A lot of people would pay good money for the chance to cook alongside “Top Chef Masters” Season 5 alum Franklin Becker, but Becker himself would rather spend his day in the kitchen with a bunch of very excited kids. Last week, Becker teamed up with Pop.Earth, a non-profit providing free or low-cost holistic services for children with developmental disorders, to teach them how to cook allergy-free, delicious meals. Held at Becker’s restaurant Little Beet, he used recipes from his new cookbook “Good Fat Cooking” to help the kids whip up some holiday dishes that were all completely gluten-free, since some studies have found that gluten agitates developmental disorders. Cooking Planit head chef Emily Wilson was also on hand to help with the cooking demos. The company’s website and app offers tons of healthy, customizable recipes to make planning family meals easier. Another benefit of the cooking class was showing the kids’ families how their kids could help in the kitchen. Getting kids involved in the cooking process helps them establish independence and teaches them about nutrition and what they’re putting into their bodies. Measuring out the ingredients helps strengthen math skills while asking them to read the recipe aloud strengthens reading skills. If you have a child with autism or another developmental disorder, head to popearth.org to see a list of classes and resources you and your child can take advantage of.
‘Top Chef’ Franklin Becker teaches cooking class for kids with special needs
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