A Chef in the Making

There are few things that are for certain but I'm 99% sure one of them is that Colin will have a future in food.  Whether it be a chef, a critic, a restaurateur, or maybe the next winner of the hot dog eating contest, it will be something.

From the moment he wakes up until the time he goes to bed, he constantly talks about food.  Within 5 minutes of waking up, he's barking orders as to what he wants for breakfast.  Mind you 2 of the 3 components are the same every day, he still feels the need to include them in his list - fruit, milk, and either oatmeal or cereal (with raisins and nuts on both).  On weekends, he usually has a second breakfast if we go out.  He promptly cleans his plate there as well.  I should mention that one of his favorite breakfast meats is ghoetta.  How many people have heard of ghoetta, much less eaten it? 

Lunch and dinner are much the of the same but with less barking.  He knows he eats what we're having or he eats nothing at all.  We've stuck to our guns on this one since he was a mere babe and for whatever reason, it has stuck.  And boy am I thankful for that! 

The latest trend is dessert.  I held off on sugary goodies for a long time but somehow we've recently started to incorporate it in the form of dessert.  He knows he has to eat everything on his plate in order to get it and he literally cries if he's not given the opportunity to eat it all.  He's so fearful on not getting that beloved dessert that I'm pretty sure he'd eat shoe leather just so he could have it.

So when I saw that a local grocery store was starting a Sprouts Club for kids, I was all ears.  They have monthly meetings/classes whereby they introduce kids to foods, how to prepare them, where they come from, etc.  It has apparently caught on like wild fire because I tried to call back in March and the first available class was in May.  I quickly signed him up.

We were one of the first people there and he quickly claimed his seat in the dead middle of the front row.  The chef had everyone say their name and then she began her little talk.  Colin kept his eyes peeled on her.  She even stopped her speech to comment on how attentive he was being and that he must really enjoy what she was talking about.  Um, yes.  Food! 

They got to make fruit skeweres that would serve as the "feathers" for a peacock she had cut out of a honeydew melon.  She told them they could make one for the display and eat the other.  Most of the kids ate a few bites but Colin ate his weight in fruit.  Picture a 400 lb man at an all-you-can-eat buffet.  Much of the same.  He cleaned out the little silver food containers and was still asking for more.

She later cut a red pepper into an octopus and let the kids sample the "tentacles."  Most of the kids passed but Colin ate so many she had to cut another one.  Seriously, where does it all go?  And better yet, what is my food bill going to look like when he's a teenager?!

The serious student.

The finished masterpieces.