Cooking with Lynja is the TikTok and YouTube cooking channel created by Lynn Yamada Davis, the Japanese-American MIT-and-Columbia-trained engineer who became known as “the internets grandma” before her death from esophageal cancer on January 1, 2024 at age 67. Built with her youngest son Tim Davis during the 2020 pandemic, the channel grew to 17.5 million TikTok followers, 14.3 million YouTube subscribers, and two 2022 Streamy Awards, with Tim continuing to post pre-recorded videos after her death to honor her wishes.
TL;DR
- Real name Lynn Yamada Davis (née Yamada), Japanese-American, born July 31, 1956 in New York City
- MIT graduate (in three years) and Columbia MBA / Masters of Public Health, professional engineer before social media
- Started Cooking with Lynja in 2020 with her youngest son Tim during pandemic lockdowns
- 17.5M TikTok followers, 14.3M YouTube subscribers, 5.77 billion lifetime views; two Streamy Awards in 2022
- Died of esophageal cancer on January 1, 2024 in Red Bank, New Jersey; Tim continues uploading her pre-recorded videos posthumously
Key facts about Cooking with Lynja
| Real name | Lynn Yamada Davis (née Yamada) |
| Born | July 31, 1956, New York City, USA |
| Died | January 1, 2024 (aged 67), Red Bank, New Jersey, USA |
| Education | MIT (B.S. in three years), Columbia University (joint MBA and Masters of Public Health) |
| Professional background | Engineer before social media career |
| Channel | Cooking With Lynja, active 2020 to 2024 |
| Awards | Two 2022 Streamy Awards (Best Food Creator, Best Editing), Forbes Top 50 Creators 2022 |
Early life and engineering career
Lynn Yamada was born July 31, 1956, in New York City to Japanese-American parents. She attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, completing her undergraduate degree in three years, then went on to Columbia University for a joint MBA and Masters of Public Health. Her professional career was as an engineer, working long before social media existed. She ran eight marathons before an injury slowed her down, and she lived in Fort Lee, New Jersey for much of her later life.
The transition from engineer to internet phenomenon began in 2019, when she was diagnosed with throat cancer. The disease changed the sound of her voice, a detail that fans would later notice without knowing the underlying cause. A subsequent esophageal cancer diagnosis in 2021 would ultimately end her life on January 1, 2024.
Cooking with Lynja career timeline
- 2019 Davis receives a throat cancer diagnosis
- 2020 She and her youngest son Tim Davis start making cooking videos together during pandemic lockdowns, partly to develop Tims cinematography skills
- June 26, 2020 Her first TikTok to cross one million views, a bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwich tutorial, posts to the Cooking With Lynja account
- 2021 Davis receives an esophageal cancer diagnosis
- 2021 to 2022 The channel rapidly grows to millions of followers across TikTok and YouTube, with viral hits ranging from Philly cheesesteaks to sauteed squash
- 2022 Wins two Streamy Awards, for Best Food Creator and Best Editing, alongside her son Tim
- 2022 Forbes names Davis to its Top 50 Creators list
- 2022 to 2023 Breaks several Guinness World Records in collaboration with fellow YouTube food creator Nick DiGiovanni
- 2023 Travels to Italy and other destinations with Tim, recording content her family would later release posthumously
- January 1, 2024 Dies at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, New Jersey, surrounded by family
- January 12, 2024 Tim Davis announces her death on TikTok, fans learn she had been recording extra content with the intent for it to release after her passing
- 2024 to 2025 Pre-recorded Cooking With Lynja videos continue to upload on schedule per her wishes
Cooking with Lynja signature style and editing approach
The Cooking With Lynja video format was a partnership between mother and son. Davis was the on-camera presence, dancing, smiling, mugging for the camera with the comic timing of a stage performer. Her son Tim handled the editing, building quick cuts, floating-head graphics, and explosive special-effects punctuation around her movements. The style was unmistakable on TikTok by 2021, and many imitators followed, but the genuine warmth between mother and son was difficult to copy.
The recipes themselves were intentionally accessible. Davis cooked Philly cheesesteaks, bacon egg and cheese, sauteed squash, instant ramen upgrades, and other everyday foods that an American home cook could attempt the same day. The premise was not that she was a trained chef teaching a technique, it was that she was a mother showing how she did it, with her son zooming in on every detail. Her partnership with the instant ramen brand Immi reflected that everyday-food positioning.
Notable work: viral hits and Streamy wins
The defining video of the channel is the original bacon-egg-and-cheese tutorial from June 26, 2020. The viewer reception, described in fan comments as charismatic and grandmotherly, set the template for everything that followed. Subsequent viral hits included Philly cheesesteak builds, multi-step ramen upgrades, and innumerable comfort-food simplifications cut to seconds in length.
Her 2022 Streamy Awards win for Best Food Creator and Best Editing was the moment the food creator industry formally recognized what fans already knew, that Cooking With Lynja was the defining example of mother-son short-form food content. Forbes placed her on its Top 50 Creators list the same year. Her collaborations with Nick DiGiovanni produced several Guinness World Record builds that combined her on-camera energy with his trained-chef execution.
Awards and recognition
- 2022 Streamy Award, Best Food Creator
- 2022 Streamy Award, Best Editing (with son Tim Davis)
- 2022 Forbes Top 50 Creators list
- 2022 to 2023 Multiple Guinness World Records set in collaborations with Nick DiGiovanni
- 2024 The combined Cooking With Lynja channels passed 5.77 billion lifetime views and 14.3 million YouTube subscribers
Impact and cultural relevance
Cooking with Lynja redefined what an older creator could achieve on TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Davis was 64 when the first viral video posted, and her age was part of the appeal rather than a barrier. The channel showed that short-form vertical video, often associated with teenage trends, could equally well be carried by a charismatic 60-something with the editing taste to match the platform. Multiple older creators have since pointed to Lynja as the proof of concept that they could build platform-native audiences too.
Her collaborations with Nick DiGiovanni helped both channels grow, with the Guinness World Record builds reaching audiences neither would have hit alone. Her place in the YouTube food ecosystem sat alongside other creator-built channels including Guga Foods and Sonny Side, none of which had the multi-generational dynamic Cooking With Lynja put at the center of the format.
Cooking with Lynja FAQ
Who was Lynja from Cooking with Lynja?
Lynja was Lynn Yamada Davis, a Japanese-American MIT and Columbia-trained engineer who became one of TikToks most popular cooking creators after she and her son Tim started posting videos during the 2020 pandemic. She was born July 31, 1956 in New York City and lived in Fort Lee, New Jersey for much of her life.
How did Lynja from Cooking with Lynja die?
Davis died of esophageal cancer on January 1, 2024 at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, New Jersey. She was 67. She had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2019 and esophageal cancer in 2021, but kept creating content with her son throughout the illness.
Who edits Cooking with Lynja videos?
Davis worked with her youngest son Tim Davis on every Cooking With Lynja video. Tim handled cinematography and editing, including the floating-head graphics and quick-cut style that became the channels visual signature. The mother-son partnership won them a Streamy Award for Best Editing in 2022.
Is Cooking with Lynja still posting?
Yes, partially. Tim Davis confirmed after his mothers death that she had asked him to continue posting pre-recorded videos she had filmed before passing. The channel has continued uploading prepared content on schedule, with the family treating it as a way to honor her wishes and keep the work she loved in circulation.
What was Lynja famous for cooking?
Davis built her channel around accessible everyday American comfort food. Her first viral hit was a bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwich in June 2020, and subsequent staples included Philly cheesesteaks, sauteed squash, and instant ramen upgrades. Her partnership with the brand Immi reflected the everyday-cooking positioning at the heart of the channel.
What is next for Cooking with Lynja
Tim Davis continues to release Lynjas pre-recorded videos according to her wishes, and the channels archive of viral cooking tutorials remains available across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. The family has not announced an end date for the posthumous uploads. Follow the channel on Instagram (@cookingwithlynja).
