Parenting and being a chef are similar in certain ways. You might feel pressured to cook something fresh every day when your kids are “starving” and need to eat now, but chefs deal with that situation all the time. We wondered what superpowers it takes to deal with both picky kids and picky customers. Our blog series Chef Papa and Chef Mama finds out.

Santosh Jori is the director of kitchen at The Westin Beijing Financial Street. Originally from Mumbai, he moved to Beijing with his family last May. He and his wife have two daughters: Esha (age 8), who attends the British School of Beijing Sanlitun, and Anaya (age 3), who will start school next year. Chef Jori has 15 years of cooking experience and specializes in French and fine dining.

How has your career as a chef influenced your children?
My two princesses are at very young age at the moment, but somehow the small one likes to help her mummy make a good Indian meal for daddy’s lunch.

How have your cooking habits changed after you became a parent?
Children bring happiness in everything they do; I like being the child while setting up buffets for guests, or playing with plated food.

How has your family influenced your cooking?
I am from a holy place in India, and my father was the creator of an all-day dining canteen for devotees. His team used to prepare food for 1,000 people every day. Whenever I used to visit that massive operation, I become more passionate about cooking.

What is your first food memory when you were a kid?
Eating the best tandoori chicken made in clay oven and frozen milk parfaits or kulfi (Indian-style ice cream). I am getting hungry as I write.

How do you cook differently at the restaurant and at home?
Fine dining at the restaurant and fun dining at home!

From a family perspective, what are the advantages and disadvantages of working as a chef?
The interesting thing about the hospitality world is that you are working when other people are on leave, as they all come to the hotels and restaurants. So one must find the time and creativity to celebrate in all seasons with family, friends, and fraternity.

What’s in your fridge now at home?
Blueberries, sliced cheese, sausage, pomfret fish, mango and yogurt.

Is there a guilty secret ingredient in your home kitchen — something you’d rather not be spotted using?
Maggi instant noodles.

Tell us about a recent "wow" food moment you shared with your family.
Last month, my eldest daughter Esha and myself made a nice and simple penne pasta with tomato sauce for her school project and enjoyed it as a family for dinner. Everyone loved the first-ever dish made by my daughter.

What’s your favorite go-to ingredient?
Fish – we love eating pan-seared fish, overnight marinated fish with hung curd, chili powder, lemon and ginger. Coated with semolina and shallow fried – yummy!

Do your family members have any quirky food demands?
Not really, but we are addicted to chocolate, so we call ourselves a chocolicious family.

Tell us about the pickiest adult customer you ever had.
We had a regular guest who was vegetarian but also likes to eat products made from gluten-free flour. But it was an opportunity to develop something special for this guest and meet their expectations every time they visited. Guests should carry memories with them rather than only a good experience, because memories last longer.

Do you invite your kids into the kitchen?
Esha likes to participate in cooking classes and she is very fond of working with chefs. We have done interactive sessions of pancakes, cakes, and pasta in our kitchens at Westin Beijing Financial Street.

When you have the opportunity to spend a day with your family, what do you do?
We are so-called “knight riders.” We spend half a day cycling to discover Beijing; some of our favorite rides are towards Tian’anmen Square, Houhai, and Beihai. After burning a good 1,000 calories, we end up at KFC to gain them back. Hahaha!

Photos courtesy of Santosh Jori and The Westin Beijing Financial Street

Parenting and being a chef are similar in certain ways. You might feel pressured to cook something fresh every day when your kids are“starving and need to eat now”, but chefs deal with that situation all the time. What if a chef happens to be a parent? We wonder what super powers it takes to deal with both picky kids and picky customers. Our blog series Chef Papa and Chef Mama finds out.

37-year-old Franck Istel is the Executive Pastry Chef with The Opposite House. A French sweets veteran who has worked in several Asian cities including New Delhi and Bali, Franck now lives in Beijing with his Indonesian wife Syenie and daughter Julie (3). As much as Franck enjoys reading and table tennis, he prefers to spend more time with his family. He is also excited that Julie is going to kindergarten starting this September at The French International School of Beijing.

Have your cooking habits changed since you become a parent?

My cooking habits have not changed much. However, as parents, both my wife and I pay more attention on the products and groceries we purchase.

How has your career as a chef influenced your children?
Julie is still too young but she is already a big fan of chocolate, like her father.

How has your family influenced your cooking?
Every time I had school holidays, I would spend time in my godmother’s farm. The farm produced cheeses, sausages, and had a beautiful garden where you could find all kinds of nice fruits and vegetables. This helped me understand that even if you are the best chef, you cannot do anything without great products.

What is your first food memory when you were a kid?
Near my house in Strasbourg, we had a chocolate factory. I will always remember the amazing smell that was coming from the place every time I passed by.

What’s in your fridge now at home?
Milk, butter, fruits, vegetables, and lots of Indonesian condiments and food.

Is there a guilty-secret ingredient in your kitchen at home — something you’d rather not be spotted using?
Nutella….can’t resist!

What’s your favorite go-to ingredient?
Eggs, like many people, you can do lots of dishes with it and my daughter is a big fan either an omelet or simply fried with some steamed rice.

What’s your daughter’s favorite food?
In Alsace we have something call “spaetzle”, our version of pasta, it is served with a “knack sausage” and my daughter loved it when we were there. Fried rice is also on top of the list.

How would you help kids who don’t like veggies?
I would mix them to make a potage, sometimes adding a little amount of cream.

On your day off, what do you tend to cook for the family?
We like doing Raclette cheese with lots of side dishes to grill (though not really for summer), it is fun and convivial. My wife also cooks quite often; she likes to cook Indonesian food.

Do you teach your children about nutrition and food origins?
She is still a bit too young to understand nutrition but we make sure to tell Julie the origins of the dishes she eats. Having a French father, an Indonesian mother, and living in China (India before moving to Beijing) helps to explain the difference between foods.

Which are you and your family’s favorite restaurants in Beijing?

Home Plate BBQ for their pulled pork and sausages, and Jing Yaa Tang (the Chinese restaurant at The Opposite House) for the Peking duck.

Photos: courtesy of The Opposite House

Parenting and being a chef are similar in certain ways. You might feel pressured to cook something fresh every day when your kids are“starving and need to eat now”, but chefs deal with that situation all the time. What if a chef happens to be a parent? We wonder what super powers it takes to deal with both picky kids and picky customers. Our blog series Chef Papa and Chef Mama finds out.

45-year-old Rob Cunningham is the Executive Chef who oversees all restaurants at East Hotel Beijing. The Sydney born kungfu lover cooks a variety of cuisines with a pleasant personality. He lives in Beijing with his wife Rani, daughter Sachi (9) and son Taj (7). Sachi attends Daystar and Taj studies at YCIS.

How do you think that your career as a chef has influenced your children?
Who’s to say; they are still very young. I hope it has opened their minds to creative areas that they may not have thought of. They definitely look at restaurants differently. They talk about the food quality, cooking, taste, and  service. They both love food due to the fact that they have been visiting restaurants since they were born.

How have your cooking habits changed after you become a parent?
Fast and healthy with a focus on fresh and organic produce.

How has your family influenced your cooking?
I grew up on a farm in country Victoria so I have always felt a strong connection to simple, unfussy, well-cooked food; my kids are the same.

What is your first food memory when you were a kid?
Pavlova and homemade small goods as I grew up on a pig farm.

How do you cook differently when at restaurant and home?
I use more butter in the restaurants.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of working as a chef for the family?
The long hours can be hard on your family sometimes you just cannot attend events with your family. The advantage is that they get to hang out with very interesting people thanks to the hospitality industry.

What’s in your fridge now at home?
Cheese, milk, butter, Fresh vegetables and fruit.

Is there a guilty-secret ingredient in your kitchen at home — something you’d rather not be spotted using?  
Stock cubes!

A recent "wow" food moments you shared with your family
Last weekend I cooked a family dinner with friends we made a lot of different dishes but the freshly boiled lobster was well received. We served Pavlova for dessert – and that always goes down a treat.

What’s your favorite go-to ingredient?
Eggs. You can always make something good with eggs; omelets, frittatas – my kids love them.

Do your family members have any quirky food demands?
No, but the kids and I are obsessed with ice-cream.

The pickiest adult customer you can remember
A recent guest was allergic to onions, garlic, peppers, salt, olive oil, eggs, peanuts, milk, mushrooms, fermented foods, and she was vegetarian. That’s a little tricky, but all part of the fun of cooking for people. A guest like that challenges you. You really have to think quickly to come up with a special menu for them.

Are your kids picky? How would you deal with picky kids?
My kids are not picky; they will try anything. I don’t deal with picky kids because they are not mine. I leave that up to their parents.

Do you teach your children about nutrition and food origins?
Yes, my wife Rani is very focused on nutrition and healthy eating.

Do you invite the kids into the kitchen?
The kids love cooking, they love helping out. I guess their favorite thing to cook on their own would be breakfast. They always make scrambled eggs.

When you have the opportunity to spend a day with your family, what do you do?

Go for a run with the kids, come home and let them cook us all scrambled eggs, then go someplace for lunch and dinner. In between catch a movie at the cinema. I love just hanging out with my kids and wife. We don’t plan too much. We also really enjoy heading to the countryside with friends. It gives the kids a chance to get dirty.

Photos: Rob Cunningham and East Hotel Beijing

Parenting and being a chef are similar in certain ways. You might feel pressured to cook something fresh every day when your kids are“starving and need to eat now”, but chefs deal with that situation all the time. What if a chef happens to be a parent? We wonder what super powers it takes to deal with both picky kids and picky customers. Our blog series Chef Papa and Chef Mama finds out.

“Most kids are full of energy and are sponges for learning. They want to be a part of the action; even a simple task like using the pepper mill for a sauce keeps their interest. It’s when they get older and the “why…..why…..why….” starts to happen, it makes the cooking process a little longer than normal. But a must is to help with the chopping, Maddie will hold the handle of the knife under my hand and we do it together.”

38-Year-old Nathan Brown is the Executive Chef with The Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street. The Canadian kitchen veteran is experienced with global cuisine and has worked in luxury hotels in Singapore and Macau. He now happily lives in Beijing with his Philippine wife Mardy and daughter Maddie (5), who attends Eton Kids Central Park. As a parent chef, he seems more excited talking about his role as a dad than as a culinary professional!

How has your family influenced your cooking?

My wife Mardy is from Cebu so I have to keep in mind that tastes that she likes and doesn’t like. I like strong and bold flavors and Maddie is only 5 so I really have to adjust my cooking to their palate first, then if I want to make things stronger or spicier I will remove their dinner first from the pan, then add some more spice for myself. This is much easier to do when cooking Chinese or Asian food.

How have your cooking habits changed since you become a parent?

As a parent you are more conscious of what you feed your kids. You want everything to be as healthy as possible. Once my daughter Maddie switched to solid foods I would make my own purées for her so I knew exactly what went into them.

How has your career as a chef influenced your children?

My daughter can be a part of the cooking process at home and can see how things are made from absolute scratch. When she is a part of the process it makes her more willing to try new things. When I do some more complicated items at home it gives my family a sense of what I do every day and how long it takes to do restaurant quality food.

What is your first food memory?

I have two actually. First, when growing up in Canada you spend a lot of time at the hockey arena eating arena snacks from the concession stand. The first time I added vinegar to my French fries at the age of about 6 or 7 at the arena I was blown away at the sour flavor, which I still love to this day.

Second, my mom’s tuna casserole. I didn’t appreciate it back then. I used to moan and groan every time we had to eat it, and now it is the first thing I eat whenever I go home for a visit.

What’s in your fridge now at home?

Japanese pickles, eggs, plenty of fresh vegetables, milk, whole grain bread, mustard, Guilin chili paste, oyster sauce, chicken stock and of course some cheese.

Do you cook differently when at restaurant versus at home?

For me, there is no difference. I cook at home the way I cook at the hotel which annoys my wife. She always asks, “why do you have to use so many pots, bowls and utensils?” I try my best to keep that in mind before I start whatever dish it is I make at home.

Do you have some sort of pantry essentials at home to whip up handy, healthy and tasty meals when the kids are “hungry and have to eat now”?

Maddie is pretty good. When she is hungry she will ask me “what can I help you make for dinner?” reading between the lines…

What’s your daughter’s favorite food?

Mac & Cheese with broccoli and spinach inside. She is also a big fan of nice healthy sandwiches. Toasted whole grain bread – lots of tomatoes, lettuce and shaved turkey breast, and “don’t forget the mustard”.

Is your daughter picky?

Not at all. She knows she has to try at least a little bit of everything she is offered.

How would you help kids who don’t like veggies?

Have them be a part of the process in cooking them. I never started Maddie on vegetables at restaurants, only at home. Now when we go to restaurants she asks for broccoli and spinach and other vegetables.

How would you encourage a kid to try new things, like an oyster?

Make sure things are seasoned properly first and as mild as possible. Try the item with them at the same time and only have them try a piece that is one tenth  the size of the piece that you are trying with them. It is a visual thing, but, it seems to work with my daughter.

Do you teach your children about food origins?

Absolutely. If we do Nasi Goreng, Bibimbap or Coq au Vin at home I will explain where it comes from and why it is cooked the way it is.

When you have the opportunity to spend a day with your daugther, what do you do?

Go home and start a “farm to table” experience, teaching my daughter where things come from and how they grow. It is going back to basics and getting in touch with the land and what it can produce.

What are your family’s favorite restaurants in Beijing?

Home Plate BBQ in Sanlitun for the house smoked ribs and sausages, and Bibigo in Guo Mao, My Soup and Lime Café in Central Park

Parenting and being a chef are similar in certain ways. You might feel pressured to cook something fresh every day when your kids are “starving and need to eat now”, but chefs deal with that situation all the time. What if a chef happens to be a parent? We wonder what super powers it takes to deal with both picky kids and picky customers. Our blog series Chef Papa and Chef Mama finds out.

Hong Kong Chef Ku Chi Fai arrived in Beijing five years ago with his family. The 51-year-old dad now works as the Executive Chinese Chef with the Ritz-Carlton Beijing. Ku started his career as a chef at the tender age of 16, about the same age as his son, Langyan (15), a student at Beijing No.80 Middle School. Langyan’s mom Qin Liying is a full-time housewife and his sister Xueying (21) studies in Canada.

We recently met up Chef Ku at Ritz-Carlton Beijing to discover Ku’s double role as beloved parent and respected chef.

What types of cuisine do you specialize in?
Cantonese, the one and only cuisine I am good at.

Have your cooking habits changed since you become a parent?
Yes. As a parent, I respect my job more because I need it to support my family.

How has your family influenced your cooking?
I learned to listen to other people’s opinions, including young people and children.

What is your first food memory when you were a kid?
When I was young, all the Cantonese families would make lawei (preserved meat) in winter. Although available year round now, preserved meat used to be a winter treat. Simply seasoned with salt and liquor, the duck naturally became perfect in the north wind and cold dry air. I have had preserved meat all over the world, but none compares with the old taste.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of working as a chef?
Chefs work long hours, including weekends and holidays, so we have less time to spend with our families. One good thing is that we can bring home quality ingredients and healthy ways to cook.

What’s in your fridge at home now?
Almost nothing. We buy fresh ingredients from the market before we cook.

Do you have some sort of pantry essentials at home to whip up handy, healthy and tasty meals when the kids are hungry?
I used to make quick meal with oatmeal, corn flakes, egg and milk when my children were young. 

Do you have a guilty-secret ingredient at home — something you’d rather not be spotted using?
Instant noodles, but my son loves them!

What home-cooked meal has wowed your family recently?
Every time I make Cantonese-style preserved meat.

How do you deal with picky kids and picky customers?
Most kids don’t like vegetables and soups when they are young. It’s normal, but if you take chance to educate them often, they will understand the benefits as they grow older. For picky customers, we make the dish exactly the way they expect.

Where do you shop for fresh products in Beijing?
Xinyuanli Market and BHG

When you have the opportunity to spend a day with your children, what do you do?
We watch a movie, eat buffet at a hotel and take the dog to Chaoyang Park’s dog pool. My son loves buffets because they have everything.

Interviewed and translated by Clemence Jiang.

Photos: courtesy of Emily Wu (Ritz-Carlton Beijing)