Helping Picky Eaters with Sarah Thomas
Dr. Dan Peters welcomes Sarah Thomas, the co-founder and Chief Imaginator for Kalamata’s Kitchen, a global franchise helping kids learn about cultures through adventures with food. She authored the Kalamata book series with renowned chefs (including Chef Eric Ripert), developed the Taste Bud Travel Guide, hosted live tasting events for kids across the U.S., and attracted celebrity ‘taste buds’ including Padma Lakshmi and Chrissy Tiegen. She recently launched a free Kitchen Exploration Passport to help keep kids adventuring in the kitchen during the pandemic.
Sarah spent her childhood surrounded by good food, books, and entertainment. In this episode, Sarah Thomas tells Dr. Dan “If you get kids to be more thoughtful about what they consume, they’ll naturally make better decisions as they get older, and that’s what all of us want for the next generation.”
Dr. Dan and Sarah discuss:
Sarah’s story
Why food is the perfect tool to nurture curiosity and compassion in kids
How to help picky-eaters by creating authentic child-led experiences
The Kalamata character (a little girl from India) and her pal Al Dente and how these characters inspire kids to discover cultures, food and build empathy in the process
Sarah’s Parent Footprint Moment is about her first time reading her book to a class of young children and why she’ll never forget one child’s response to meeting Kalamata for the first time.
Sarah was most recently a sommelier in New York City at three-starred Michelin restaurant, La Bernardin. She holds a pre-med degree as well as literature and politics and a Master’s degree in English Renaissance literature. For more information click here.