This week, our series with Angela Santiago, CEO of The Little Potato Company, continues, as she shares an important and exciting new program we’re launching this summer.

Our family and food are inextricably linked, and I know many other families share a passion and connection around favourite ingredients, dishes and recipes.

With all the comings and goings of a busy household, topped off by digital distractions and conflicting schedules, time together around the table is even more important than it’s ever been. Taking a few moments to gather together, catch up on the day, and simply talk with each other is becoming increasingly rare so we all try to make it happen as often as we can.

Helping families enjoy this experience more often is part of what we mean when we say we want to help feed the world, better. At The Little Potato Company, we want to help more people enjoy and experience food that’s delicious, packed with healthy goodness, and created and shared with love. That’s central for me and my family as business owners, as well as my professional family at The Little Potato Company.

We believe that Creamer potatoes—little as they may be—have the power to make food and meals better, one family at a time. An important part of that goal is helping people learn about food, and the sooner the better. Experts agree that kids who learn about cooking and food when they’re young are far more likely to cook and make healthier choices when they’re older. This early learning helps kids grow up with healthy eating habits.

Cooking with kids can be daunting. I have to confess that, because of my work schedule, I rarely have time to cook. But when we do find the time to create a meal together, we have a blast and it somehow tastes better than most other meals:  even if the results aren’t always Pinterest-perfect!

One of my favourite recent family kitchen memories, complete with uncontrollable laughter and antics, was around our attempt to shoot a mock cooking show video. We all hammed it up, and there was more than a bit of over-acting and upstaging, but we had a great time. We learned a little something and proved that the best parties really do happen in the kitchen, even if they don’t make it to YouTube.

To help other families capture some of the same fun, we’ve launched a new initiative called The Little Chef Program. The program covers the many learning advantages and opportunities for fun you create when cooking with your kids. It also offers tips for cooking with kids of various ages:  5 to 7, 8 to 10, and 11 to 13, and features an expanding library of Little Chef Approved recipes that you can use as guidance or inspiration.

I hope our information, tips, and recipes will inspire some fun and creativity in your kitchen. We all crave more fun with our families, and cooking together offers an opportunity to share some important life skills, have a laugh, and create something delicious that you can truly serve with love.

If you have a favorite story, tip or recipe about cooking with your Little Chef, please share it with us, and be sure to use Little Chef in the title and we might just post it. I’d love to hear from you.

Like our Creamers, we’re starting the Little Chef Program small but will expand it over time to add more components and opportunities to get involved. Please stay tuned for some exciting updates in the coming weeks and, in the meantime, happy cooking.