MEET OUR KIDS ADVISORY BOARD: Thomas
We’re excited to introduce our new 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 Thomas! Thomas likes learning tae kwon do, baking, cooking, farming and playing with his two kitties. He also likes to do art projects like drawing, painting and making things out of clay.
Name: Thomas
Location: Albany, NY
Age and Grade: 9 years old, 4th grade
How I got involved with the ChopChop Kids Advisory Board: My grandma gave me a subscription to ChopChop as a Christmas present. I really like reading the magazine, and when my mom got an email about the opportunity to be on the KAB, I decided to apply.
Who taught you how to cook? My mom taught me how to cook. I got involved with cooking when I started helping her make dinner. I have also been to some cooking camps and taken cooking classes. I have even taken some cake decorating classes!
What is something all kids should learn to cook? I think that all kids should know how to cook eggs because they are basic to make, and they are healthy and high in protein.
My favorite food is: Right now, my favorite food is sushi – I like California rolls, spicy tuna rolls and peanut & avocado rolls the best. My other favorite food is grilled steak – particularly filet mignon cooked medium rare.
If I was a vegetable or fruit I would be: An apple – to keep the doctor away!
What I love about ChopChop is: That they teach kids how to cook and eat healthy foods so they can grow up healthy and have healthy bodies.
Something I didn’t use to like to eat, but I do now is: I didn’t use to like lamb chops, but now I do! My older cousin, Sean, recently convinced me to try them at a restaurant, and I ate them and LOVED them! Sean also convinced me to try shrimp cocktail (I don’t usually like shrimp, either) and it was also pretty good – but not as good as the lamb chops!
My favorite thing to cook is: Grilled steak. I also like to bake, and my favorite thing to bake is brownies.
My secret ingredient is: Duck eggs. I use duck eggs in my baking because they make baked goods fluffier and richer.
A fun fact about me: My family has a hobby farm – right now we have about 30 chickens, 3 sheep, 12 ducks, and 3 bee hives. I collect the chicken and duck eggs with my brother, and we have our own business selling the eggs. I also help with feeding the sheep and collecting the honey from our bees. I have been learning tae kwon do since I was in Kindergarten, and I am now only two belts away from becoming a black belt! I take classes in circus performing – my favorite thing is the acrobatics!
What I want to be when I grow up: A baker because I can express my creativity through baking.