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Chef Maurice Levene, better known online as “Chef Moe,” doesn’t just teach people how to cook. He teaches them how to survive inflation.

The 43-year-old, Brooklyn-born chef has amassed more than 647,000 TikTok followers in just five months by showing viewers how to stretch a few crumpled dollar bills into hearty family dinners — often feeding four or more people on budgets as low as $5 or $10.

And in an era of soaring grocery prices, his no-frills approach is striking a nerve.

Armed with decades of restaurant experience, a thick New York Italian-American accent and a knack for turning Dollar Store staples into comfort food, the Gravesend native has become a viral sensation for his practical cooking hacks, budget breakdowns and unapologetically old-school kitchen wisdom.

The former restaurant head chef, now based in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, films himself roaming Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and other discount grocery aisles, meticulously calculating meals in real time while explaining how to “marry flavors” using pantry staples, shelf-stable foods and basic cooking science.

The secret, he insists, isn’t expensive ingredients — it’s technique.

“If you boil water and make pasta, you can use that pasta water as an emulsifier for so many budget recipes,” he explained. “It can help sauces cling more to the pasta and even bring out other flavors in meats and proteins.”

Many of this chef’s budget meals consist of only a few ingredients, like this hearty veggie pasta dish that requires a bag of frozen broccoli for $1.50, jarred Alfredo sauce for $2.25 and 1 pound of pasta for $1, all from the Dollar General for only $4.75.

Another simple, cheap meal that can easily feed a family of four consists of chicken-flavored rice for $1, a can of Vienna sausage for $1.25, and a $2.40 can of Campbell’s jambalaya, equaling $4.65.

An easy meal for the midway point of your week can easily be whipped together using sloppy Joe sauce (“that has a ton of flavor”), a can of beef stew, $1.50 each, and a $1.50 bag of egg noodles, totaling $4.50.

For those who live near an Aldi’s store, an easy-to-put-together, reasonably priced meal is one that only requires a pack of mashed potatoes for $0.99, a bag of mixed veggies for $0.98, a ham hock for $6.29, and a can of biscuits for $1.69, totaling $9.95.

To close out a week of cooking for your family, another meal option is one that only needs a $1.50 bag of broccoli and cauliflower, a 10-pack of biscuits for $1.00, a pack of $1 hot dogs, and cheddar and broccoli flavored pasta for $1, equaling $5.

For those who live near an Aldi’s store, an easy-to-put-together, reasonably priced meal is one that only requires a pack of mashed potatoes for $0.99, a bag of mixed veggies for $0.98, a ham hock for $6.29, and a can of biscuits for $1.69, totaling $9.95.

In his videos, he encourages people to be generous with basic seasonings like butter, oil, salt and pepper, and to taste “as you go.”

For Chef Moe, food isn’t just about feeding people — it’s about dignity.

Let’s see what we can make today for under five dollars. Feeding our family for only five dollars episode five. Is it possible? Can we do it? Come learn to cook with me. #chefmoe #easyrecipe #cheapmeals #foodie #budgeting

“Food is more than just food,” he said. “It creates great memories with your family … Around the table, everyone should be able to eat, talk and share love through food.”

The son of a single mother who raised five children on Avenue X in Brooklyn, Levene says many of the tricks he shares online were born from necessity.

That early fascination with flavors eventually launched him into culinary school programs, fine dining kitchens and a 30-year career in restaurants.

But despite years spent running professional kitchens, it was a homemade video filmed for his teenage son that unexpectedly changed everything.