Many people spent the extra time at home during the pandemic brushing up on their cooking skills, but for Gaten Matarazzo, quarantine meant brushing up on his eating skills.
"I learned to eat more," the actor, 18, who plays Dustin on Stranger Things, jokes with PEOPLE. "Cooking isn't really my forte. I make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It's kind of spectacular."
Matarazzo spent a majority of the COVID-19 pandemic at home with his family in New Jersey. His mom and sister would take the lead in the kitchen, his favorite meal being their "homemade baked mac and cheese," he says.
"Everyone kind of pitches in and then I say I'll wash the dishes and then I don't wash the dishes," he jokes. "It's a great system."
Even though he's not much help when it comes to cooking, he still considers himself a foodie — specifically when it comes to dessert. "I've got a sweet tooth, especially for like baked things, like cookies and brownies," he adds.
But beyond loving desserts, he calls himself a serious "candy-fanatic" which led him to partner with Nerds on the launch of their newest candy: Nerds Clusters.
The new candy features a sweet gummy center that is covered in tangy, crunchy Nerds candy pieces. "It's a lot like Nerds Ropes, but they're just in ball form, which makes it more fun in my opinion," Matarazzo said.
The actor has been teasing the collaboration on his Instagram over the past few weeks. In his video posts, he's been encouraging fans to tap into their "nerdiness" to come up with fun hypotheses for how the Nerds Gummy Clusters were created.
"I am quite the nerd myself," Matarazzo explains. And he used his love of science fiction, books and video games to help him come up with his latest theory behind the candy: "There's wizards that live in the clouds that make them," he jokes.
Nerds Gummy Clusters are now available nationwide in three sizes: 3 ounce bags, 5 ounce bags, and 8 ounce bags, and retail between $1-$4.
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