What Celebrity Chefs Feed Their Kids

If you think celebrity chefs' kids are each born with a healthy appetite and a sophisticated palate, you're wrong. Just because they have been exposed to good food their entire lives does not exempt them from being particular. But chefs have an array of culinary tools, tricks, and recipes to help with mealtime. Test out a few of their dishes on your kiddos and you will have a leg up for those back-to-school suppers and after-school snacks!

Kids: Jessica, 32, Jillian, 30, EJ (Emeril John IV), 9, and Meril, 7

My Family Mealtime: "I always tried to make cooking a learning experience for my children. I taught them about using local, fresh fruits and vegetables and showed them the process of preparing each family meal. I think getting them involved in the action helped them to appreciate the meal a little more — and kept them busy! Just plan on the kitchen being a little messier."

Kids' Favorite Recipe: EJ’s Simple Oven BBQ Ribs
Emeril's Tip: "The great thing, other than it being very simple, is that if you find yourself facing inclement weather when you’re planning to grill, this recipe can still make everyone happy. The secret to the success of this dish is in the long, slow cooking time.”

Kids: Cameron, 22, Byron, 17, Oliver, 7, and Alexander, 5

My Family Mealtime: "Alexander’s favorite dishes are Wienerschnitzel and risotto. Oliver likes our Chinois lobster as well as our Kobe burgers. Cameron and Byron are eating like grown-ups, though I must say that the Wienerschnitzel is probably the preferred dish of all of them."

Kids' Favorite Recipe: Wolfgang's Winning Wienerschnitzel

Kids: Hunter, 16, and Ryder, 7

My Family Mealtime: "Tacos are a favorite recipe in my house because everyone can make it their own way."

Kids' Favorite Dish: Tacos

Kids: Valentine, 7, Charlotte, 6, and twins Margaux and Oceane, 5.

My Family Mealtime: "My kids love my green smoothies. In fact, when we were shooting pictures of the smoothie for a cookbook, we suddenly realized we were out of them because the girls drank all the props! I love that my kids are eating raw vegetables in the morning; they’re alert and ready for the day!"

Kids' Favorite Recipe: Melissa's Green Morning Smoothies

Cooking for Kids Tip: "Make one meal for everybody in the family, understanding that everyone is allowed to have things they like and don't like, which is not license to dislike everything, of course! "

Kid: Noah, 7

My Family Mealtime: "Every year around Chanukah our family used to have potato pancake night and invited the whole neighborhood. It became so popular, and Noah loves latkes so much, that we started to serve them the moment September rolls around."

Kid's Favorite Recipe: Andrew's Potato Pancakes

Kids: Alexis, 46; Grandmother to Jude, 1, and Truman, 6 months

My Family Mealtime: "Truman is still so young that he is only just beginning to eat solid foods, but Jude is quite adventurous and enjoys a wide variety of dishes, most of them vegetarian as that is what my daughter, Alexis, prepares. For young family members and guests, I like to prepare whole-wheat pasta salads and bean soups — they are delicious, nutritious, and children love them."

Kids' Favorite Recipe: Martha's Minestrone Soup

Kids: Brendan, 16, Jack, 11, Luke, 9, and Andrew, 8

My Family Mealtime: "I create dishes that begin with what I cook on my Sunday escapades in the kitchen (like roasts). And I have figured out simple suppers to make with [my kids] on weeknights that demand only standard pantry items that we now try to keep on hand. Easy is the byword for weeknight suppers."

Kids' Favorite Recipe: Asian Chicken Salad

Cooking for Kids Tip: "My guys are more excited about eating a sandwich than a salad, so we do wraps, which are a great way to turn a salad into a sandwich, using tortillas and pita bread, lettuce cups, even dumpling wrappers — anything that builds healthy, simple suppers that are fun to eat."

Kids: David, 12, and Henry, 10

My Family Mealtime: "Now that my kids are older, they are more interested in cooking. We actually have fried rice cook-offs at home and my wife, Polly, is the judge. I like to sneak in the Blue Ginger house rice, which is half brown and half white rice. There is always ginger, garlic, scallions, and pork or dark chicken. The boys are huge fans of broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, spinach, and Brussels sprouts, if you can believe it. The eldest one eats as much spice as me but he can't outdrive me on the golf course yet!"

Kids' Favorite Recipe: Ming's Traditional Mandarin Fried Rice

Kids: Carlotta, 13, Ines, 11, and Lucia, 9

My Family Mealtime: "My girls love to cook. They are expert pancake flippers! We prepare Olive Oil Pancakes because it is who they are — in some ways very Spanish and in some ways very American. And I also add a little chocolate to the batter."

Kids' Favorite Recipe: José's Olive Oil Pancakes

Kids: Grandmother to Olivia, 14, Lorenzo, 13, Miles, 12, Ethan, 10, and Julia, 9

My Family Mealtime: "Growing up, my brother and I demanded this recipe every week; our kids, Tanya and Joe and Eric, Paul and Estelle, clamored for it too. And now the next generation of little ones are asking their great-grandmother to make chicken and potatoes for them."

Kids' Favorite Recipes: My Mother's Chicken and Potatoes
Turkey Meatballs with Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins

Culinary Credentials: Chef/co-owner of Le Bernardin in New York City and host of "On The Table" on YouTube's Reserve Channel

My Family Mealtime: "On Sundays when I am at home with my family, we like to have fun when we cook. Sometimes, we open a 'restaurant' and my son designs the menu. He becomes the maitre d' and the waiter. I'm the chef and my wife always starts as the client, but usually she ends up being the dishwasher! There is a different theme: one week could be Spanish, the next it could be Italian, but one of our favorites is Japanese — we all really enjoy it, not just my son. We eat well, it's playful, and I am with my family — it's the perfect evening!"

Kid's Favorite Recipe: Eric's Shrimp and Black Bean Stir Fry