“Do You Have the Next Julia Child or Emeril Lagasse Living Under YOUR Roof….?”

“That’s ridiculous,”  you may be thinking - but is it?

These master chef’s and cooking stars had to start somewhere…

Consider these facts on Julia Child1:

• •    Julia Child’s skill as a cook is partially attributed to the coordination skills she learned as a preschooler
• •    Julia Child had a very “normal” childhood
• •    Julia first learned to cook by subscribing to a magazine cooking course
•  And did you know this2 about Emeril Lagasse?:
• •    Emeril Lagasse first learned to cook from his MOTHER while growing up
• •    As a teenager, Emeril worked at a bakery
• •    Emeril was offered a full scholarship at a music conservatory, but he choose to follow a career in cooking that he had come to love

Dear Homeschooling Mom:

Hi.  I’m Laura Bankston.  And, like you, I’m a homeschooling Mom.

And, you know, I have to admit, that I started to cook with my kids - not with some grandiose ideas of them becoming a famous chef - but by wanting to produce healthy, functioning adults.

It seems like just yesterday…

My son Nathan was 7, and I figured it was about time he started to make some things on his own.  Easy things like scrambled eggs, toast, and other easy things so he could feed himself.

It was way easier than I thought.  In fact, he begged to do more!  And before long, he was asking me to sit on the sofa while he made himself, his brother, and his sister a snack!

You can imagine my surprise at his natural ability and joy - one I didn’t even know was there.

Well, since that was such a hit, I decided to teach my 5 year old son, Ryan, to cook.  And before I knew it, he too was doing easy kids recipes, loving it, and begging for more!

So, I got to thinking.  I knew that learning a cook is a long lost art - especially for men… - and if they love it this much, who knows what the future holds?

So, to satisfy them both, I put together some recipes.  Ones that we could do together.  Recipes that were fun and easy…would teach them cooking principles… AND (most importantly) would require little preparation, yet be easy to clean up.

And, we started doing more recipes together.

You know the enthusiasm that just flows from Emeril Lagasse when he’s cooking?  Well, that’s the kind of excitement and enthusiasm I saw in my kids.

I was continually amazed at their abilities.  They became a REAL help to me in the kitchen.  And I was impressed to see the application of principle from our homeschool lessons.

But - before I forget - I must mention that there was no way to keep little Maegan away, either.  And she was just 2 years old!

And, so there I was - having a 2 year old, a 5 year old, and a 7 year old all cooking with kid friendly recipes!

“And It Wasn’t Long Before I Had My Friends
Cooking With Their Kids - and LOVING It”

One day I was on the phone talking to my friend Jo Cavanaugh.  I don’t know how, but somehow we got to talking about with our kids.

I told her about the recipes we were doing, and she was amazed.

And, frankly, I was amazed that she was amazed!

She said to me, “Laura, I’m not cooking with my kids like that.  I wish I had something to help me.  You know what?  You need to make your stuff a course—and when it’s done, I’ll be your first customer!”

There was a moment of silence on the phone.

I was rather stunned.

But, that ended up being the first moment I realized I had something special—she was practically begging me to put together this cooking course and pay me for it!

So, that’s what I did. I put recipes together in a easy course and e-mailed
it over to her.

She loved it, and was soon cooking with her kids - she had two boys, one 10 and one 3 years old.  Then she told me her friends that were wanting the cooking course too!

So, still skeptical, I sent my cooking course to some other friends and relatives for them to try out.  They loved it!  In fact, they referred others who were dying to buy it.

You’ Can Love Cooking With Your Kids Too!

There’s nothing magical about my kids.  They’re just everyday, normal kids.  In fact, now that I think about it, probably as “everyday” as Julia Child and Emeril Lagasse were.

And, hey,  I’m no genius myself.

I’m just a Mom who loves her kids and has a passion for teaching them at home.

But, I can tell you this.  When my kids grow up and leave home, they will know how to cook.  They will know how to eat healthy.  They won’t have to run to McDonald’s or other fast food joints to get something to eat on the run.