Lynn Yamada Davis, also known as Lynja, was an American online celebrity chef who gained popularity through her viral TikTok and YouTube Shorts videos, where she shared quick-styled edited cooking content with references to popular internet memes. She was born in New York City on July 31, 1956, and grew up in Fort Lee, New Jersey. She passed away on January 1, 2024, at the age of 67, due to esophageal cancer.
Davis earned degrees from MIT and Columbia Business School and worked at AT&T Labs for 29 years as a project manager and systems engineer. She began creating videos for TikTok in 2020, when she was 63, after her youngest son, Tim Davis, helped her shoot and edit each of her "Cooking with Lynja" videos
*Summary Table: | |
Name | Lynn Yamada Davis |
Profile Name | Cooking with Lynja |
DOB (Age) | July 31, 1956 |
DOJ (YouTube) | Nov 18, 2013 |
Total Videos | 486+ |
Schedule/Status | Inactive |
Net Worth | $25 million |
Nationality | American |
Residence | United States of America |
Lynja, born Lynn Yamada Davis, had a fascinating journey that led her to become a beloved YouTuber known for her "Cooking with Lynja" series. Growing up in New York City and later Fort Lee, New Jersey, Lynja's early life was marked by a passion for cooking and a keen interest in technology. Despite pursuing degrees from MIT and Columbia Business School and working as a project manager and systems engineer at AT&T Labs for nearly three decades, her true calling emerged later in life.
In 2020, at the age of 63, Lynja embarked on her YouTube journey with the help of her youngest son, Tim Davis. Together, they created a unique cooking channel that quickly gained traction due to Lynja's simple yet delicious recipes, clever editing techniques, and witty writing style that often incorporated popular internet memes. Her content resonated with audiences, leading to a rapid rise in followers on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Lynja's success as a YouTuber was not only a testament to her culinary skills but also to her ability to connect with viewers genuinely and engagingly.
In 2021, Lynja was diagnosed with throat cancer, and in 2021, she was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. She passed away on January 1, 2024, at the age of 67, due to esophageal cancer. After her death, her social media accounts remained active, with her son Tim continuing to post edited videos according to her wishes.
According to Net Worth Spot, as of May 2024, Lynja’s net worth was estimated to be around $25.58 million. Lynja's substantial earnings were primarily generated through her popular YouTube channel, which boasted over 12 million subscribers and 486 videos showcasing her culinary skills and engaging content.
Additionally, Lynja's presence on TikTok, where she amassed over 21.8 million followers, also played a crucial role in her income stream. The combination of her engaging content, viral videos, and dedicated fan base on multiple platforms allowed her to leverage various monetization avenues, such as brand partnerships, sponsored content, and advertising revenue.
Lynn T. Yamada Davis, known by her online alias Lynja, was born on July 31, 1956, in New York City to Mabel Fujisake and Tadao Yamada. As a third-generation Japanese-American, she spent her formative years in Fort Lee, New Jersey, where she grew up. She attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and graduated with a degree in civil engineering in 1977.
During her time at MIT, she demonstrated her leadership abilities as the chairwoman for The Tech student newspaper. Following her graduation, she pursued further education, earning degrees in public health and business administration from Columbia Business School.
She married Hank Steinberg, with whom she had two daughters before their marriage ended in divorce. Subsequently, she married Keith Davis and had two sons, one of whom is Sean Davis, a professional soccer player, and the other, Tim Davis, who played a pivotal role as the editor of her famed "Cooking with Lynja" videos.
Lynja, known for her YouTube channel "Cooking With Lynja," uploaded a variety of content related to cooking. Her channel featured videos showcasing her culinary skills, where she shared recipes, cooking tips, and engaging food-related content. Additionally, Lynja's channel included quick-style edited videos, simple recipes, and references to popular internet memes.
The channel's content is organized into various series, each with its unique focus and style.
One of the popular series on the channel is "How to Make the Best Cheeseburger," where Lynja shares her tips and tricks for making the perfect cheeseburger. In this series, viewers can learn about the different ingredients and techniques used to create a delicious and juicy burger.
Another series on the channel is "Scallion Pancakes," where Lynja demonstrates how to make the perfect scallion pancakes from scratch. This series includes several videos that cover different aspects of making scallion pancakes, from mixing the dough to cooking and serving the finished dish. The "Sweet and Salty Roasted Nuts" series is another fan favorite, where Lynja shares her recipe for sweet and salty roasted nuts. This series includes several videos that cover different aspects of making roasted nuts, from choosing the right ingredients to cooking and serving the finished dish.
In addition to these series, Cooking With Lynja also features non-recipe content, like "Bananas with Mayo," and uses Gen Z slang for humorous effect. The channel also offers short-form content on YouTube Shorts, providing viewers with bite-sized cooking content.
With over 16 million views, this is the most viewed video on the channel Cooking with Lynja. This video shows Lynja making cookies to distribute to people who are facing cancer.
This is the second most viewed video on the channel and has over 10 million views. This is an in-memoriam video for Lynja after she passed away.
This is the third most viewed video on the channel and has over 1.5 million views. In this video, Lynja shows how to make her special grandma cookies.
This is the fourth most-viewed video on the channel and has over 1.2 million views. This is a 60-minute cooking challenge video.
This is the fifth most-viewed video on the channel and has over 423k views. This is a recipe video in which Lynja shows how to make guacamole.
Cooking With Lynja, the popular YouTube channel known for its engaging cooking content, has collaborated with various content creators in the past. However, one notable collaboration was with Nick DiGiovanni, a renowned chef and YouTube personality. This collaboration resulted in Cooking With Lynja winning three Streamy Awards, including two for editing in the 11th and 12th Streamy Awards, and one for the collaboration itself.
Cooking with Lynja, the popular TikTok and YouTube cooking star known for her fun-loving and comedic content, did not have any notable controversies during her career. She was known for her engaging and entertaining cooking content, which earned her a dedicated following of over 12.1 million subscribers.
Lynja earned her undergraduate degree in civil engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then earned a master's degree in business from Columbia University.
She joined TikTok on June 5, 2020, and uploaded a video about making peanut butter, Nutella, and banana acai bowl.
Lynja received a Streamy Award for Best Editing in 2021.