♪ i they say night's darkest this is "nightline." tonight -- >> load 'em up. >> amateur shes turning their skills into kitchen cash. now, you can get a restaurant quality male without the restaurant. >> oh, my gosh. plus, is this the most beautiful girl in the world? high fashion is turning to mini models for the freshest new looks and getting dolled up can pay off in grownup money. and, these are not your grandma's last minute gifts. boasting sharp designs and famous designers, how super stylish socks have turned into a nearly $6 billion industry. but first, the "nightline" five. >> we were at war with the clock. i'm designing a machine that will break every german message instantly. >> our patience has expired.

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good evening. you're about to meet some brave entrepreneurs who are hosting strangers in their homes. and, they're equally bold customers, willing to try edible experiments. all of which put kitchen skills on the chopping block. these chefs don't have restaurants yet, but if they can handle the heat, it could pay off in cold hard cash. >> crab looks really good. >> reporter: it's the start of

crab season. >> fresh as it gets. >> reporter: and don mayfield is hunting for the best shell fish in san francisco's famous fisherman's wharf. >> unless you are eating it on the boat, you can't get much better than that. >> reporter: because today, only the best will do. >> we have tons of these. >> reporter: in just 12 hours, eight strangers are showing up at his doorstep and they'll be hungry. >> load them up. get out of here. >> reporter: across the country, in new york city -- >> 12:45, we are 15 minutes left before guests start arriving. >> reporter: tamela brewer is scrambling to get ready. >> we had a little bit of the snafu. the oven turned off. >> reporter: these people are eagerly awaiting sunday brunch. >> i'm feeling that adrenaline rush. >> reporter: but this is not a restaurant, and they are notless ran tours. they are among hundreds of home chefs around the country selling seats at their own dinner table. it's all part of a dining trend

that's being called the airbnb of food. like the house sharing website, apps take a 15% to 20% cut to connect passionate chefs with eaters, and pay less than restaurant prices. >> i have never taken a cooking class. >> reporter: this is all about what you like. this is not what you learned in a book or at a class. >> yeah, so, i have no professional, like, cooking experience. the past few years i've had a big interest in food and i wanted to do something with cooking. >> reporter: including possibly owning his own restaurant. but the food business is risky business. time consuming and expensive. >> hopefully get experience. >> reporter: for aspiring chefs, siting offer a low risk way to test things out. >> i want to do the local stuff. >> reporter: on this night, don is offering a san francisco-themed dinner. >> it's half a crab steamed. we have the squid inning pasta, which is seafoody. i made a home made stuffing.

>> reporter: he's charging $55 a head, plus complimentary wine. a steal for this kind of male. if he pulls it off, that is. so, are you nervous? >> i don't like to disappoint people. i'm kind of like a perfectionist. >> reporter: still learning, don relies heavily on trial and error. for this meal, he set up shop in his backyard with his brand new steamer. for seafood meals with crabs as the main attraction, timing is everything. >> it's not really quite ready. almost. >> reporter: and right off the bat, the steamer is giving him trouble. >> of course, i forgot my mitt. >> reporter: but this won't set him back. he's still on schedule. >> bring them up, make sure -- take one. >> reporter: nope, still not ready. >> two more minutes. >> reporter: after a rough start, things are fairing better for pamela's cheese-themed brunch. >> this is oma, which is a raw

cow's milk cheese. >> reporter: her quiche survived the oven. will it survive the taste test? the tastakes are high. pamela quit her job. >> as much as i was there every day working behind a computer, what i was dreaming about was like what i would be cooking for dinner that night or what i'd be cooking for my friends over the weekend. >> reporter: now, she focused on becoming a tv chef. >> this is cheese board number one. there's another one coming. >> reporter: and her experiences are invaluable. >> it's been really important in helping me find my voice and then get to meet new people and expose new people to what i do. >> reporter: the guests seem to be benefiting, too. >> i really like the experience. the cheese is delicious. and it is fun to learn about the food. >> reporter: there are currently 990,000 licensed restaurants in the u.s., bringing in $680 billion in sales each year. and these new homele lesrestaur are looking to grab a piece of

the tie. how popular are your dinners online? >> super. i really believe in this since the beginning. >> reporter: marco and dali have been hosting italian dinners in their new york home since june. >> hi, nice to meet you. we're doing two to three dinners and week and we get a full house every time. >> reporter: that's amazing. so, now you turned a corner and you're making a profit. >> definitely. >> reporter: but it sounds like this is more of a brand build for you. you're building the brand for something down the road? >> yeah. >> i love the guys from the west side, i really believe in the website and everything, but for the future, i look at myself and we're trying to build our own personal brand. >> don't eat too much. more appetizers. >> thank you. >> reporter: and tonight, another full house. roughly a dozen people. >> i get the same responses back, which is like, wow, this is really magical and i'm really excited to do it again. >> reporter: noah is the founder

and ceo of feastly. >> we're saying, you know, the dinner table is the original social network and we are all having the shared experience. why not do it together? >> reporter: but other shared economy services before them, the growing business of home cooking is unchartered territory. regulations vary from one city to another. for example, in many cities, home-based restaurants are not eligible for food service permits and run the risk of being shut down. and noah says in this age of peer to peer commerce, how you define a restaurant or public space is changing. but no matter what, the safety of users is paramount. >> we vet every cook. and that's everything from going all the way up to actually going and tasting their food and seeing where they're going to do these meals. >> reporter: cooks like don agree. >> i wouldn't mind having someone come check this place out. >> reporter: his first two courses went down well. >> all right. we're for real this time. we're live. >> reporter: it's finally time for the main event. >> it's all over now.

crab's on the plate. stuffing, pasta. done. >> wow. >> reporter: and the reviews are in. drum roll, please. five stars? >> five stars. we're coming back. >> i'm going to tell all of my friends about it. >> reporter: so, on a scale of one to five, five stars being the best, what would you give it? >> seven. >> reporter: and that seven tastes even better served with an unexpected side of good company. >> i get to meet great people. folks i never met before, had great conversation. >> thank you for coming. cheers. up next, the new faces of fashion attracting attention are very young. would you let your little ones become mini models?

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as you're finishing up those holiday gift orders, you may have noticed models younger and tinier than ever. well, the rising stars you're about to meet may take the cake. they are kid models who can earn an adult living. but are some of these new gl glamazons going to racy too soon? you would think the angels would be the big news this month. but also causing a stir? photos of 9-year-old model christina, from russia. dubbed the most beautiful girl in the world.

that's her in a campaign for armani kids. modeling since she was a toddler, she shares photo shoots with her more than 500,000 followers on instainstagram. which sometimes attracts disturbing comments, as well as critics who question if some of her images are oversexualized. but her mother has fired back, saying, you must think like a pedophile in order to see something sexual in these pictures. so, it is time for you to see a doctor. i am certain in my mind all her photographs are absolutely innocent. violent noble is an american child model. starring in commercials from verizon and levi. that's her in target's holiday catalog. on this day, she's prepping for a high end fashion show. even though she's getting grownup makeup, violet's mom, a former model herself, says she's fiercely protective of her daughter. the world's most beautiful girl, her mother defends her pictures.

>> good for her. there is always a couple of negative people out there that want to spin things around. she looks adorable to me. i would defend her, too, if that was my daughter. >> reporter: you would not let anything be oversexualized? >> not even a chance that would happen. >> there are no such things as mistakes. >> reporter: they have a zero tolerance for anything not age appropriate. so, what's the policy in terms of, when you take a tween and make her too sexy. >> we will pull the kid from the set. we represent children models. we do not represent children who are trying to be adults. >> violet, you're a star. so cute. so cute. i love the smile. so pretty. >> reporter: violet is in high the demand. >> head up. >> reporter: she's part of a new generation of elite super models in training, modelling some of the most glamorous names in luxury fashion. oscar de la renta, mark jacobs, armani. all rolling out lines tailored

for kids. spotting a competitive nearicher a group of kids that have that certain je ne say quo. that's romeo beckham. yes, that beckham. mod ming an $800 burberry trench coat. child models can command up to $1,500 a day. violet is doing this runway gig for charity. for luxe canury kids designer b young. do you get butterflies? >> yeah, a little by. it's like you're going on a roller coaster. >> reporter: violet's mom works in charity pr and spends a lot of time supporting her child's career. >> i'm just a chauffeur and the side kick. i'm her entourage. >> reporter: dad's a firefighter and both parents are teaching violet to save well beyond the 15% required by state law and keeping her dreams modest.

what do you plan to do with this pile of money that you've been earning? >> college and a house. and if i get a scholarship, which would be amazing, i would use it to travel. >> reporter: does it change the equation, at all, between the parent/child relationship when the child's earning that much money? >> well, it doesn't seem to. our kids -- you've met them, they are so grounded. >> my name is wolf. >> reporter: wolf is just 7. his portfolio boasts spreads for cole's, j. crew and joe fresh. are there ever times you're like, i'd rather be outside? >> no, i never have those feelings. >> reporter: true blue. >> this is -- this was my dream, to be a model. >> reporter: this is not your mom secretly pushing you into this, huh? >> she doesn't force me to do it. >> reporter: wolf also has a tireless momager. most days, they are busy

hustling from one gig to the next. a lot of the parents come on and say, it's too much too soon. they are too young to be out there doing professional stuff. >> he knows what he's doing. and to be honest, the sets, everybody's very kind, very nice, very professional. i think if i did have a bad incident, i would probably say, let's go home. >> how about shiny pink? >> no. >> reporter: both moms admit having a professional model for a child means a lot of unsung work for them. >> you have to be on time, too. you have to get there, make sure he's ready. it's a commitment between you and your child. number one, your child has to want to do it. if they don't want to do it and you're pushing them, i don't care how cute your kid is, it's pointless. >> reporter: it's often long, tedious hours, but even that has an upside. >> being able to have a child in the car with you for several hours a day -- i don't think many parents in america, at least, have that opportunity to

really understand what's going on in their kid's life and -- i don't know, it's kind of cool, right? >> reporter: let's face it. every parent thinks their kid is gorgeous. but not every kid is cut out to be a model. >> these kids are really smart kids. they are children who know what they want who are well behaved. >> reporter: you can see the desire in the faces of these hopefuls, lining up at open casting calls across the country. what do you think makes a good model? >> it's more about your personality than your looks sometimes. >> reporter: the odds may be slim, but for those who make it, success can be awfully sweet. >> when she started, i told her, i said, look, you are going to be lucky if you get one. and she's like, i know, i want to do it. and so, of course, she goes on her first audition, it was for oscar dede la renta. >> reporter: and she landed the gig. >> she looks up and me and she goes, see, mommy! and i was like, oh, no! i'm in for it now. >> reporter: mom says violet can quit modeling any time she

wants. she's a girl with a lot of different ambitions. what do you want to be when you grow up? >> i want to be a photographer. >> what do you like about it? >> the cameras. >> oh, my gold. i did not see this. >> reporter: for now, wolf is enjoying the limelight, too. and having a career that pays comes with its perks. >> $85 -- >> you can spending your birthday money. >> reporter: he's saved up more than enough for a coveted pair of shoes. he may have a grownup paycheck, but clearly, he's still a kid at heart. up next, why the nba's dwyane wade is kicking lame footwear to the curb and heating up the multibillion dollar sock industry.

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are you one of those scrambling to stuff those stockings? well, celebrity designers are making socks stylish again, using luxurious fabrics and eye-catching prints to put pep in your step, from the basketball court to the office. we welcome abc's dan closer will to "nightline" with this report. >> reporter: rarely on a wish list, but always under the tree -- socks. >> it was the butt of the joke. oh, i got a sock, thank you, grandma. >> reporter: that once dreaded holiday gift now a nearly $6 billion industry. >> socks are like a very good intro for a guy who is just deciding, i want to be more

sto stylish. >> reporter: known for his style as much as his slam dunks, dwyane wade is now on his third collection. >> some people who have my socks on don't even know it. >> reporter: from snoop dogg to rob car a dash yan, stars are jumping in on the trend with sock sales skyrocketing in the last two years. but for wade, stylish socks are more than making bank. he says this is a passion project. >> my mom always told me when i was young, your life is bigger than basketball. you start understanding what that means. you're capable of a lot more. >> reporter: small business soap-preneurs quit his job on wall street and is following suit. you've seen the industry blow up? >> yeah, not just the more subdues stuff anymore. people are more aware of different patterns. >> reporter: his shelves are stocked with nothing but high

style hosiery. so, your high ticket item? these right here? >> nose are 100% cashmere sock. they're going to retail for 100 does. >> reporter: whatever the price point, whatever the pattern, pinterest and sidewalks alike are proving we are amid a foot ware revolution. which means a once loathed gift may be on your wish list. we certainly know what lebron james is getting this year. >> now i can send socks for him to christmas because he's not in the locker room to get them. >> reporter: shopping is done for you. >> it's done. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm dan cleffer will in new york. >> thanks for watching abc news. tune into "good morning america" tomorrow. and as always, we're online at abcnews.com. good night, america.

[cheers and applause] >> yeah! hey! [laughing] thank you! welcome to the show, everybody. i'm terry crews. some of you may know me from brooklyn nine-nine, and i'm also lucky enough to be here hosting millionaire! [cheers and applause] well, today's first contestant

is a pizza delivery man from american fork, utah, and today he's looking at dough in a whole new way. please welcome david wilkinson! >> whoo! >> [laughs] all right! oh, what's up? let me tell you something, man. at my house, everybody loves to see you. the pizza man. do you enjoy it? >> i love it, 'cause like you said, everybody's happy to see the pizza man. nobody's ever upset when the pizza man gets there. i'm every little kid's favorite person in the world. i'm invited to every super bowl party, every pool party, every birthday party. it's always me. >> hey, man, you are my cheap date staple. i'm just gonna tell you right now. i work out all week. i can't wait to see you. >> absolutely. >> but here, i'm about to deliver some money to you, my friend. >> whoo-hoo! >> that's how we do it. are you ready? >> i'm ready. >> well, then say hello to our millionaire money tree. 14 questions spread over 2 rounds with money values going from 100 bucks all the w