Fuel the Body
Just being a kid
2-6
Back to the Kitchen
Photo and reporting by
The Buzz Magazines
Izzie Levy, 6, has been pouring measured cups of ingredients into her mom's recipes since she was 9 months old. She makes chicken noodle soup and plain pasta with olive oil, garlic, and salt, and when asked what happens if she skips a night of helping, she says it just doesn't taste good.
The yes behind it
Jessica let Izzie stay behind and help even as a baby, handing her cups of ingredients to pour in while her older twin sisters wandered off to do their own thing. She kept the girl in the kitchen instead of sending her out to play.
Why we picked this one
A six-year-old pouring broth into a pot isn't a prodigy story, it's a kid who's had a job in the kitchen since before she could talk. Nobody trained her for it. She was just allowed to stand there long enough that it became hers.
Pick a night this week and hand the whole dinner over, start to finish, whatever's in the fridge or pantry. Your kid decides what it is and makes it, you only step in the second they ask, even if it comes out weird, late, or missing a vegetable.
Read the full story at
The Buzz Magazines
Where it happened:
Houston, TX
Izzie was pouring ingredients into bowls before she could walk or talk. Your kid is standing at the counter edge right now watching you cook, so what have you actually handed them, a spoon to lick or something to pour?