“I’VE HAD LEUKEMIA THREE TIMES...I FOUND THE FOOD NETWORK AND ALL THE COOKING SHOWS, AND I FELL IN LOVE WITH FOOD.” — JAC K WITH ERSPOON
JACK WITHERSPOON
CHEF, LEUKEMIA SURVIVOR AND AUTHOR OF “TWIST IT UP” AGE: 17
Diagnosed with leukemia at age two, Jack Witherspoon has relapsed twice at age six and 11, and has even gone through a bone marrow transplant. However, Witherspoon has moved past the darkness by finding solace in cooking. With a cookbook, a visit to the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, and a charity that raised over $150,000 for pediatric leukemia research, Witherspoon has achieved so much by age 16.
Q: What inspired you to start cooking? Jack Witherspoon: I’ve had leukemia three times. It was during my first relapse when I was six, and I was in the hospital a lot. I found the Food Network and all the cooking shows, and I fell in love with food. I got my mom to write down recipes, and when I got home, I’d make some of them.
Children, where I was treated for my first two bouts of leukemia. It’s called the Jack Witherspoon Foundation. Proceeds from my book also go to that foundation. I was also Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s Boy of the Year in 2015. I’ve raised a lot of money for a lot of different charities, but they’re all for leukemia research.
Q: How did you stay positive during difficult times? JW: It really hit me when I was six because I had friends and school. All those things were just taken away when I was under treatment. The cooking was the bright light that kept me positive in the midst of everything. I really needed something to get my mind off everything that was going on, and cooking kept my mind off all that.
Q: What do you think is one of your biggest achievements in the culinary world? JW: My cookbook is one of my biggest achievements. It was a lot of hard work, and it was my first big project. I was 11 when it was published, and as it was going to print, I had a relapse with leukemia, so my book launch was postponed.
Q: What is the first dish you ever made? JW: I started off just helping my mom, but the first dish I really ever made was a five-cheese mac and cheese I saw on “Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels.” The night after I got home, my mom and I made it. It was really cool, making something by myself and having people eat it and enjoy it. It’s a really good feeling. Q: Which recipe in “Twist it Up” is your favorite? JW: It’s 60 of my favorite recipes, so it’s kind of hard to choose, but I’ve got to say either my spaghetti carbonara—it’s easy, it’s fast and it’s really good— or my shepherd’s pie, which has a little bit of sentimental value because I made it on the “Tonight Show,” and I got to cook it with Jay Leno. Q: Tell me about your charity. When did it start and what have you done to raise money? JW: I have my own endowment at Miller’s
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Q: Which chefs inspire you the most? JW: I got to say Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray, all those Food Network chefs inspire me to keep cooking, but now, as I’m getting older, I’m watching more Gordon Ramsay; he really knows his stuff. Q: Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to learn how to cook? JW: You want to keep it simple in the beginning and work your way up. I started off helping, learning everything I could, and watching videos. Practice really makes perfect. Q: What do you have planned for the future? JW: I’m going to be making my own business. It’s going to be a cookie company called “Sconies.” It’s a cross between a cookie and a scone. We’re hoping to launch with three different varieties like vanilla bean, chocolate chip and lemon zest.