Viral “Lunch Lady” Fulfills Dream of Expanding Her Own Home

Marisa Freire, 24, known on social media as “Tia da Merenda” (“Auntie Lunch Lady”), is turning her dream of expanding her home into reality in Araguatins, in northern Tocantins state, where she lives with her husband and daughter. The income comes precisely from the videos that went viral showing her daily routine as a cafeteria worker at a public school.

How she became a hit

Marisa started posting videos about her home routine in 2024 and, starting in August of that year, began sharing her day-to-day work as a school cook as well — she prepares meals for more than 300 people a day at a full-time school, covering breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. Her videos gained wider reach starting in March 2025, and one showing her baking cakes for students passed 3 million views on TikTok.

Part of the appeal is her age: at 22 when she started going viral, Marisa stood out against the stereotype that school cooks are usually older women. “Everyone is really surprised because of my age,” she said. Today, she has more than 645,000 followers across social media.

The dream of a new house

With income from the videos, Marisa and her husband bought a plot of land and have been gradually investing in construction. The family currently lives in a three-room structure built at the back of the lot — a choice made so they wouldn’t have to pay rent or live with relatives while the build was underway. The plan is to build a larger house at the front of the lot and turn the current structure into a gourmet kitchen.

“The internet is letting me buy construction materials. I can’t wait to finish the wall around here and put up the big gate out front. Poor folks dream big, but you’ve got to roll up your sleeves to make it happen,” Marisa said in one of her videos.