Meet Tynasia Been | Small Business Owner, Food Blogger, Foodie

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tynasia Been and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tynasia, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process when starting my own business was that this will be difficult, but, I will have the freedom to create, have fun and seek financial independence. My motivation was to take control of my life, career and living situation. I never wanted to be a dreamer because when you dream for so long you’re just sleeping. I instilled the importance of taking action, I told myself, “no more daydreaming about it,” I’ve always had a passion for cooking since elementary school. On a daily after school, I would watch ‘Chopped’ ‘Guys Drive ins & Dives’ and many other cooking or baking related shows. I loved the energy and culture that the kitchen brings to chefs and foodies, like myself. I just knew I had to start pursuing the food industry soon, so I attended a charter school, South Tech Academy, in Boynton Beach, FL. After attending culinary school for 4 years, I received my certificates for management & food safety. This was a prideful moment until I realized that it doesn’t hold much in the jobs that I had. I began working at Publix, August 31st, 2022 and my certificates came in handy for cutting on the meat slicer the first week of training instead of a month. I also required less training because of my experience and I learned everything quickly. Prior to Publix, I was working in restaurants (La Cigale, Amar and Outback) Outback was my first job actually. I saw how the chefs would work 7 days a week for over 8 hours per shift. They seemed so stressed yet optimistic. I always felt imprisoned by the thought of being in their position. I have always dreamed of being a line cook or prep cook to be promoted to Head or or Sous Chef but after seeing their hours and knowing the wages I was discouraged. I have always saw myself as a fast learner, independent, many refer to me as a leader, good at handling stressful situations while also being able to enjoy myself. All these traits complimented my ambition so I decided to take advantage of it. I cannot imagine working for another person, run their business, be on their time for the rest of my life &, genuinely feel confident in retirement. I would not be happy and would feel disappointed in myself for wasting my potential. I want to have my own time, have my own growth and make my own money while having full responsibility for the business and myself. The only way I could do that is to share my love of food with others while also being able to take advantage of the new opportunities.

What should our readers know about your business?
My small business ‘Tandum Cuisine’ is more on the spectrum of being random in the combinations & the menu itself but also very delicious. I don’t like to have rules to food. Vlogging, Food reviewing & Cooking are apart of my business. Food is fun & rules..well that’s boring & let’s be honest, It’s hard to have fun with the same old food. I recreate trending & cultural foods & desserts while also giving flavors that will subtle & enjoyable by a variety of people. I am where I am today because of my passion & drive to stay focused, go hard & continuing to learn. I enjoy improving while seeing the results that I wholeheartedly desire. Due to my urge to pursue culinary, for highschool, I attended South Tech Academy which made a huge impact on the direction I took because I found out that a university was not my purpose in life. I wanted to create without limits while enjoying the freedom to not always be stressed from meaningless assignments. The mentorship I received from my culinary instructors allowed me to build confidence in myself, from making them proud, since no one else pushed me,at the time, but my twin sister, Anasia, and myself. I attended chef meetings, catered events, attended food tours, received job offers & scholarships for my work ethic. These experiences showed me what I wanted & didn’t want in my life or career. Today, I am grateful for the skills I’ve learned along the way because it was the drive I needed when I met, Michael Walker. Michael is my business associate. I approached him at his local BBQ stand. I tried his Georgia Style food & it was amazing! I decided to partner up with him, providing side dishes, appetizers & desserts. Michael has took me under his wing & now I am seeing the great opportunities of the food industry, such as, catering to events, networking with entrepreneurs, clients, & managing the workload. Don’t be mistaken (he’s no pro) he started about a year ago & now we’re in the same ‘class’. It’s a fun journey that allows me to promote ‘Tandum Cuisine’ as I’ve always imagined. I now look forward to preparing my dishes weekly & growing my clientele. My goals are to stay consistent with my food, social networking, advertisement, continue entrepreneurship, invest in myself, make connections, join local groups, learn from other’s mistakes & achievements & to reward myself because there always needs to be appreciation for the obstacles I’ve overcame & will overcome. I would love for people to know that ‘Tandum Cuisine’ is a symbol of my passion for food & creating, Although, ‘Tandum’ means a lot of things. If you are a foodie that are open to trying new things no matter how crazy it sounds, then you are Tandum! Tandum means ‘tasty’ & ‘random’, which is another definition of life for me. Tandum means whatever you want, I got it…& It’ll be gooood!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take my best friend to eat at Ramen Lab Eatery for the cozy ambience, tasty & affordable dishes & chill music. For a subtle dive into cultural food I’d take them to Chris’s Greek Taverna. For amazing hospitality & authentic dishes I’d recommend Flavor of India. I enjoyed the server Raphael, who I adore for his genuine attentiveness & passion for outstanding services. For a late night Munch we’d definitely head to Cheffrey Eats, one of my favorite food trucks by far. We’d get the ‘Pig-Out’ or ‘Pulled Pork BBQ Mac & Cheese’ & have a guilt trip on our way home. Lastly, GA’s Smoking BBQ. It is hands down the best BBQ in Florida. For site seeing we’d go to Delray Beach, Downtown Miami for music events, Sick Puppies Improv in Delray it’s fun seeing the random acts & you never what’ll be said next! Adventure Vault in Delray Beach, it’s mind boggling but tons of fun when you’re locked in a room with your favorite people & the clock is ticking faster than your brain. We’d hangout at the Everglades to see the sunset, Skate around Vista Park until dark. The most enjoyable things to do are those that are unpredictable, close to nature, social, beautiful sites & soothing vibes.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to Shoutout to my mentors Walter Tanner and Suzanne O’Neil, these two were an intimidating duo when I started freshman year. O’Neil would be best described as Gordan Ramsey, very loud and snappy, while Tanner was more of a Dr. Doofenshmirtz (Phinea & Ferb), who always had a plan to make everything a challenge for no apparent reason which failed, for me anyways. Overtime their qualities made me a much stronger person and I appreciate them for not making everything so simple, they were honest, shared their experiences, opened many opportunities with other chefs, events, jobs, scholarships and offered me advice and new techniques. I now use the tools they gave me to make opportunities for myself. I would love to thank my two sisters, my twin sister, Anasia Been and older sister Teona Wilson who have always shown their support, motivated me and gave me insight on myself. I would love to thank my family and extended family, the Rothsteins & the Walkers. They have all supported me and shared their feedback to let me know. Michael Walker, he’s allowing me to grow while genuinely taking these baby steps alongside his growing business.

Instagram: tandum_.cuisine

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Youtube: Tandum.Blogs

Image Credits
Rooly Riles Tynasia Been