Tinfoil Chef, whose real name is Joel Duggan, is a popular Minecraft YouTuber known for his cooking videos in Minecraft. He creates elaborate kitchens and restaurants in Minecraft and uses the game’s mechanics to “cook” different dishes. Tinfoil Chef joined the popular Minecraft multiplayer server HermitCraft in Season 6, which began in 2018.
Tinfoil Chef’s Background
Joel Duggan started his YouTube channel in 2011 initially posting gaming videos of various games. In 2015, he started focusing on Minecraft and created his Tinfoil Chef persona. His early Minecraft videos involved building kitchens, restaurants, and other food-related buildings in Minecraft. He soon got the idea to start “cooking” in Minecraft by combining different items to make unique dishes. This became his signature style of video.
Tinfoil Chef’s cooking videos proved very popular. Some of his most viewed early cooking videos included “How to Make a Minecraft BLT,” “Making a Minecraft Deep Dish Pizza,” and “Making a Big Minecraft Sandwich.” He came up with fun names and backstories for his dishes. His “Krabby Patty” video, based on the burger from Spongebob Squarepants, has over 5 million views.
Growth of Tinfoil Chef’s Youtube Channel
When Tinfoil Chef started posting Minecraft cooking videos in 2015, his channel had around 10,000 subscribers. By the end of 2015, he had around 30,000 subscribers. In 2016, his channel really started to take off. That year he gained over 190,000 subscribers, ending the year with over 220,000. His channel continued growing steadily in 2017 and 2018, reaching 330,000 subscribers by the end of 2018. His total video views followed a similar trajectory, going from around 2.5 million lifetime views in 2015 to over 60 million by the end of 2018.
Tinfoil Chef’s Other Minecraft Series
In addition to his cooking videos, Tinfoil Chef also became known for some other Minecraft series:
- Farmer Tin – A series where he builds farms and agriculturally-themed structures.
- Tin Kitchen Designs – Where he builds kitchens and restaurants for other YouTubers.
- Feed The Beast – Videos involving modded Minecraft and complex machinery.
- Basically Tin – A laidback series showing casual Minecraft gameplay.
These series, combined with his main cooking videos, helped grow his channel and popularity within the larger Minecraft community on YouTube. Though not as well-known initially as some other major Minecraft YouTubers, Tinfoil Chef built up a very loyal fanbase over several years.
HermitCraft Background
HermitCraft is a private, white-listed Minecraft survival multiplayer server that some of the best-known Minecraft YouTubers and content creators have played on. It was founded by Generikb in March 2012 during the early days of Minecraft. The idea was to create a small, private server where content creators could collaborate and build together. Some of the earliest Hermits included KingDaddyDMAC, Hypnotizd, BdoubleO100, and more.
Over the years, HermitCraft has expanded into featuring over 20 different YouTubers and streamers at any given time. Some of the most well-known long-time Hermits include:
- Mumbo Jumbo
- GoodTimesWithScar
- Iskall85
- Stressmonster101
- FalseSymmetry
- Rendog
- Joe Hills
- XisumaVoid
HermitCraft is currently on its 9th season which started in 2022. Each season usually lasts around 1-2 years. At the end of a season, the server map is reset and started anew. The Hermits are whitelisted specifically by XisumaVoid, the admin and founder of HermitCraft.
HermitCraft’s Popularity
Playing on HermitCraft has helped boost the popularity of many Minecraft content creators over the years. Being a Hermit gives them opportunities to collaborate with other popular YouTubers and be a part of huge builds and storylines. HermitCraft has become one of the most well-known Minecraft multiplayer servers despite being private and closed to new members.
Videos from HermitCraft frequently trend on YouTube’s gaming charts and get millions of views. For example, Grian’s Season 6 episode “The Grian-Trap” has over 19 million views. Many Hermits have gained hundreds of thousands of subscribers after joining the server.
How Tinfoil Chef Joined HermitCraft
In September 2018, Tinfoil Chef announced in a video called “Big News, and a Big Goodbye” that we would be joining HermitCraft in their upcoming 6th season. He had been invited and whitelisted by Xisuma. This was a huge milestone for Tinfoil Chef’s channel.
Collaborating with Other Hermits
On HermitCraft Season 6, Tinfoil Chef collaborated with a number of other Hermits:
- He did collab cooking videos with both GoodTimesWithScar and Stressmonster101 where they gathered ingredients from around the server and cooked them into silly Minecraft dishes.
- He appeared in the NHO (New Hermit Order) civil war storyline with several other Hermits.
- He built a community farming area with JoeHills and later a community kitchen.
These collabs helped Tinfoil Chef connect with the extremely welcoming HermitCraft community. It also introduced his channel to new audiences and fans of the other popular Hermits.
Tinfoil Chef’s HermitCraft Base Builds
On HermitCraft Season 6, Tinfoil Chef’s main base build was called Potato Land. It had several components:
- Tater Town – A town area built around a giant potato.
- Fry Factory – A factory creating potato-based foods like fries and chips.
- Chip Chop Shop – A butcher shop.
- Hot Potato Café – A restaurant serving baked potatoes.
He also later built a giant snake called Sir Slither glycE to add some humor and silliness to his base area. His elaborate builds matched the detail and creativity of the other Hermits.
Growth of Tinfoil Chef’s Channel on HermitCraft
When Tinfoil Chef joined at the start of Season 6, he had around 330,000 YouTube subscribers. By the end of the season about 1 year later, he had gained over 120,000 additional subscribers, ending with 451,000. His video view counts also saw a significant boost from collabing with other popular Hermits.
Tinfoil Chef said joining HermitCraft really pushed him to try even bigger, more elaborate builds than he had done previously on YouTube. It also led to more storyline-driven videos. Overall the experience helped him substantially grow his channel and skills.
Tinfoil Chef on HermitCraft Season 7
Tinfoil Chef returned along with most other Hermits when HermitCraft Season 7 began in early 2020. This season saw him push his channel further, gaining over 250,000 new subscribers during Season 7. Some highlights of his Season 7 adventures included:
- Founding the restaurant and gaming area called “TinFoil Takeout.”
- Founding Sahara Now, a delivery service that was part of the Turf War storyline.
- Several fun collaborative cooking videos with GoodTimesWithScar.
- Building a massive futuristic mountain base called Mount Tinfoil.
Tinfoil Chef continues to be an active member of the HermitCraft server in its current Season 9. Playing on HermitCraft has cemented his popularity in the Minecraft community and led him to grow his YouTube channel far beyond what he had accomplished prior to joining this exclusive multiplayer server.
Conclusion
In summary, Tinfoil Chef was invited to join HermitCraft by admin XisumaVoid in 2018 for Season 6. This provided a huge boost to his channel, allowing him to collaborate with other top YouTubers. His elaborate potato-themed builds and collabs matched the creativity of the other Hermits. Across Seasons 6 and 7, Tinfoil Chef gained over 350,000 new subscribers. Joining HermitCraft took his channel to a new level and led him to create even more interesting content. Five years later, he remains an active member of the exclusive HermitCraft server.
