Celebrity Chefs [Part 2]: How Kid Chefs Are Cooking Up Creativity
Last month, we examined the professional and amateur celebrity chef phenomenon. This month, we’re diving deeper, focusing on child stars (of all ages), whether they’re “the kid next door” or the footstep-following offspring of famous cooks.
We see several factors influencing the rise of food-famous kids:
- Children growing up in “foodie” households, courtesy of millennial or Gen X parents
- The pandemic, which drove new hobbies
- A decade of televised kid chef competitions like MasterChef Junior (circa 2013), Kids Baking Championship and Chopped Junior (circa 2015), Kids BBQ Championship and Food Network Star Kids (circa 2016), Top Chef Junior (circa 2017), and Disney’s Be Our Chef (circa 2020)
- Kid-targeted cookbooks, inspiring and challenging children in a variety of genres and cuisines, including some written by culinary powerhouses, e.g., America’s Test Kitchens’ Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs, MasterChef Junior Cookbook, and Milk Bar Kids Only, by Christina Tosi
- Social media platforms, which have become a powerful tool for young food enthusiasts to share their recipes, cooking videos, and food-related content
Some say that teaching kids to cook can be pivotal in their development. Mastering skills in the kitchen can improve self-esteem, foster creativity and expression, develop math skills, form familial bonds, and lead to healthy eating habits.
Having a famous chef parent can really elevate that. According to Buzzfeed, popular chefs like John Besh, Ming Tsai, and Eric Ripert have reminisced about making simple, weeknight meals together, hosting family cook-offs, or enlisting their children in a family menu design.
Currently, there are several “kid next door” cooks building large followings, garnering television appearances and cookbook deals, as well as “nepo babies” entering the professional sphere.
Here are some who’ve caught our eye:
- Amazingnanning
- The toddler, joyfully cooking up complex Asian dishes in his mini kitchen.
- Cooking for Levi
- Precocious four-year-old, Levi, cooking and eating adventurously with his professional chef father, Jack Zhang.
- Tilly Ramsay
- Daughter of Chef Gordon Ramsay, Tilly began as a presenter on her own televised cooking show, was nominated for children’s entertainment awards, published a cookbook, competed in Celebrity MasterChef Australia, and recently entered culinary school.
@amazingnanning The little boy cooked a fantastic menu in his tiny kitchen. #chinatiktok #children #cute #tinykitchen #childhoodmemories #homemade ♬ original sound – AmazingNanning
@matthewinthekitchen Is this the first fine dining fancy restaurant in a dorm? 334A was a subversive night of college dining, challenging the sterotypes about college food. Thanks to all who followed the cooking in a dorm room series and thanks for a great freshman year! #cooking #finedining #restaurant #college #dormroom #collegelife ♬ Au Revoir – Sweet After Tears
- Buddy Oliver
- Son of Chef Jamie Oliver launched his own show, Cooking Buddies, at age 13.
- Matthewinthekitchen
- Cornell University student Matthew Merril became famous on junior cooking competitions, served as a brand ambassador for Avocados from Mexico, grew his fan base on social, and is still going strong promoting creative ways to cook in the dorms.
Now for a few that are
“all grown up”…
- Tanya Bastianich
- Daughter of Celebrity Chef Lidia Bastianich, Tanya is currently a food writer, cookbook author, producer of her mother’s cooking shows, and co-owner of restaurants.
- Dylan Trotter
- He’s not a chef but IS in the restaurant business, for now. Son of the late Chef Charlie Trotter, Dylan has taken over the building housing his father’s once-famous restaurant and is currently hosting chef pop-ups.
So, now what? Since most everyone is obsessing over targeting Gen Z (aged 13-28), we urge you to weigh the potential of the youngest members of that cohort, as well as Gen Alpha right behind them (aged 0-12 years old). Should you choose to target kids, we recommend considering collaborations with notable child chefs, a focus on snack and mealtime dayparts, and innovation geared towards specific needs. We’ll start you off with a few ideas:
- Skill Development, e.g., DIY Sauce Lab Kits with base ingredients and flavor boosters
- Fun & Creativity, e.g.,Edible Art Pizzas with pre-made crusts, pepperoni cookie cutters, confetti veggie toppings, edible glitter, etc.
- Independence & Convenience, e.g.,Lunchbox Creator Cards, with meal prep ideas for putting a balanced, nutritious school lunch together
Katherine Plueger
Vice President, Strategy & Insights at JT Mega
Katherine Plueger conducts category, competitive and consumer research to develop the actionable insights that lead to better strategy for our clients.
