Trained Chef with Southern Roots? The Tini Mac and Cheese Recipe Controversy Explained as Fans Rally in Support
Tini online, a.k.a. Chef Tineke Younger, caused a huge sensation on the internet when she released her macaroni and cheese. Her efforts were met with both brickbats and bouquets. For some, the unique ingredients and laborious prep were a true effort to be lauded, though she also received a lot of criticism online in equal measure. However, a majority of netizens praised her for her education in fine dining and for thinking outside the box.
The recipe, which was shared by Chef Tineke Younger on TikTok in November 2023, managed to rake in 20 million views. The recipe required a gargantuan two and a half pounds of hand-grated Colby Jack, supplemented by cheddar and mozzarella cheese. The recipe and its preparation video resurfaced on the internet, and this time ignited a huge debate, with questions being asked about the chef’s culinary abilities. The chef had used unconventional ingredients, for example, Cavatappi instead of standard elbow macaroni, which did not sit well with purists.
Ease up of my girl Tini. She’s an actual
— lil miss phone’s on 10% (@_babysloth) November 5, 2024
CHEF and grew up in the south???
You know you find white people who can make mac and cheese in the South… right?
Many contended that Tini had culturally appropriated mac and cheese, and critics like X user @HenriettaSnacks, who boasts 25,000 followers on the social networking site, even asked netizens to block Tini. In her words:
“If y’all haven’t blocked that white woman trying to teach us how to make our own mac and cheese, that is on you.”
Me watching y’all react to the fact that they 👩🦳 did y’all dirty…… again. pic.twitter.com/CsBR5h87f0
— Ms. Sn@cks (@HenriettaSnacks) November 6, 2024
Tini, who herself is white, is also being accused of appropriating Black culture by way of making and revising the mac and cheese recipe.
There was no paucity of supporters for Tini, and some users even alleged that she is facing backlash because of her race. Critics opined that the recipe was incredibly flavorful, and the prominent Parade website’s food critic gave a highly positive review, stating that they are making the recipe themselves. The website read:
“I’m not here to sell you a bridge or a dream, but this is without a doubt the best mac and cheese I’ve ever made. I really wish that this recipe hadn’t already broken the internet so I could pretend to be some sort of mac and cheese expert to my family and friends.”
She also received more support from netizens, and one user wrote:
“I see her videos on my feed every so often. It all looks amazing! And she seems a fun person.”
Another X user said:
“Wait. Tini from Next Level Chef? Oh, heck no. Don’t be coming for her. She was so sweet on the show. She would not have gotten that far in the competition with Gordon if she had no skills.”
A third user commented:
“How is this controversial? Since when is mac & cheese supposed to taste like anything except pasta, cheese, and butter? That’s why it’s good.”
For the unversed, Tineke Younger is not a pushover and appeared on the second season of Next Level Chef, where she managed an eighth-place rank on the show, which was mentored by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. She also boasts a following of seven million on her TikTok account.
Tini online a.k.a. Chef Tineke Younger caused a huge sensation on the internet when she released her macaroni and cheese. Her efforts were welcomed with both brickbats and bouquets. For some the unique ingredients and laborious prep was a true effort to be lauded, she also received a lot of criticism online in equal measure. However a majority of netizens praised her for her education in fine dining and to think out of the box.
The recipe which was shared by Chef Tineke Younger on TikTok in November 2023 managed to rake in 20 million views. The recipe required a gargantuan two and a half pounds of hand-grated Colby Jack, supplemented by cheddar, and mozzarella cheese. The recipe and its preparation video resurfaced on the internet and this time ignited a huge debate and questions were being asked about the chef’s culinary abilities. The chef had used unconventional ingredients for example; Cavatappi instead of standard elbow macaroni and this did not augur well for the puritans.
Ease up of my girl Tini. She’s an actual
— lil miss phone’s on 10% (@_babysloth) November 5, 2024
CHEF and grew up in the south???
You know you find white people who can make mac and cheese in the South… right?
Many contended that Tini had culturally appropriated mac and cheese and critics like X user @HenriettaSnacks who boasts 25,000 followers on the social networking site, even asked netizens to block Tini.
In her words,
“If y’all haven’t blocked that white woman trying to teach us how to make our own mac and cheese, that is on you.”
Me watching y’all react to the fact that they 👩🦳 did y’all dirty…… again. pic.twitter.com/CsBR5h87f0
— Ms. Sn@cks (@HenriettaSnacks) November 6, 2024
Tini who herself is a white is also being indicted of appropriating black culture by way of making and revising the mac and cheese recipe.
There were no paucity of supporters for Tini and some users even alleged that she is facing the backlash because of her race. Critics opined that the recipe was incredibly flavorful and prominent Parade website’s food critic gave a highly positive review and stated that they are making the recipe themselves.
The website read:
“I’m not here to sell you a bridge or a dream, but this is without a doubt the best mac and cheese I’ve ever made. I really wish that this recipe hadn’t already broken the internet so I could pretend to be some sort of mac and cheese expert to my family and friends.”
She also received more support from netizens and one user wrote,
“I see her videos on my feed every so often. It all looks amazing! And she seems a fun person,”
Another X user said.
“Wait. Tini from Next Level Chef? Oh, heck no. Don’t be coming for her. She was so sweet on the show. She would not have gotten that far in the competition with Gordon if she had no skills,”
A third user commented,
“How is this controversial? Since when is mac & cheese supposed to taste like anything except pasta, cheese and butter? That’s why it’s good,”
For the unversed Tineke Younger is not a pushover and has appeared on the second season of Next Level Chef and managed a eighth rank in the show which was mentored by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey. She also boasts a following of seven million on her TikTok account.
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