“Her blueberry muffins? And her peach cobbler?” I continued. “Fire.”
Tyn grinned and took a bow. “That’s right. Put some respect on my name.”
“Maybe she’ll bless us one day with a demonstration. For now, though, we gon’ get these salmon bites sizzling so she can eat. ‘Cause, ya know, she’s ready.”
“And is!” Paityn agreed.
I looked at the camera. “She’s greedy,” I whisper-yelled.
She wrapped her hands around my neck and mimicked a choking gesture. “You might be a lowkey celebrity, but I’ll still whoop your a—”
“Alright, now,” Ma chimed in, “Don’t embarrass me on the YouTube.”
I motioned for Raven to follow me as I walked over to my mother. “This is Ma.” I kissed her cheek. “She is the original Chef Young.”
My mother waved at the camera. “Hey y’all. Just so you know, don’t be sliding into his TMs trying to go out with him.”
“TMs?” Blake asked.
“Ma,” I chided. Behind me, Raven was giggling, and Paityn was in tears behind the island. “Don’t be embarrassing me like that. If you’re going to speak new lingo, at least get it right.”
“It’s DMs, Nana,” Raven explained.
Confused, Ma looked to Blake. “TM stands for text message, right?”
Blake smirked. “No, Mom. The actual saying is slidin’ into theDMs. Direct messages.”
Ma’s mouth fell open. “Oh, okay. That makes sense. Carry on.”
I made my way back over to the kitchen island, where Paityn was wiping her face with a napkin. I demonstrated how I cleaned and cut the salmon. Then, I allowed Tyn to douse the salmon with olive oil, instructing her to go hard. Next, I gave a brief explanation of each seasoning and why I used it as I coated the fish with it. And more was better.
“What is this again?” She studied one of the bottles, then sniffed it. “Smells good.”
“It’s my special blend,” I told her, concentrating on the task at hand.
“Duke?” Paityn smacked my shoulder.
I blinked.
“You’ve been holding out on me, brotha. I need some of this. Are you selling it?” Her chin trembled. “I’m so proud of you.”
The first tear caught me by surprise. I eyed the camera, then looked at Tyn. “Stop crying.” I looked at the camera again. “She’s emotional.” I moved on, but she shocked me yet again with a tight hug. When she wouldn’t let go, I grumbled, “Come on, now. Pull it together, Big Sis.”
That seemed to snap her out of her state, and she backed away, sucked in a deep breath and gestured for me to continue. Which I did. Several minutes later, the salmon was done, and we were making the sauce.
Once complete, I poured the sauce over the salmon. “Look at that shit,” I mumbled. “You definitely want to keep this recipe in your back pocket for that quick weeknight meal. I like to serve it as an appetizer myself.”
Paityn tasted a piece and groaned. “So good.”
Blake leaned over the counter and snagged a piece as well. “Slappin’,” she said.
I put a few salmon bites on a plate and took it to my mother, who sampled it and gave me a thumbs up.
Back in front of the camera, I forked one of the salmon bites and held it up for the camera. “You already know. Perfectly cooked, full of flavor, with a kick. You need to make this at home, and when you do, tag me.” I gave Paityn the opportunity to share her social media handles, which she did proudly. She also offered viewers a special promo code to shop at her naughty toy store. Then I ended the video by asking them to like and share, throwin’ up the deuces, and saying, “It’s a wrap. Peace out.”
Raven announced. “Done.” She set the camera down and dug into the salmon. “Uncle Duke.” She hummed. “You did good. You should’ve seen the comments coming in.”
Paityn nodded. “I agree. You’re amazing in front of the camera.”
