728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Dad of the Month

Guy Fieri

By Kelly Burgess

Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a father who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a man and a father. Above all, the Dad of the Month is dedicated to his children. Rich or poor, famous or not, he shines as an example of what fathering is all about.

Guy Fieri commands attention regardless of what he's doing. With his wild hair, flashy jewelry and outgoing personality, Fieri comes off more as a rock star than a star chef. But cook he does. He's also a devoted family man and someone who's genuinely concerned about the future of healthy eating and food preparation in America. That's why Fieri joined with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver to declare the first annual "Cook With Your Kids Day" there. Slated to become an annual event, the idea is to promote home cooking, family togetherness and healthy eating, all in one little activity. It's a daunting task, but if anyone is up to the challenge, it's the energetic Fieri.

Cooking for Kids
Fieri, winner of the Food Network's second season of The Next Food Network Star and star of Guy's Big Bite and Ultimate Recipe Showdown and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, may be promoting the idea of cooking with kids, but it's his own kids that give him the impetus to keep it real in his own home. He and his wife, Lori, have two sons, Hunter, 12, and Ryder, 3.

Guy Fieri"You are what you eat and we're so inundated with all the refined sugars and flours with no nutritional value that it's important to get back to some whole foods," says Fieri. "People say they buy these for the convenience, but the sad fact is that how much convenience is it any time you sacrifice your health?"

Like most cooks, professional or no, Fieri knows that cooking at home doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming and that people just don't realize how simple food prep can be. He should know, too, with two kids with such a wide gap in their ages. Anyone who has ever tried to plan a family meal would be intimidated by the prospect of feeding a toddler, two adults and a preteen. But Fieri says that he's never approached food from an age perspective.

"I plan the menu for our family; I don't make a menu for the kids and one for us," says Fieri. "It's very simple; I made this, we're all having this, and if they're not hungry they don't have to eat."

Needless to say, Fieri has not raised picky eaters.

Cooking with Kids
Getting involved in Cook With Your Kids Day is not Fieri's first foray into trying to spread the word about family food prep. At Johnny Garlic's, one of his restaurants, he hosts a restaurant education day for local students where they do everything from setting the tables to rolling sushi. They see that it's hard work, but they also get a feel for the hand's on work of preparing real food.

"Not everyone needs or wants to become a chef, but food is a common denominator in our society," says Fieri. "How many other things can a kid do in a day where they get an individual sense of accomplishment and [it] is actually a useful skill they'll use their entire lives?"

The thing he really likes about the idea of Cook With Your Kids Day is that it's a more family-oriented approach than for him to just work with kids. It's a family togetherness activity that also promotes home cooking, which, by its very nature, tends to be healthier than fast food or prepared food. "I'm not even saying go out and find a health-nut, organic-type recipe," says Fieri. "If your kids like boxed macaroni and cheese, make macaroni and cheese with them from scratch on that day. Let them see the creaminess of real macaroni and cheese. It's a completely different sensation."

Plus, notes Fieri, the sense of accomplishment, the idea that they made that themselves, is a powerful motivator for continued interest in cooking and in eating a variety of foods. He says that getting kids involved in food prep really empowers them to take responsibility for their health and to start understanding the impact of their food choices.

And, just like anything else, the younger you get kids started in food prep and exposing them to a wide variety of foods, the better. When it comes to eating, this actually results in less picky eaters as they become accustomed to different tastes and textures. When it comes to helping out, Fieri says that even his 3-year-old can spin lettuce or scoop cookie dough.

"Cooking shouldn't be something mom or dad do while the kids are off doing their own thing, with dinner being presented as a finished product," says Fieri. "As long as you can hold their attention for five minutes they can help in the kitchen. We have to break down the barriers and demystify this cooking activity."

Try Guy Fieri's recipe for Smore Pizza!

Read Guy Fieri's tips for cooking side by side with children here!