My foodie friend (and fellow Houston ISD/Armark PAC member) Donna Gershenwald recently told me about ChopChop, a new quarterly cooking magazine for kids.  Donna and I had once lamented the fact that most kids’ cooking classes and recipes seem to emphasize sugary desserts, but this magazine, she assured me, was different.

Sure enough, when my first issue of ChopChop arrived in the mail, I was completely taken with it.  ChopChop offers not just nutritious, ethnically diverse and inexpensive recipes, but also provides food facts, cooking and kitchen safety tips, quizzes and games.  The magazine’s two advisory boards read like a Who’s Who in public health, child nutrition, and education, with members from the Harvard School of Public Health, the Cleveland Clinic, the Kennedy School of Government and other illustrious institutions.  But for me, the real sign that ChopChop is a winner was the fact that my daughter practically wrested it from my hands and proceeded to dog-ear half the pages with recipes that she wants to cook for the family.

I’m pleased to present here my interview with ChopChop‘s founder and president, Sally Sampson.  Sally is the James Beard Foundation nominated author of twenty cookbooks, as well as a frequent contributor to magazines like Food & Wine and Bon Appetit.

TLT:  So, what led you to create ChopChop?  What are your goals for the magazine?

I am a cookbook author who is unfortunately very involved in health care (I have a child with a very rare chronic illness) and I wanted to meld my two passions. I realized that I could use my skills as a cookbook author to help fight obesity. ChopChop’s mission is to educate kids to cook and be nutritionally literate, empower them to actively participate as health partners with their families and help establish and support better eating habits for a lifetime of good nutrition. ChopChop’s vision is to reverse and prevent childhood obesity.  Much has been written about it, but a quick review is worthwhile. Nearly one out of every three American children is obese or at a risk of becoming obese – 25 million children in all. A staggering 90% of overweight kids already have at least one avoidable risk factor for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or hypertension. Type 2 diabetes is now being diagnosed in teens as young as 15. And yet, when you think about it, childhood obesity is not a germ or a virus; it’s entirely preventable. And the key to prevention is behavior change.

TLT:  Yet I noticed that the magazine doesn’t talk to kids about obesity – was that intentional?

Yes, the explicit message is that preparing good, healthy food and sharing it with your family should feel good. We’re not about weight loss.

TLT:  When you and your team write ChopChop, who’s the intended audience — kids or parents? And if you’re hoping to communicate directly with kids, how to do you do that effectively?

The intended audience is kids, age 5-12, and their families. The goal is education, but we want to make the learning fun! In fact we don’t want it to feel like learning: no lecturing; no finger-wagging, no dull nutrition instruction; instead, a how-to product that makes the idea of cooking for oneself and one’s family eminently achievable. Cooking is cool! And we convey that attitude in the pages.

TLT: What are your criteria for selecting recipes?

We look for simple, delicious, do-able recipes. We don’t demonize any foods—you can eat almost anything if your primary choices are healthy, balanced, whole—as opposed to processed. Our basic message is to eat REAL FOOD.

TLT:  Do you have any restrictions on which companies can advertise in ChopChop?

We don’t accept advertising. We’re supported by donations and by corporate and foundation grants and sponsorship. That said, we wouldn’t accept sponsorship from a company whose main products were the usual no-no’s for kids. Additionally no processed foods or anything that in any way contributes to the obesity epidemic.

TLT:  I’ve read that the first two issues of the magazine were distributed to pediatricians’ offices, as well to The Harlem Children’s Zone, The Boys and Girls Club, and elementary and middle schools.  How are these groups using the magazine?

We are offering the magazine to pediatricians in order that they “prescribe” it to their young patients during well-child visits. The response has been overwhelming—pediatricians can’t get it fast enough! Earlier this year, we were endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatricians. (The AAP, plus several luminaries from the pediatric and nutritional health community review all recipes before we print them.)  Similarly, in schools and after school programs, we’re encouraging teachers and administrators to hand out the magazine to be taken home and used! We want to be wherever children are.

TLT:  I’ve heard on the grapevine that First Lady Michelle Obama will appear in an upcoming issue of ChopChop.  Can you tell us how she’s contributing to the magazine?

As you know Michelle Obama has made a huge commitment to lead the battle against childhood obesity. In our upcoming Winter issue, available November 22, she’ll be talking about how she encourages her own children to eat their vegetables at home in the White House. She’s also contributed a wonderful recipe for our special Holiday Edible Gift Guide. I don’t want to spoil the suspense by giving away the recipe!

TLT:  In addition to subscribing to the magazine for their own children, how can Lunch Tray readers get ChopChop into their schools or after-school organizations?

Individuals can donate and subscribe using the link you’ve provided. Bulk orders are available for individual classrooms, whole schools, and even whole school districts. You can write to us for details at info@chopchopmag.com

TLT:  Is there anything else you’d like to tell Lunch Tray readers about ChopChop?

EAT REAL FOOD and have fun cooking it!

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Thank you, Sally, for letting me interview you on TLT!  And if you’d like to see a video clip of Sally talking more about ChopChop, click here.

Tagged as: childhood obesity, ChopChop, cooking magazine for kids, Sally Sampson