Introducing… Chef Nate!

My passion for eating and cooking began when I was a small child.  I was fortunate enough to know what good eating was for my entire life.  Some of my favorite memories are of watching Grandma Evan’s hips sway while she was mixing and stirring in the kitchen and of me peeling “the jackets” off of potatoes for my dad as he got ready for a catering gig.  I don’t ever remember being taught to cook…I just started cooking.  It was in my blood.

Fast forward to present day.  I’m a mom to 2 boys, ages 11 and 15.  They both love to eat, but they have wildly different tastes.  Alex, the teenager has very specific tastes and doesn’t like to be too adventurous with his food.  He loves almost all meats, he will eat salmon and cod, and will eat any potato except mashed (it’s a texture thing).  He actually told me the other night that broccoli from Sam’s Club “tastes weird” and he will only eat Bird’s Eye. He can cook, and he’s very good at it, but he is in the lazy teenage phase.  He’d rather lounge than be in the kitchen.

Nathan, on the other hand, is my food Spirit Animal.  He will eat anything and everything.  We went to our favorite restaurant down the street for my birthday and this kid ordered Octopus (which even I won’t eat).  He does not mess around when it comes to food.  And like me, he not only loves to eat, but he LOVES to cook.  He will come into the kitchen and get to work any chance that he gets.  For Easter, we got him a subscription to Raddish Kids.  He was beyond excited to have his own apron and to get recipes every month that were written for kids.  So far, he has knocked out Swedish Meatballs, Cinnamon Buns, Sushi, Russian Tea Cakes and Chicken Tagine, just to name a few dishes.  Last week for Christmas, he was given his own Chef’s coat and several cookbooks.  As a result, he has dubbed this week off from school as his “Cooking Week.”  So far, we’ve done 2 dishes from Gordon Ramsay’s December Cook-Along Challenge.

Of course, I want to do everything I can to inspire Nate’s passion in the kitchen.  He is now developing his own food blog, Nate’s Nibbles, to share his love of eating and cooking with other kids.  Today, I asked him to share his food thoughts with Cow & Wine.

What do you like about cooking?  

“It’s fun.  I like to make food because I get to eat it after I’m done cooking it.  I don’t have a favorite part about cooking; I like it all.  And I don’t mind when you help me.  I don’t like almost burning myself, so I try to stay safe.  It’s important to pay attention to what you are doing. I like spending time with you in the kitchen and I love to cook with you.  You make me laugh.  You also teach me lots of things like being patient and to not be scared to mess up.”

What do you like about eating?

“Everything.”

Who is your favorite chef?

“Gordon Ramasay, but I don’t know too many other chefs.  He’s good at what he does.  His recipes are delicious.”

What is your favorite food to cook?  

“Sushi is my favorite to make.  It’s fun.  I like to roll it, but you have to be careful not to stuff it too much.  I know how to make spicy tuna rolls, spicy salmon rolls and salmon avocado rolls.  We also made beef negimaki because that is Alex’s favorite and he doesn’t eat sushi.  He’s kinda crazy.  Once he tries something and doesn’t like it, he will never try it again.”

What is your favorite meal that you’ve eaten at a restaurant?

“Probably a tie between the ramen that we had from Mr. Lee’s at Easton Public Market and the ramen that we had in Philly.  I love ramen.  I like the egg and I like the broth.  It makes me feel warm inside.”

How does cooking make you feel?

“I feel happy that I made someone’s creation or recipe.  I also feel proud of myself when I can enjoy the meal that I made.”

What advice do you have for other kids that are interested in cooking?

“Try to cook even if you are scared.  Start with basics like eggs or spaghetti and then try to work your way up to cooking harder things.  Try new things.  You have to try everything to see what you like and stick with that.  New food, new recipes and new tools.  I like to use my sushi rolling mat.  It was fun to learn how to use that.”

What would you like to learn to make?

“I’d like to learn how to make soup, like Clam Chowder.  I love that soup.  I’d also like to make homemade ramen and some ice cream.  Mint ice cream is my favorite.”  

What don’t you like about cooking?

“There’s not anything that I didn’t like cooking or anything that has been too hard yet.”  

Tell me about something that you cooked for someone else.

“When we went to pick up the stuff from our locker on the last day of school, I gave my teachers homemade Russian Orange Tea Cakes and packets of tea. Tea is a sign of friendship in Russia.  I liked doing this because I was able to make something new and I wanted to do something nice for my teachers after everything that they did for me.  I like to give people food because you take time out of your life that you can’t get back to make something for someone that they will enjoy. 

What are some of your favorite things that I cook for you?

“My favorite thing that you make is bagged chicken, Mac and Cheese, Indian Butter Chicken and Coffee-Chili Rubbed Pork Tenderloin.”

What should we cook this week?

Let’s make Mississippi Pot Roast, pork tacos.  And don’t forget, we are making sushi and beef negimaki for New Year’s Eve!