Little ONES
Your children, your sous chefs C
ooking is a life skill and should be taught at a young age. Parents, don’t cringe. Even at an early age your kids are handy, smart and resilient. Take the task for what it is: a parent-child bonding experience, a way for parents to take a break from the kitchen and the opportunity to teach children that cooking leads to proud meals, healthy choices and a better life overall. Plus this skill carries into adulthood. A 2014 study released by the U.K.’s Children’s Food Trust showed that children who cook before the age of 8 are 50 percent more likely to prepare at least five meals a week from scratch when they grow up. Don’t take our word for it. Kid Chef Eliana de Las Casas is living proof why now is the time for kids to get in the kitchen.
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t first glance Kid Chef Eliana de Las Casas might seem like an anomaly, but the truth is, more kids are learning to cook. The 14-yearold grew up in a family of cooks who brought their heritage into the kitchen. A pinch of Filipino, a dash of Cajun and sprinkles of Cuban and Honduran, Eliana likens herself to a gumbo. With three cookbooks, Eliana Cooks! Recipes for Creative Kids and the two-part series Cool Kids Cook: Louisiana and Fresh & Fit, and a global weekly radio show called “Cool Kids Cook” on the VoiceAmerica Kids network, Eliana is leading the kids’ food movement.
M&V: What advice do you have for your fellow peers?
KID CHEF ELIANA: I encourage kids to get in the kitchen and be bold! Taste new flavors and ingredients. My experimenting led me to develop several spice blends that my family and I love to use in our cooking. I emphasize kitchen safety. Master proper cooking techniques, learn knife safety, and always cook with adult supervision. I wrote my first recipe at 4 years old. It wasn’t complicated, but it reflected my passion for cooking. I still have that recipe; it’s for a strawberry cream cheese sandwich. If you are passionate about cooking, go for it! You’re already so accomplished. Where do you see yourself in 15 to 20 years?
I will definitely still be cooking and writing cookbooks. I want my own line of bottled spices. I’ve already created around seven different spice blends, and I’m inventing more. I also envision a line of cookware and chef wear for kids. The cookware would be lighter and smaller for kids to handle with cool, fun patterns, and colors, and they would be labeled. If a recipe says to use a sauté pan, the pan would be labeled “sauté pan.” Last but not least, I see myself having a cooking TV show, and, eventually, a cooking talk show. That dream isn’t too far down the road. I see my brand becoming a lifestyle brand, with kitchen and home goods. Chef Emeril Lagasse is one of my heroes in this regard. What has been your favorite “chef” moment thus far?
My favorite moments are when I inspire people. At a cooking demo at my local library, I made my ‘fresh from the garden’ salsa and passed out samples. A dad in the audience approached my mom with tears in his eyes. He said that his 6-year-old daughter refused to eat tomatoes until that day. He said I changed their lives. His daughter even asked for thirds of my salsa! It’s my goal to inspire kids to eat fresh foods.
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