MEET OUR CHOPCHOP KIDS ADVISORY BOARD: Maxwell Surprenant
We’re excited to introduce another member of our ChopChop Kids Advisory Board (KAB). This group of cool kids was hand selected from kids that applied. They’ll help us to test recipes, think of new ideas for the magazine, and make sure ChopChop gets the kid approval. For the next few weeks we’ll be spotlighting different members of the board. This week, meet Max.
Max has had a busy summer covering the Nickelodeon Kids Sports Awards and the Democratic National Convention. He’s also spent the summer playing catcher on his baseball team. Max has had some other cool experiences like attending the 2015 White House Film Festival after receiving recognition for his video about “The Impact of Giving Back.”
Max founded and runs a non-profit called Catching Joy, Inc., which promotes volunteerism and acts of kindness beginning with young kids, teens, and their families. He’s also a sports fan and writes for Sports Illustrated Kids and got to throw out the first pitch at a Red Sox Game at Fenway Park. (Cool, right!?) He also loves to cook. Max was a 2015 top 25 finalist in the Uncle Ben’s Cooking Contest.
As you can see, Max is really busy! Luckily for us, he made some time to answer a few questions for ChopChop readers.
Name: Maxwell Surprenant
Location: Needham, MA
Age and Grade: 12 years old, 7th grade
How I got involved with the Chop Chop Kids Advisory Board: I value kids and families cooking and eating healthy together. I wanted to help promote ChopChop’s mission,
What I love about ChopChop: The Kids’ Cooking Club.
Something that all kids should learn to cook is: Fish. It’s one of my favorites, and it’s healthy.
My advice for kids just learning to cook and who may be nervous is: Don’t be afraid. You can read a recipe and follow directions. You can find recipes in a cookbook or the internet, and you can also watch cooking shows. I think the best way to learn is to cook with someone so you really get hands-on experience.
My secret ingredient is: Olive oil.
My favorite food is: Cod with rice and vegetables.
My favorite thing to cook is: Pancakes.
The first thing I ever cooked was: Eggs
If I was a vegetable or fruit, I would be: An avocado.
A time I messed up a recipe was: Sometimes we start to make pancakes, and then we realize that we don’t have eggs or milk.
Something I didn’t used to like to eat, but I do now, is: Lobster
Some of my hobbies are: Reading, writing, drawing, singing, playing sports, and volunteering.
A fun fact about me: I won the 2015 Jimmy Fund Big Idea Contest with my idea “My Joke For Jimmy”, a social media campaign where kids and adults can tell jokes, post it on FB or Twitter, make a donation to the Jimmy Fund, and tag friends to do the same. Also I was a 2015 Hasbro Community Action Hero Award Winner. I won the 2015 John F. Kennedy “Make A Difference” Award.