TikTok chef Tineke “Tini” Younger couldn’t believe it when her mac and cheese recipe went viral.
“I was like, ‘What is this? It’s mac and cheese. I’ve posted macaroni and cheese before. And then it went on and on and on, and it was 60 million views in a week,” she told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview.
Her bestselling recipe for the classic comfort dish – now with over 100 million views on TikTok since posting in November – is a simple recipe that exemplifies her approachable approach to teaching cooking on social media.
“It’s not too complicated. You don’t really need much skill for this. You may be new to cooking and learning how to make macaroni and cheese. Not a lot of ingredients… It’s good, simple, but it’s still tasty,” explains Younger, 22. “I just try to make it as simple as possible and break down each step so everyone can feel like they can cook.” »
While its recipe may be simple, it contains a surprise ingredient – Carnation evaporated milk – which made partnering with the brand a natural next step. As National Mac and Cheese Day approaches on July 14, Carnation has partnered with Younger for their new Kickin’ Jalapeño Flavored Evaporated Milk, their first ever flavored product.
“I actually drank it out of a can today,” she said with a laugh. “You can taste the condensed milk right away and then it gives you a kick with the jalapeño and it’s very fresh.” This goes really well with mac and cheese.
Carnation is also launching free “Mac it Better” kits in honor of National Mac and Cheese Day on July 14. The limited-edition kits will include a can of the new flavor, a can of regular Carnation evaporated milk, a printed version of its viral mac and cheese recipe, and a $25 gift card to purchase everything else needed for the recipe.
Carnation Kickin’ Jalapeño Evaporated Milk.
Evan Kalman for Carnation
They will be available on the Carnation website in a first-come, first-served series of three on June 25, July 9, and July 14.
Younger, now the host of the Bite originals YouTube series Starting from scratch with Tini, began gaining popularity on TikTok while attending culinary school near her hometown of Walkersville, Maryland. After posting a video of herself cooking dinner for her then-boyfriend Antoine Wright Jr. in 2021, it quickly went viral. (The two announced their engagement in November 2023.)
“It was viewed 14 million times overnight and it was just steak and mac and cheese. And so I kept doing it,” she says of her beginnings. “My favorite thing about cooking on TikTok, and social media in general, is seeing all the posts from people like, ‘I don’t know how to cook, but I made your recipe and everyone ‘love it.'”
A year later, Younger appeared on the second season of Fox’s Senior level leader hosted by Gordon Ramsay, which was filmed in 2022 and aired from February to May 2023. Even though she had gotten a job at a restaurant in Florida for the summer, she gave up everything for the chance to join the show.
“I have an internship, but this is Gordon Ramsay. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don’t want to miss this,” she recalls.
On Senior level leader, Younger placed eighth out of a total of 18 competitors. But she says the lessons she learned from Ramsay and the show’s two other mentors, Richard Blais and Nyesha Arrington, were more important than the competition itself.
Tineke Younger on Next Level Chef.
FOX via Getty
“It was the best learning experience ever. So I’m not saying I lost, because I feel like I won,” she says. “I used the show as an internship. I could literally ask them, “How do I cook this?” and they would tell me. I learned how to make frog legs, ostrich legs, cow’s tongue, I learned how to break down a lobster.
Younger’s experience with the celebrity chef trio certainly paid off: After the show, Ramsay contacted her about future collaborations.
“Gordon asked me, ‘Do you want to have your own series on our YouTube channel called Bite Originals?'” she says. Younger remains “in contact with Gordon and he has been fully supportive,” she adds.
Looking ahead, Younger’s next big recipe isn’t for her fans on TikTok, but rather for herself. Younger and her fiancé plan to get married in a November ceremony in Jamaica — and she’s the one taking the cake.
“We’re aiming for a lemon cake.” And my wedding will be in Jamaica, so a rum buttercream to really go with the Jamaican decor,” she says. “It’s my most important (recipe) right now – it has to be perfect because It’s my wedding day.”
