I’m a chef who feeds my toddler lobster so he won’t be a picky eater

The foodie father started feeding the baby dishes fit for the most refined palate as soon as he could eat solid foods.

Image: TikTok

This toddler eats better than you.

While most parents may stick to basics when feeding their toddlers, professional chef Jack Zhang, 31, was determined to make sure his son Levi was going to be an adventurous eater.

To ensure the now two-year-old was not going to grow up fussy, Zhang started feeding the baby dishes fit for the most refined palate as soon as he could eat solid foods — and now has an appetite that could rival a grown adult’s.

Little Levi’s expansive menu already includes lobster, scallops, ratatouille, pork dumplings, cauliflower puree, quick-pickled cucumbers, radishes, microgreens and flying fish roe (tobiko), his proud dad said.

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Image: TikTok

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"I love introducing him to all types of dishes, cuisine and cultures"

“The mindset is for him to not be always picky and to try a bunch of different foods,” said the New York-based cook, who is married to 28-year-old Emily, an English professor.

“I love to cook — that’s my passion. Now I have someone to cook for all the time,” he continued. “I love introducing him to all types of dishes, cuisine and cultures.”

Zhang says his love of cooking comes from eating homemade meals growing up, which inspired him to do the same for his little boy.

“In the beginning, I would try to introduce him to protein like fish and meat,” he recalled. “I would make rice, salmon and peas and cook it all up and blend it into a baby-food consistency.”

“He really enjoyed it,” Zhang gushed.

The food-loving father said Levi loves avocado, seafood and fruit and is always up for developing his “curious palate,” and they love encouraging him. “We let him watch it first to get him excited,” he said. “We make food fun. They want to experience different textures.”

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"People are shocked to see someone eat different food so young"

The foodie father admitted strangers are “shocked” to see a toddler try different foods.

“I think people are shocked to see someone eat different food so young,” he said. “People say ‘I’m 40 and I’ve not even tried that.’ 

The couple are hoping to create a cookbook on some of Levi’s favourite dishes, hoping to give other parents ideas on how to coach their kids into trying different foods.

“His [Levi’s] palate is always changing,” Zhang said. “It’s never too early for kids to learn.”

This article was originally published in the New York Times and was republished here with permission. 

Originally published as I’m a chef who feeds my toddler lobster so he won’t be a picky eater