Food & Recipes

Iron Chef Cat Cora Has a New Show, a New Book, and a New Restaurant

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What's your secret ingredient for balancing a passion for work with love for your family?

You know, I have a great team professionally. And I have a great one at home. If it weren't for my partner, Jennifer, I would not be able to do all I do. She does so much.

Describe your approach for introducing more sophisticated fare than, say, mac-n-cheese to younger children.

I get asked that a lot. Jennifer and I introduced spices -- ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg -- when the children started eating rice cereal to help develop their palates by balancing the savory with the sweet. And we get the kids involved in meal planning, so they're invested. "Don't want broccoli tonight? OK, how about carrots? Great!" The more you do it, the more they get used to it. In the evening we cook one meal. This is dinner, that's it. After that, the kitchen is closed. If they don't eat, I say, "OK, guess we'll be having a big breakfast in the morning!" It only takes one or two times and they get it. My kids are just like everybody else's out there. It's hard when they're younger than, say, two-and-a-half to do this, but after that age they're able to understand.

You also founded the charitable organization Chefs for Humanity in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. How did your group respond to recent events in Haiti?

We were on it the day after [the earthquake] happened. You can read about our initiative, One Million in 1 Month for Haiti, at http://1million1month.org/. We've raised $100,000 so far. We've created a buzz, a movement in the culinary industry. The bottom line is that we're acting and partnering with the World Food Programme. Around 50 top chefs are on board to go to Haiti and help with an emergency feeding relief plan. We've galvanized to go physically on the ground with emergency feeding relief, just like we did during Katrina. The organization is modeled on Doctors Without Borders, but it's for the culinary industry.

Are you an adherent of: "You are what you eat?" If so, how does mealtime apply to health, in your opinion?

What you eat is hugely important. We eat healthily around my house. I've been involved with wellness for a long time. I got my degree in exercise physiology 20 years ago and have been eating well before it became trendy. Now it's a family affair. When I do shows like Oprah, or I'm touring with one of my cookbooks, it's about bringing parents and kids together as a unit and teaching them to eat well as a family. It's essential to give parents the skills and knowledge and show them that it's not always cheaper to go to McDonalds. Or, instead of buying packaged frozen foods for $200 a week, I can show a family how to cook healthy meals with $70 a week. Families need to know how to shop, cook, and eat better.