Who are the Geniuses Behind Those ‘Tiny Kitchen’ Videos?


tiny  kitchen donutsThis May, NPR released a new profile on the viral video super geniuses behind “Tiny Kitchen” — no connection with NPR’s popular music series Tiny Desk Concerts.

The Tiny Kitchen is exactly what it sounds like, and thousands of people have viewed popular Tiny Kitchen videos like, “How To Make Tiny Tacos,” and “How To Make Tiny Donuts.” The Tiny Kitchen videos are produced by the foodie production company Tastemade, which describes itself as “a global community of food and travel lovers. From quick recipes to original series, we’re uploading new videos every single day to share our favorite food and travel stories from around the world. We’re also known to get a little quirky sometimes, so keep an eye out for surprises.”

While micro-kitchens have recently become trendy in the architecture, design, and tiny home communities, micro-kitchens are gigantic compared to the Tastemade kitchen set. General Electric recently revealed their newest invention, a micro-kitchen appliance set that crams in a stovetop, oven, microwave, sink, dishwasher, fridge, and freezer into a space just six-feet long, or about the size of a normal refrigerator.

Many builders say that a kitchen remodel should cost 5% of a home’s value, with average kitchen remodeling projects costing $17,000 to $37,000. It’s no wonder companies like GE are experimenting with smaller kitchens, especially as more people move to urban areas.

But Tiny Kitchen is actually 1/12 the size of a normal kitchen, and cooks up food that’s just the right size for a mouse. So why are the videos such a hit on YouTube and Facebook?

NPR explains, “Jay Holzer, head of production, says the idea for a tiny cooking show came from one of Tastemade’s Japanese partners, who sent them a box filled with a tiny stove, tiny utensils, and a set of tiny cutting boards… Miniatures have long been popular in Japan due to the cultural dominance of kawaii, or all things cute, but making minuscule edible food — rather than polymer clay copies — is the newest incarnation of that trend. (A quick search of YouTube reveals several similar tiny cooking shows that appear to be from Japan.)”

Holzer told NPR that since the show premiered it’s taken on a “life of its own.”


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