Emeril Lagasse might be the most famous chef in America. He has a wildly popular television show. He has several well-known restaurants, including three in New Orleans. This past summer, he prepared a special meal — freeze-dried jambalaya, a spicy stew — for astronauts on the space shuttle.

But when he started cooking, he was just a 7-year-old boy hanging out with his mom at home in Massachusetts.

His first major kitchen project was vegetable soup. He cooked a batch every day for four or five days straight. His mom, Hilda, would taste each one and tell him it was pretty good before suggesting that some ingredient be changed a bit or cooked a little more or a little less.

“When I got it right, she said, ‘This is how it should be. The vegetables are right; the broth is right. This is what we’re going to have for dinner tonight,’ ” says Lagasse (pronounced lah-GAS-ee). “And I was so proud.”

Working in the kitchen with his mom taught Lagasse how important it is for families to cook and eat together. That is why he lets his own young son and daughter help in the kitchen, and why he has written three cookbooks for kids and their parents.

His book “There’s a Chef in My World!” (HarperCollins, $22.95), published last fall, has recipes from all over the globe for kids to cook — with parental supervision — and serve at family meals.

Each recipe includes clear directions and tips about what steps are best done by an adult or with one watching. There also is information about the country each dish comes from, including a map and a picture of its flag.

On television, Lagasse is known for shouting “Pork fat rules!” or “Add some more butter!” But his cookbook recipes are somewhat healthier. For example, the Cuban sandwich in his new book uses pork tenderloin, which is much less fatty than the pork butt he has used on TV.

Lagasse’s book makes cooking sound easy — and it can be, if you follow directions carefully.

Detroit News
January 8, 2007

Filed Under: Recent Media