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PARK CITY -- Some of the kids that walk into Park City Cooking School for the first time don't know how to do what may seem like very easy stuff. Chef Instructor Jaxon Stallard says many kids have never seen macaroni and cheese that didn't come out of a box or lasagna that didn't come out of the freezer. Some don't know how to even turn on the burner.
"They really don't know how to do a lot. They don't know how to do anything, usually, when they come to me," she said.
They're wanting to have better food, better prepared food and less fast food ... Many of (their parents) are stumped at what to do.
–Jaxon Stallard
There are a few different reasons why kids aren't seeing their parents cook, and therefore aren't learning for themselves. Stallard says people are busier and don't have as much time to prepare a meal. She also thinks families don't spend as much time together as they used to. But, she says many kids and adults were raised to stay out of the kitchen.
"I've heard more kids say, and even adults say, ‘My mother wouldn't let me come in the kitchen because I made too big a mess.' So, they have no confidence and they don't have a clue as to what to do," she explained.
She tells parents who are worried about the cleanliness of their kitchens that messes can be cleaned up.
"It's better than them going over to the fast food restaurants and getting all this junk food. At least you know what they're cooking," she pointed out.
But there is another reason why parents aren't teaching kids how to cook -- fear. She says many adults are seriously frightened at the thought of cooking. One woman she taught wouldn't let herself stop stirring the dish she was preparing because she was too afraid something would go wrong. Another grown-up, a man, kept creeping away from the stove while it was on during class. When Stallard asked him what he was afraid of, he told her he wasn't really sure.
Stallard says getting adults to stop panicking while they're cooking is key. That man who was afraid of the stove admitted he had a lot of fun once he got over his fear. The good news is that kids aren't nearly as fearful as grown-ups are. Stallard says young children and teens seem to be the ones pushing their parents to get cooking and to help them learn.
"They're wanting to have better food, better prepared food and less fast food. Their parents are just, many of them are stumped at what to do," Stallard said.
She says kids seem to get over their reservations about eating certain foods while in the kitchen. She says kids seem to like the dishes they prepare, even if they have stuff in them they normally wouldn't eat.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
