When families come together to prepare a meal, the food itself is rarely the most important part of the ritual. Food has a powerful power to connect us and remind us of our roots. We spoke to four dads who love to cook about their family culinary traditions and how they share their love of cooking with their kids.
Susar Lee, chef and owner of Lee Restaurant, and his son Jett Bent Lee
“Food is life and life is food” is an unofficial mantra in Susar Lee's family. “I cook a lot at home, especially when my kids were little,” Lee says. “I wanted to teach them about Asian products and not waste things.” One of the first dishes he taught Jet to make was a hiyayakko salad, which was easy to adapt using ingredients the family had on hand. Jet says creating TikTok and YouTube content with his father has expanded his culinary knowledge even as an adult. “We both love red meat, so I'll make steaks and have my dad critique them,” he says. Jet adds that his next food venture might finally be chicken feet, a dish his dad loves but didn't eat as a child.
Sussar Lee and Jet take on the Father's Day Challenge
Chris Britt, owner of Wiisinidaa Catering, and his daughter Ava
Family cooking is one of the many ways Chris Britt shares traditions with his daughter Ava. “Being Indigenous, no one is left out of the kitchen,” he says. That doesn't necessarily mean he always makes the kinds of dishes Britt ate as a child; mac and cheese with hot Cheetos is a current family favorite. “When we cook, it's fun and silly. My daughter introduces me to new music and I introduce her to old music,” he says. “It's about carrying on traditions in a different way.” Britt also sees cooking together as an opportunity to teach essential life skills. “Whatever you're learning to cook, you have to be patient and precise,” he says. “I think that translates well outside the kitchen.”
Food writer Suresh Doss and his son Nolan
Suresh Doss' earliest memories are watching family friends and relatives cook. “When I got babysat, they did it in the kitchen,” he says. “In Sri Lanka, we have 'kitchen daycares,' and we're trying to recreate that.” He's been cooking with his son, Nolan, almost daily since he was 2. “When I cook, he's engaged. He has less screen time, and he often eats the food because he knows he was involved,” Doss says. By letting Nolan observe and even participate in simple tasks like whisking, Doss hopes to stimulate his curiosity and build a relationship with food. “Now that he's 4, he's starting to ask questions,” he says. “I don't force him. I just let him see that I'm cooking. It's a journey of experience.”
John Horn, district executive chef at Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants, with his children, Mason and Kaitlynn
John Horne grew up around farms, where he learned about the labor of food production. He wanted to raise his children with the same respect for where their food comes from. They grow their own herbs and vegetables, and also spend time fishing and foraging at the family cottage. “It takes a lot of time, energy and love to grow something, so it's important for our kids to understand that it's not just something you see in the grocery store,” he says. Many of the home-grown vegetables are used to make the tomato sauce that the family has been making regularly since Kaitlyn and Mason were babies. “My kids love cooking, and I think that's because we've trained them to be involved in cooking from an early age,” Horne says.
