BUDDING CHEFS

Top chefs’ tips on getting kids to cook

You have probably seen an episode of Master Chef Junior where kids seem to effortlessly sear a perfectly blushed steak, or transform a simple eggs benedict into something celebrity chef and host Gordon Ramsay would serve in his restaurant. As you watch them slice and dice (using their plastic knives), and cook and plate, you may have wondered if they are veteran chefs trapped in 10-year-old bodies. But for chefs and restaurateurs Beppe De Vito and Emmanuel Stroobant, it is a normal scene for their children to regularly assist them in the kitchen—and they love it! In fact, Lynn Yeow-de Vito, wife of Beppe and mother to four boys, confesses: “They are always first in the kitchen to help out—i actually have to chase them out sometimes!” Emmanuel and wife Edina Hong also view it as a bonding session with everyone involved. When their schedule permits, they prepare the meals at home while their two daughters take charge of setting up the table. “They see it as an artistic project with different themes. For example, if it’s children’s day, everyone gets to eat out of colourful plastic plateware,” he admits. As for chef Sam Leong, he and his chef wife Forest had greatly influenced their son Joe while he was growing up. Now, he is a pastry chef working full-time at the family restaurant. So we ask: how do these celebrated chefs and their partners develop the love for cooking with their children?