a chef, nor did I go to culinary school, but one thing people can say when watching my stuff is that it’s like they’re out eating or talking to a friend,” he said. “I want food to be an adventure. I’m going to break the food down but make it fun.”

His accessibility has also inspired viewers to test out the food he reviews for themselves. Patterson said that places that he has visited and reviewed have reached out to let him know how “crazy” business became following his visits. 

“There’s no better feeling than knowing a place I reviewed or highlighted is getting the recognition especially during these hard times we had to go through due to the pandemic,” he said.

Patterson’s fans might also be inclined to try our his food locally. For a second year, he has partnered with Yard Goats executive chef Joe Bartlett to craft new foods for a concession stand called “Daym Drops Diner” that operates during the Hartford team’s season. Patterson is also co-owner of the Windsor location of MofonGo which sells Puerto Rican mofongo, mashed plantains with salt, garlic, broth, and olive oil. 

“Vincent Placeres (owner of MonfonGo in Hartford, New Britain and Windsor) and I have known each other now for five years and when he owned ‘The Kitchen’ here in New Britain, he let me invest into this storage place that was later called ‘Drops Cellar,’ which was like a jazz club on the weekends,” he said. The Kitchen closed, but Patterson passed his ownership onto the MofonGo brand.

“He called me when I was shooting my Netflix show, and I had to hop on it,” he said.

Patterson’s hunger to try new foods, educate his audiences and have a hand in the culinary scene have brought him all over the country. But make no mistake: Patterson loves Connecticut and all the food it has to offer.

“At the end of the day, this is home. Everyone and everything is here,” he said. “When I tell my story, it starts in Connecticut and will end in Connecticut.”