It’s Cooking

The maternal obsession with feeding our children begins at birth with our first try at breastfeeding. It later grows into more of a frenzy during the toddler years with thrown food and picky eating habits. But we persevere because the experts tell us that food preparation can be fun and we dream of a day when our kids will eat a wide variety of healthy food as long as we keep serving it up.

According to Kim Boucher and Jennifer Cable, moms, teachers, proud owners and chefs (whew!) at Kulinary Kids, the best way to ramp up those kitchen-smile moments is to get your children cooking themselves…as early as possible (say age three). According to Boucher, even a toddler can crack eggs (and you know they want to). The results will be dubious at first but early kitchen experiences lead to enthusiasm right away and honed skills down the road.

Great idea, but it’s pretty messy, right? That’s where Kulinary Kids comes in. A dedicated cooking school for children 3 to 17, Kulinary Kids teaches cooking, clean-up, budgeting and planning skills (age appropriate of course) in their kitchen. Classes run for several weeks over the school year. Children as young as seven prepare an entire meal for a family of four and, yes, they bring it home to you every week. They also run summer camps and do birthday parties too (you’ll want to book two months in advance).

Whether your kids are cooking in your kitchen or at cooking school, hype up their accomplishments. A “yum” here and “oh that’s delicious” there will make them want to cook more. Approach food in a fun, relaxed way, encourage kids to taste everything and continue to serve new foods repeatedly—eventually kids will muster the courage to try.

So don’t be afraid to feed that obsession. Just be sure to train the help at the same time. 

Savvy Special: Kulinary Kids is offering a 10% discount on all storefront items. Just mention you are a SavvyMom reader to redeem.