I want to encourage people to cook, especially if they think they cannot

Interview with Lynja Davis

Lynja Davis is a very interesting grandmother, she cooks, records and helps her followers in cooking. A special person, creative, with delicious recipes.

She comes from New York City, but her followers are from all over the world, from Croatia as well.

I have the honor to do an interview with Ms. Lynja, I follow her profile, I love the creativity and expertise in the kitchen.

When did you start the cooking channel?

When the pandemic hit the US in March 2020 and we were in lockdown, my son, Tim, who is a videographer, he wanted to keep his skills fresh so he decided to make 30 videos in 30 days. He filmed me and my husband doing daily chores such as walking the dog, pruning bushes, filling the bird feeder and me making meals. My son posted these videos on YouTube, but we only had 35 subscribers with friends and family. The pandemic lockdown lasted longer and he decided to continue making videos Tim started posting on TikTok around June 2020 and the numbers of our TikTok subscribers skyrocketed with time.

Where did the idea for such art, cooking come from?

We locked on cooking videos:

1) Because I wanted to show my own kids how to make some of my parents' recipes that they enjoyed as children

2) Because my kitchen was easier to shoot videos in than other parts of the house.

Who helps you with the recording? The videos are original.

As I mentioned earlier, my son, Tim, does the videography and editing and also comes up with the scripts.

Do you write recipes yourself, or do you find them somewhere?

I mostly use recipes I find on the internet. After two years of making videos, I have to go to the internet for recipe ideas!

Who do you like to cook with the most?

I have cooked many desserts and snacks, but I like to cook meals for the family so I do not have to cook twice daily - one time to make something for a Lynja video and a second time to make dinner for the family. It's great when I cook a family meal and it is ready early!

What have you not cooked yet, but want to?

I would like to make hot pot meals such as Korean Hot Pot and Japanese Shabu Shabu.

Do you have a message for your large audience?

I want to encourage people to cook, especially if they think they cannot. I was not a good cook while my children were growing up, but as I started making Lynja videos, I became less afraid to make cooking mistakes as I learned from those mistakes. Making mistakes made me more resilient and confident. Keep cooking and you will get better and better in time!

Text: Josip Lulić

Photos: Lynja Davis