How a Campbell River, B.C. senior built a global and massively loyal Instant Pot fandom without a single TV appearance, media interview or YouTube channel.
Remembering Rootitoot, Canada s Instant Pot Queen
How a Campbell River, B.C. senior built a global and massively loyal Instant Pot fandom without a single TV appearance, media interview or YouTube channel. Isabel Slone Updated Illustration by Chantal Bennett.
Offline, Ruth “Rootitoot” McCusker was a quiet woman who lived in a small studio apartment in downtown Campbell River, B.C. A stroke in 2007 had compromised her balance and resulted in a rare vision disability, leaving her unable to work; her only source of income was a government disability cheque. But unbeknownst to her neighbours, this doting grandmother of three led an invisible double life as an online Instant Pot guru, doling out recipes and advice to a loyal Facebook following nearly 100,000 strong. McCusker named the group “Rootitoot,” after a childhood nickname, and spent multiple hours each day tending to what she called her “secret garden”: responding to recipe questions and offeri