There are so many talented kids in today’s generation.
You name it, kids excel at it. Whatever their ‘hobbies’, they train like professionals. They cook, sing, dance, program computers, take competitive gymnastics, play high level hockey, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, football and probably even compete in making ceramics! It’s great to see them step away from their hours of Snapchat, video-gaming, and ‘insta’ media to pursue the things they really love.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to watch a cast of 25 kids – between the ages of 11 and 17 – take to the stage to entertain a packed house. They were raising money and awareness for teen mental health and they were amazing! Full disclosure; the production company is run by a very good friend of mine – Neal Dlin and I can’t sing his praises enough! I also know some of the kids who were on that stage, because I’ve actually performed with a few of them.
I’ve been a musician my entire life so I can really appreciate the chutzpah (guts) it takes to get up on that stage. Some of the kids I know are professionals. They take lessons from the best vocal coaches around and are determined to pursue careers in music. They are freakin’ awesome!
What really amazes me though, are the kids who aren’t professionals – including my niece. ** Proud uncle alert! ** These kids still had to practice hard, twice a week for months, in preparation for their shows. When the curtains lifted, were they perfect? In my opinion, you bet your tushy they were! They not only raised money for a great cause, but challenged themselves while doing something they love. Sure, they may have been nervous but the constant cheers from the crowd helped them through. The result? More confidence. It was incredible to see.
From time to time I’ve also had the opportunity to watch kids perform on an entirely different stage – the kitchen.
Little Chefs in the Making
I feel strongly about taking the time to teach kids how to cook. Food dedicated networks and Youtube channels have gone a long way to create a new generation of foodies. Kids are interested in food and cooking, like never before! It blows my mind just how often kids know more than their parents. For example, about a year ago I was asked by a friend if I would teach her five-year-old a cooking class for his birthday. Normally I wouldn’t, but Morgan is so damn cute and he wanted to make tuna sashimi and gnocchi. How could I say no. Did I mention he was turning five? I can assure you that at five, my palate was not nearly as refined!!
Once every six weeks or so, I break from teaching adults and offer kids the chance to come and cook with me. Like my regular adult classes, the kids learn to create recognizable, simple and delicious food without any dairy, gluten or refined sugar. Teaching these life skills to kids at such a young age can set them up with healthy eating habits for the rest of their lives. At least that’s my hope.
About a decade ago my wife Tamar and her business partner, along with me as Chef, created a frozen baby food line, called Sweetpea Baby Food. The premise was simple; make wholesome, flavourful baby food without any preservatives. Sound familiar? We froze the food we made in ice-cube tray vessels and consumers would pop them out, warm, and serve.
We wanted to create food that looked and tasted as close to the original ingredient as possible. So, carrot baby food was (gasp!) orange and tasted like a carrot. Banana-blueberry baby food was purple and tasted like (wait for it!) banana and blueberry! Carrots tasted and looked like carrots so that when kids were old enough, they could pick up a carrot, recognize it and enjoy it. Not so crazy, right?
My approach to teaching children has the same foundation. I try and get kids to create meals from ingredients they already know and enjoy eating, without the ingredients that parents want them to avoid.
I recently went into a school to teach primary and high school kids how to make gnocchi. Do you think for a moment they realized it was sans gluten? I doubt it. From ‘cauliflower fries’ to potato skins and warm chocolate cake to baked pasta, the kids don’t miss the sugar, gluten or dairy from the traditional recipes these dishes are based on.
Even at home, after a long day of playing outside in the winter snow, my kids crave hot chocolate. Who wouldn’t?! But do you think they’ve ever noticed that their ‘hot chocolate’ is actually coconut milk, raw cacao and maple syrup? Nope. Not once.
What’s the secret? It’s simple. Invite kids into the kitchen.
Make them a part of the process for meal planning and prep. Create foods they love with the ingredients YOU love. Maple syrup can easily replace sugar in all situations. Quinoa or legumes pasta can replace their regular pasta every day of the week. Try unsweetened yogurt with the addition of maple syrup. It tastes AWESOME!
But what about treats? I have chips, ice cream, cereal and other things I don’t eat in my kitchen. Why? It’s for my kids. They cheat – just like me! I don’t deprive them of anything. I ensure they eat the foods I want them to eat the vast majority of the time and once in a while, they are allowed to splurge. I want them to enjoy everything life has to offer but I also want to instill a strong foundation of good food that uses ingredients that are good for them.
I promise you, like my kids, 90% of the time yours won’t miss a thing.
The kids really are alright!
– Chef Jordan
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