One of the most rewarding experiences of my career so far...

Last week I decided to do something bold, my job-criteria went overboard and just I went with my gut-feeling to commit to something real: Cooking for the Kindergarden & Daycare because there was no one else to feed the kids and parents had to fill in. I decided to take this responsibility to cook for them every day. At least for a few week until a fixed replacement is there.

At first it may seem like an unusual career move but let me explain why I did it anyway:

🔎 I love diving deep into a specific culinary domain to really grasp the challenges, who knows what follow up project will come out of this one day...

🔆 Cooking for kindergartens presents a unique set of challenges: logistical issues, tight budgets, and picky eaters. Many have tried and struggled.

🥦 Like Jamie Oliver, I’m passionate about getting kids to eat healthy, nutritious food, especially when it’s packed with organic vegetables. This challenge somehow connects me the work Oliver did with his school dinners in 2005.

🚀 I love fine-tuning recipes for specific groups, and for kids, it is even more exciting! I have been integrating techniques and appliances to make meals more nutritious, tastier, and efficient. After just one week, I am brimming with ideas and inspiration!

🧡 The gratitude I have received from the kids, parents, and staff has been overwhelming. It is a feeling of value that is hard to match, and because my own children attend the same daycare and kindergarten, I have become even more closely involved in this community.

More than anything, it is crucial for kids to develop a connection with real, wholesome food. They should learn that healthy food can taste delicious. That is more than enough motivation for me!

The verdict after facing criticism from the toughest audience ;-)
I have once cooked at the Architecture Biennale and even for the Dutch Embassy in Berlin, but I was more nervous about cooking for these kids! Young children are brutally honest... but the result? They’re eating more than before, which means I can introduce even more adventurous dishes. 😄

Stay tuned for more experiences from the kindergarten kitchen!

Freshly cooked meals for kids, what do kids accept or even love? This is what I learned so far, after cooking for a kindergarten/daycare for 3 weeks.

Sweetness is a Hit
Soups and sauces that incorporate naturally sweet ingredients like sweet potatoes, corn, and pumpkin have been very successful. Roasting starchy vegetables like carrots enhances their natural sweetness, which improves the overall flavor of sauces and soups. For younger kids, shortly cooked carrot sticks for about five minutes makes them sweeter and easier to chew.

Serve Ingredients Separately
Children are at different stages when it comes to trying new foods. I’ve found that offering meal components separately allows them to explore flavors at their own pace. For example, I serve sauces and carbs on the side, and vegetables often completely seperate, catering to those who may not yet be comfortable with specific ingredients.

Embrace Healthy Fats
I encourage kids to enjoy a variety of fresh foods without worrying about overeating. Healthy fats enhance the flavor of sauces, dips, and soups, making meals more appealing.

A world of vegetables to explore
Different kids have varying preferences and experiences with vegetables, that makes them so challenging to implement. I’ve had success serving veggies whole or blending them into sauces to help children gradually accept new flavors. A mixed (hidden) zucchini sauce was more successful than a chunky one. Still it is also a task to make vegetable visible to let kids get to know them. The vegetable topic probably deserves a deeper discussion for a next post!

Put in the effort but simplify the result
I often hear the kids like simple food.. but I think this is not entirely true. A soup can be as simple as boiling and blending ingredients, but taking the time to sauté or roast some components can significantly enhance the flavor profile. Balancing flavors with a touch of acidity and fat creates a richer dish that kids will appreciate.

Storytelling engages
I’ve started to enhance dish names and learned that sharing stories about ingredients could spark curiosity in kids. For instance, presenting Himalayan rice as an exotic adventure can sometimes entice even the most hesitant eaters. The meal names are visible for parents to get inspired from as well, as they see the week menu.

Not that anyone has raised a flag, but I have been serving seemingly unhealthy pizzas, pancakes, cheesecake, and similar dishes to the kids at the daycare and kindergarten since I took over their kitchen. In case anyone wonders, each meal actually contains plenty of vegetables! It's not that I make it a strict rule; I want to introduce vegetables in their full glory and let the children get used to their taste, texture, color, and everything else. Still, I also enjoy incorporating a variety of seasonal vegetables into other dishes where you wouldn’t necessarily expect them.

Here are some examples of dishes with hidden vegetables that were highly appreciated by the children:

1. Tomato sauce: for lasagna or pasta that includes carrots, pumpkin, and zucchini, often roasted first to enhance their flavor.
2. Béchamel sauce: that includes roasted or sautéed zucchini, cauliflower, onions, or other vegetables, all blended in.
3. Cheesecake (savoury): with roasted (or boiled) cauliflower.
4. Soups: mostly made with vegetables to create a thick texture, relying less on (coconut) cream and without using powdered starch.
5. Oven-roasted potatoes: with a colorful mix of other vegetables included like sweet potatoes, parsnips, kohlrabi, rutabaga, etc.
6. Quark dip: with microgreens instead of store-bought Kräuterquark, a German favorite to serve with potato dishes.
7. Pancakes: with pumpkin puree or finely grated zucchini.