This summer, Tiny Chef, the charming 8-inch-tall culinary star of The Tiny Chef Show, embarked on a global journey with travel resource Priceline. Known for his delightful plant-based meals, banjo playing, and adorable singsong voice, Tiny Chef has been exploring some of the world’s most iconic destinations.
Tiny Chef/Instagram
We sat down (er, kneeled down) with Tiny Chef to learn more about his travels to Paris, Canada, and Croatia, his favorite plant-based eateries, and all of his memorable moments with celebrity guests.
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Tiny Chef’s massive appeal
Tiny Chef, created by Rachel Larsen, Adam Reid, and Ozlem Akturk, first gained popularity as a social media sensation before transitioning to a television series on Nickelodeon in 2022. The show features a mix of live-action and stop-motion animation, following the adventures of Tiny Chef and his friends as he prepares plant-based dishes in his tree-stump kitchen. His unique dialect and charming personality quickly captured the hearts of viewers young and old.
Tiny Chef’s creativity in the kitchen is boundless. “Mah tiny kitchen is mah pwayground, I tell ya, where I expewiment with flavows and textows,” Tiny Chef tells VegNews.
He often explores traditional recipes and adapts them into tiny, plant-based versions, blending creativity with healthful eating, because, fruits and vegetables keep him happy and healthy.
Tiny Chef/Instagram
Like many chefs, the tiny culinarian finds inspiration through traveling, gathering fresh perspectives as he visits local markets to buy produce and get tips from the people he meets.
This summer, Tiny Chef left his miniature kitchen to visit several destinations in partnership with travel resource Priceline and to road test its new AI travel assistant, Penny.
Tiny Chef in Paris
Tiny Chef’s summer has been filled with great tiny adventures as he explored his “Happy Places” using Priceline. One standout experience was his trip to Paris, home of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
“I saw the Eiffel Tower and played mah tiny blaccordion, pwus had some gweat food,” Tiny Chef says.
Paris, a city renowned for its culinary excellence, is a mecca for plant-based options, which Tiny Chef explored with friends.
His top spot? Wild & The Moon, a popular mini-chain among locals with a cozy interior that offers a variety of vegan dishes. There are superfood-packed bowls, a BLT made with vegan bacon, a summer salad with vegan feta, and a wide selection of desserts, smoothies, non-dairy milks, and more.
Tiny Chef’s journey through Paris also connected him to Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, part of the gold-medal-winning USA team. Chiles told Tiny Chef her favorite type of squash is butternut (and we’d have to agree! Check out our favorite recipes using the nutritious gourd here).
Tiny Chef/Instagram
In addition to Paris, Tiny Chef enjoyed the breathtaking landscapes and diverse culinary scene of the popular Canadian resort town Banff, where farm-to-table dining and sustainable practices resonated with Tiny Chef’s own culinary values.
“Der are sho many dewightful pwant-based shpots I’ve discovered by using Pwiceline’s AI twavel assistant, Penny,” Tiny Chef says.
His pick here is Nourish Bistro, known for its creative and colorful plant-based dishes, including nachos topped with 27 ingredients, poutine with vegan cashew cheese curds, exotic wild mushroom ravioli, and Nutella cheesecake for dessert.
Next on the travel itinerary? Tiny Chef is headed to Hvar and Split to explore what Croatia has to offer.
Tiny Chef’s famous friends
Throughout its two seasons, The Tiny Chef Show has welcomed a variety of celebrity guests, including two vegan icons: RZA from the musical group The WuTang Clan and multi-hyphenate Tabitha Brown.
Each guest imparted their own special something on the show. “Tabitha Brown bwought sooo much joy to the kitchen to make some tiny food, and RZA shared his bluv for music and cooking,” Tiny Chef shares.
Tiny Chef/Instagram
Much like Brown (host of YouTube series Tab Time), one of Tiny Chef’s missions is to inspire children to be creative in the kitchen. As such, he incorporates educational elements into each episode of The Tiny Chef Show by including fun facts about ingredients and cooking techniques. “I hope kiddos watch and see that cookin is a fun bland cweative activity to share with famiwy and fwends,” he says.
“Even if you’re tiny, yew can make a blincewdibly blahmayzing meal,” Tiny Chef says.
And while Tiny Chef has many friends, his fans know that he also has one mortal enemy, the onion (or “blunion”)—an astringent opponent the chef has attempted to defeat in multiple, tear-inducing battles.
“As for the blunion, it’s a tough wittle cwitta,” Tiny Chef says. “But with a pinch of cweativity, I knowww we’ll find a way to defeat it soon.”
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Anna Starostinetskaya is the Senior News Editor at VegNews and is always keeping an eye on all things vegan in her home city of San Francisco, CA and everywhere else.
