Brooke Maedel and her two-year-old son Mitchell make banana muffins early Thursday morning. The Maedels cook with their son weekly in an attempt to encourage good nutrition starting at a good age.IF YOU GO
• What: Junior League of Chattanooga's Kids in the Kitchen.• When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.• Where: Chattanooga Market, First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Reggie White Blvd.• Admission: Free.• Phone: 267-5053.• Website: http://jlchatt.org.
Brooke Maedel has fond childhood memories of helping her mom in the kitchen. Now that she's a mom herself, she wants to create the same memories - and cooking skills - with her son, Mitchell.
"We spend a lot of time in the kitchen," said Maedel, 32, explaining that she has created an environment in the kitchen that allows her son to explore and learn about foods and cooking while she prepares meals.
Though Mitchell is just 2 years old, he has already mastered some basic cooking skills, such as stirring and identifying particular foods, mostly vegetables and fruits, Maedel said.
"Since we're in the kitchen a lot, he's allowed to get into a couple of cabinets where he'll find a bowl and a spoon and he'll start stirring. He likes to help make muffins, especially dumping in the flour. Anything that I know he can handle, I will let him do," she said. "As he gets a little older, we'll definitely increase the cooking part of it."
She's also fostering a nutrition-based diet that is teaching Mitchell good eating habits as he grows.
These steps are important in raising healthy children, said Niti Tejani, chairwoman of Kids in the Kitchen, an upcoming event presented by the Junior League of Chattanooga. "This is our fourth annual event, and they're being done all over the country to help address the issue of childhood obesity. A lot of the Junior League's effort goes to helping children, and this is another fun way as well as an educational opportunity."
Kids in the Kitchen, which was previously held in area schools, will be held this year at Chattanooga Market on May 22. The event focuses entirely on healthy eating habits and exercise.
Tejani, 27, the mother of 6-month-old Nyam, is already planning her first kitchen/cooking experiences with her son. "I'm already making his food and mixing different combinations of fruits and vegetables."
Tejani said she looks forward to teaching her son about eating healthfully.
"I've been thinking about fun activities we can do like picking strawberries and blueberries and then coming home and cooking with the fruits or vegetables we picked that day," she said. "Children can start learning young. They don't have to be school-age to participate. I think a 1-year-old can do a lot at their level."
Liz Marr, assistant chairwoman of Kids in the Kitchen, said she enjoys cooking with her boyfriend's 10-year-old daughter, McKenzie.
"We'll make snacks, and I'll let her pick out recipes that we can cook together," said Marr, 32. "I have a step stool in the kitchen so that she can reach everything when she's helping me cook. It lets her see that we're going to make something good, and we can all sit down together to eat."
Marr said parents enjoy the Kids in the Kitchen program as much as the children.
"We've always had positive responses," she said. "We make snacks with children and their parents, and everyone has a good time. It even surprised me to see how the children enjoyed the food. One of the things they really liked was the grape-caterpillar snack. We used grapes for the body, raisins for the eyes, and pretzels for the legs. While we made them, we had a dialogue about healthy snacks."
Around 30 vendors will participate in Kids in the Kitchen at the market, Marr said.
Having the event at Chattanooga Market allows optimum exposure, she said, noting that the vendors will promote good health through foods, exercise and other activities.
"I do love to cook, and I want Mitchell to appreciate cooking and see that it's fun," Maedel said.
Maedel, a former competitive swimmer, said her mother prepared meals throughout her childhood that set the tone for a healthy, active lifestyle.
"As a swimmer, I learned what was good fuel for my body, and that's something important to reinforce with my son," she said. "I like him to have fun foods, such as Popsicles, but they're sugar-free. If you do it in moderation and balance, you can make it work for a healthy diet."
Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/karennazorhill.