“Pati Jinich laughs as she talks about the first time she prepared a meal for her family. The chef, cookbook author and star of PBS’s Pati’s Mexican Table was 9 years old and tasked with making Sunday morning eggs for her family. The cooking went well, but the seasoning did not. She was so overzealous with spices that the eggs changed color. “It taught me to tame my enthusiasm,” she says.

Bringing kids into the kitchen doesn’t always end on a perfect note. But given the tremendous benefits—ranging from sparking a passion, as it did for Jinich, to creating healthy eating habits—it’s worth the effort. That’s why the Partnership for a Healthier America devoted a panel to The Power of Cooking at their 2017 Summit including Jinich, Janie Wilson (the 2014 Uncle Ben’s “Ben’s Beginners” cooking competition winner) and Fatima de la O (a participant in the Cooking Matters program at Adelphi/Langley Family Support Center)….”

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