A few months ago, a charismatic Southern dynamo popped into my social media algorithm—she was cooking up scrumptious food, making silly slip-ups, winking at the camera, and blowing ‘flour kisses.’ She could even be found dancing in her kitchen when the feeling overtook her.
Known as @LilyLouTay on social media, Hannah Taylor makes you feel as though you’d better hitch your wagon to her star or you’ll be missing out on something wonderful.
With a love for music, an endearing charm, and an unsurpassed appreciation of good food, you’ll find yourself binge watching her just to absorb the endorphins. I subscribed to her videos, and was excited to sign up for her new Substack account.
When I was notified of her Substack post titled, “Biscuit Investigation,” I didn’t realize it was going to be a full-blown sentimental experience that I needed to sit down for.
The subheading was simple and sweet: “For the honeys who know a good biscuit is worth a full investigation.” She made me smile right out of the gate. But it was the first sentence that let me know I was in for something special: “There’s a little diner about fifteen minutes from our house,” she wrote, “the kind of place that still brings you coffee in those thick ceramic mugs that warm your hands just right.” I knew that mug and I could feel the warmth of the cup in my hand. I wanted more.
She continued: “We sat down in a booth that had seen a thousand stories before ours – cracked vinyl seats, a sugar caddy that rattled when you touched it, a waitress named Linda who called me ‘baby’ before I’d even said hello. Heaven.”
I was hooked. Somewhere back in time, I’d sat in that booth, used that sugar caddy, and had a heartfelt conversation with Linda. I felt like I was visiting with an old friend.
Within this captivating scene Hannah was about to reverse engineer some biscuits that she said had made her “stop mid-sentence.” She described them as “golden but not too crisp, fluffy but not cake-like, salty in that ‘did they use butter or bacon grease or both?’ kind of way.” After some experiments in her kitchen, she came up with a recipe and shared it with the “honeys” who follow her. Yet, true to her style, it would prove to be the road to the recipe that made the trip worthwhile.
Hannah Tayor – aka Lilyloutay – has been described as “a fast-growing and down-to-earth culinary creator, amassing over 3 million followers across social channels in just a few months.” In addition to her website, she’s on YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest, and her immersive writing can be found in her Substack publication. Most followers find her on Instagram (1.6M) and TikTok (1.5M).
I contacted Hannah to see if she had hired some big public relations firm to craft the wonderfully candid, heartfelt writing I’d read on Substack. But no, it’s just more creativity from the mind of Hannah Taylor. “From the sentimental stuff to the silly deep dives on diner biscuits and scalloping adventures, it’s all me,” she told me, “Usually with a sweet tea in one hand and a kid hollering in the background.”
‘LilyLouTay’ is a moniker that blends the names of Hannah’s three children, aged 3 to 12. While her children don’t regularly appear in her videos, they do pop up occasionally, like in “Mama’s Sugar Cream Pie” where both her son and her mother make cameo appearances.
Her husband, on the other hand, is a necessary ingredient if you’re whipping up anything LilyLouTay. Hannah is married to the man she lovingly calls by his full name, “James Taylor” – the jack-of-all-trades from Southern Georgia, not the singer. “He’s my real life ‘Sweet Baby James,’ and calling him that just stuck,” she told me.
James appears in many of her videos, often in the background, and it’s their flirtatious interactions that keep viewers coming back for more. James loves Hannah, Hannah loves James, they both love food, and the fairytale unfolds every day in the kitchen around lunch or supper time.
Hannah’s videos frequently start with “What are y’all doin?” and end with James sampling her latest creation. This YouTube short titled “Let’s make James Taylor some lunch honey” – ends with James saying “This is how I want all my ham and cheeses from now on” with a little wink to his favorite cook.
In her Substack posting, “The one where I fell in love on the internet” – Hannah tells us how “the internet brought me my James Taylor.” She said his named popped up and she “hovered over the message like I was defusing a bomb.” They began exchanging messages and, “Pretty soon we were writing paragraphs like we were in our own little Southern version of a Nicholas Sparks movie. Except with way more sarcasm and far fewer perfectly timed rainstorms.”
I’d like to say that was the post that brought a tear to my eye, but it wasn’t. I cried reading “Biscuit Investigation.” I can’t explain it; there’s just something about the way she writes.
It’s no surprise that companies like William’s Sonoma and Aldi’s have reached out to get in on the action.
Hannah designed a spatula for William’s Sonoma’s No Kid Hungry campaign, with all proceeds going toward fighting childhood hunger.
When Aldi’s reached out, “It just seemed like a natural fit,” she told me. “I love being able to show my community how to make beautiful, comforting meals without breaking the bank. We’ve worked on some fun things together, and I hope there’s more to come.”
There’s definitely more to come from Hannah. She has a cookbook coming out in October titled, “Measure with Your Heart: Southern Home Cooking to Feed Your Family and Soul.” Available for pre-order on Amazon, it’s bursting with over 120 vibrant photos and 100 recipes, featuring Hannah’s from-scratch kitchen staples like vanilla extract and beef bone broth.
Hannah Taylor makes the world a better place. I dare you to take a picture of yourself after you’ve just watched a Lilyloutay video – I guarantee you’ll be smiling.
This is how Hannah summed it up: “I never set out to be anything fancy. I just wanted to tell stories, feed folks, and maybe remind people that there’s still so much goodness in the small things. So, if something I say or share makes someone feel a little more seen or a little less alone, then I’ll keep showing up every day, heart wide open.”
Originally published June 18, 2025 in The Epoch Times
