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Growing Trend of Child Foodies Faces Backlash

YumSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:15:04 -0800

Last week, Rocco DiSpirito declared he was sick of foie gras. Then we made a list of things we're over. Here's another tired food trend to add to the queue: kid foodies. Lately, the little ones have been making a lot of noise in the kitchen. First, there was Greg Grossman, a 13-year-old who was the hottest rising caterer on the Hamptons circuit. Then the New York Times told the world about David Fishman, a 12-year-old aspiring food critic, and Paramount promptly purchased the rights to turn his story into a movie. Last, but certainly not least, was Julian Kreusser, a 5-year-old from Portland with a recurring cooking show.

What to make of this growing trend? While those with a fondness for a child's precociousness may be bowled over, the rest of us are left feeling slightly perturbed. In response, at least one journalist has voiced her issue with it.

In a Slate article, food writer Regina Schrambling argues that letting children into the kitchen at such a young age is both dangerous and premature. Childrens' taste buds differ from adult palates and they have a smaller frame of reference for food, making it hard to tell the difference between a good burger and a bad burger. Schrambling writes:

On a larger scale, the trend emphasizes the worst of the food frenzy today: The celebration of celebrity and novelty over authenticity and seriousness.

Maybe it's because I didn't hone my culinary skills until I was an adult, but I have to side with Schrambling. Kids should be kids - childhood, in all its joys, is short enough. Do you agree - are you equally sick of hearing about tots flipping omelets in the kitchen?

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Would You Watch a 5-Year-Old's Cooking Show?

YumSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:30:30 -0800

Last week The Oregonian had an interesting piece about a 5-year-old child who has his own cooking show. On Portland Community Media's show The Big Kitchen With Food, kid chef Julian Kreusser shows viewers how to make chocolate chip zucchini bread, a killer spaghetti sauce, and persimmon smoothies. To learn more about the pint-sized chef and check out a video of his show, read more.

It's possible that before he was teething, Julian was cooking. By the ripe old age of three, he was scrambling eggs and inventing recipes such as toasted green olives. The next year, he decided he wanted to cook on TV. And at his current age, he's already achieved his goal.

"He actually understands what he's doing. He's not just following orders," explains Portland Community Media executive director Sylvia McDaniel. In fact, all of the show's recipes are Julian originals - and so is the show's theme song. More importantly, viewers love him: "It has potential to be a national program," she says.

I'm not sure what to think. On the one hand, both Julian and the show are adorable, but on the flip side, I wonder if he should be on a playground instead of a televised cooking show. Watch the video below and tell me: What do you think of the kid chef?

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Koodies: So Hot Right Now

YumSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:50:38 -0800

Meet the biggest buzzword in the food world this minute: koodies. No, I'm not referring to the term we used prolifically as fourth graders; I'm talking about kid foodies. Food trend analyst Phil Lempert, also known as the Supermarket Guru, coined the term to refer to children with an "ardent or refined interest in food" or "an unusual, sometimes fanatic, desire to eat unusual foods."

The term may be brand-new, but the idea of kids with refined palates has been on the horizon for a while. Remember Greg Grossman, who catered in the Hamptons? Or David Fishman, who dined alone at 12? Let's not forget Julian Kreusser, the 5-year-old with a cooking show. They're all poster children for the term "koodie."

Do you have any koodies in your life? Do you respect their precocious appreciation for food - or do you find it to be obnoxious?