Nearly 6 million people saw how Gentiana Tijssen put speculoos cookies in a container of Greek yogurt. The TikTok video of the Helmond hobby chef was even featured in the popular American TV show Good Morning America.
She doesn’t really know yet what is happening to her. Gentiana Tijssen started posting her cooking videos on TikTok last July. Her video of a coconut cake was viewed by 11 million people. And now the video of the speculoos cookies is going viral. She jumped on the Japanese cheesecake hype that is floating around on TikTok.
“Last summer I started with a coconut cake that got 11 million views. What exactly caused that? No idea. A combination of time, music and hashtags and just the moment, I think. That’s actually where it started,” Gentiana says matter-of-factly.
Cooking is in the Helmondian’s blood, although it is not her job. “I work in communications myself and I find it funny to make those videos. I really enjoy cooking. I have Moluccan roots myself and if you know the Moluccan, Indonesian people a little, you know that cooking always comes first.”
“I just enjoy making, tasting and recording.”
The Helmond resident sticks to only sweet recipes. “I just enjoy making it, tasting it and recording it. In the beginning it was with my nieces. We sent it to each other as a joke, that’s how it came about.”
Gentiana had about 30 followers in the summer. Now there are more than 15,000. “Sometimes the views drop until I put the yogurt with cookies on it. Then it completely exploded.”
But how did she get that video? “I saw a video of a man who put Japanese coconut cookies in yogurt and that would taste like cheesecake after standing overnight. I thought I should make a quick video in between. I have biscoff cookies (speculoos, ed.) at home. And a container of Greek yogurt. And indeed it tasted like cheesecake. I liked it and I just posted it. Something easy in between. Not knowing that it would explode like that.”
“I’m just a Helmond girl, from a Helmond kitchen.”
Because it was viewed a lot on TikTok, but suddenly she also received a message from American television. “I received a message via TikTok from the producer of Good Morning America asking if they could use my video. I thought ‘ok, wow’. I think it’s very special. Especially because I’m just a Helmond resident. girl am, from a kitchen in Helmond and it suddenly becomes so big all over the world.”
Gentiana will not stop making her baking videos for the time being. “I try to post at least 1 to 2 recipes a week, depending on the time. I still work and have a family.” Her latest creation? A crunchy chocolate bar with coconut yoghurt. “I like it simple. I am not a kitchen princess, not a chef. It just has to be easy to do. I think that is also the reason why people follow me.”
