Junior Chefs of America: A cooking show Q&A session with real kids, too!

Growing up with Hungarian parents, I was one of the few kids in school who knew how to cook, or was used to eating, what other families typically threw away – like, eating the marrow out of soup bones – ironically, our "peasant-style" cooking is what most chefs would consider as delicacies, today.

My kids, not so much.

Frankly, if it’s not microwavable, served on anything but white bread, or covered in cheese, they probably won’t eat it.

UGH!

Yeah, I’m afraid that giving in to picky-eater-syndrome has taken it’s toll and, just once, my husband and I would love for them to sit down and actually enjoy ONE meal, together!

So, every Friday, I’m making the kids cook US dinner.

You see, I was introduced to this really cool concept with the help of a new web cooking show, just for kids.

Called Jr. Chefs of America, it is the first kids cooking program created for kids, hosted by real kids, who LOVE to cook and teaching them, as well as their parents (like me) how to create fresh home cooked meals as an alternative to the fast food.

Can I get a hand slap?

Because, you know, I am ALL ABOUT letting my kids takeover the keeping of This Full House – especially, the kitchen – so, I’m handing over our interview with Jr. Chefs of America to my kids and they came up with the following questions:

 1.  How long have you been cooking? 

C:  Ever since I’ve been 8 years old.

T:  Well, I have been baking with my mom since I was 2
but my first real meal was when I was 8.

R:  My dad has been teaching me recipes for as
long as I can remember.  Whether it was his homemade chicken noodle soup
or how to make lemon meringue pie from scratch.  I would always love to be
in the kitchen. Both of us like eating and if you like eating, it helps to know
how to cook.

S:  Gosh, let’s see if I can remember! I believe
one of the first times I can remember working in the kitchen was as a toddler,
husking corn with my mom. Or perhaps mixing fancy dishes I couldn’t pronounce
at the time with my Grandma. Then when I was about five or six I was allowed to
do things on my own, like make peanut butter sandwiches!

2.  What kind of food do you know how to cook best?

C:  Spaghetti and meat sauce.

T:  I love to experiment with all kinds of foods
but I really, really like to make stuff with cheese.  I’m from Wisconsin
so I love lots and lots of cheese.  I do live In the "cheese"
state.

R:  I’m good with soups, I love making chicken
noodle/matzo ball soup and vegetable soup too. 

S:  Healthy food, and baked goods. Salads/Salad
dressings are one of the things I do best, but I sure can make a mean peanut
butter and chocolate pie. I don’t do boxed mixes, though.

3.  What is your favorite recipe?

C:  Strawberry short cake.

T:  As of now I think It would have to be blue
cheese stuffed chicken breasts wrapped In bacon.  Notice how my favorite
recipe involves cheese.

R: I love to make a pita pizza, which is pita bread
warmed with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese with pepperoni on top.  It’s
so good.

S:  Back to that peanut butter pie! My mom
always made it for us at Christmas and Thanksgiving, but occasionally she would
make it for a fun dessert. It is a hit at parties and with my friends. And now
to help out at busy holiday meals, I’m making it!

4.  Is there a recipe you’ve tried that didn’t work out, just right?

C:  (Yes) Oatmeal cookies.

T: Ya know, I have been sitting here for a while
thinking of an answer and I really can’t think of anything, but I am sure
that I have done something.  But I can tell you a lot of things that my
mom has made bad. 

R:  Hahaha yeah.  My problem is mostly over
salting foods.  My seafood pasta tastes like you are in the ocean.

S:  Goodness, yes! Many a time I have tried to
make multiple dishes at once, and managed to put in an ingredient twice. I like
to experiment a lot and create new dishes, but can’t always seem to make things
balance out.

5.  Do you ever get nervous cooking while other people are watching
you?

C:  No.

T:  No, not at all.  I love cooking in
front of people because I love to entertain and show off my skills in the
kitchen.

R:  No, as long as I don’t splatter and make a
mess.

S:  Not much. I certainly can get a few
butterflies from excitement, but performing for an audience is what I do and
what I love. I think it’s great to look up at their faces as they smile at a
joke.

6.  Have you ever been in a cooking contest?

C:  No.

T:  No I haven’t but I think it would be really
cool to be in one.

R:  Nope, not yet.

S:  Just with my friend. We had to see who could
make our cereal the fastest, then get to the good seat on the couch before the
other! I think a contest must be an interesting experience though, having to
think of things on the spot and not always go to the recipe book.

7.  What was your favorite thing to help your mom, or dad cook in the
kitchen?

C:  Bake salmon.

T:  I love to make chicken dumpling soup with my
parents because it’s really fun to make the dumplings and I really like
to use my knife to chop up all kinds of Ingredients and the chicken dumpling
soup has a lot of stuff to chop.

R:  My dad and I have a recipe that we created
that uses eggs, pasta & soy sauce.  I know it sounds gross but I
promise, it’s not.   

S:  Every Christmas my mom and I make cookies,
bars, and now recently chocolates to give out to friends and family. Every year
we do some of our favorites, but often try something new. For instance this
past year, we had taken some lessons of chocolate making, so for Christmas we
did Ganache, Orange creams and chocolate covered Oreos. I think it is a really
great opportunity to spend time together during the busy holiday.

8.  Do you go to cooking classes?

C:  No.

T:  Well, technically no but I do learn a lot
from my parents, the TV, and the computer.

R:  My dad taught most of what I know about
cooking.  We just recently took a class with Chef Jerome, Executive Chef
for the Holland American cruise ships and learned to make salmon lollipops and Creme
Brulee.

S:  I have in the past, but now I work off of
experience from my mom and my grandmother. My grandmother went to cooking school
in France, so she has much experience and expertise if I have a question. Also,
I am a subscriber to Cook’s Illustrated (one of the COOLEST magazines) and
watch all of their iTunes webcasts!

9.  Would you like to become a professional Chef, when you get older?

C:  Yes.

T:  Of course!

R:  Wow, that would be fun.  My dad and I
want to open a restaurant one day where we run the kitchen but also he’ll play
the piano and I’ll sing.  I’ve always loved singing and what’s better than
a singing chef?

S:  I think that could be a possibility. There
are many things in my life now that I could follow as a career, and cooking is
one of them.

10.  Three of you are from California and there’s a Jr. Chef from
Wisconsin – have you guys ever been to New Jersey?

C:  Yes, I’m originally from New York and I’ve been to New Jersey.

T:  No I haven’t but I have heard it’s a
really cool place.

R:  Yes, I spent a week in New Jersey watching
my brother play baseball for the Los Angeles Maccabee team.  New Jersey is
a fun place, not to mention the great pizza plus, it is very close to my
favorite place – New York! 

S:  Well, I’ve been close…..I’ve been to New York – but I’ve actually never been to New Jersey. I wish I
have, though.

There you have it – from our kitchen, to yours – straight from the real kids behind the Jr. Chefs of America…oh, by the way, and the Ten Top-Earning Celebrity Chefs are:

1.  Rachel Ray ($18 million)

2.  Wolfgang Puck ($16 million)

3.  Gordon Ramsey ($7.5 million)

4.  Nobuyuki Matsuhisa ($5 million)

5.  Alain Ducasse ($5 million)

6.  Paula Deen ($4.5 million)

7.  Mario Batali ($3) Went to Rutgers University, here in Jersey.

8.  Tom Colichio ($2) Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

10. Anthony Bourdain ($1.5) Grew up, you guess it, in Jersey!

Just so you know.

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