Amber Kelley has done a lot in her young life. After besting nine other contestants in the kid’s version of Food Network’s popular competition show, she now hosts her own show on the network — Kid’s Menu Makeover. Her mission is to prove that you’re never too young to learn how to cook and appreciate great food.
The secret ingredient
“I grew up in the kitchen helping my mom cook dinner,” Amber explains. “She taught me how to cook the foods I loved, which made me fall in love with the process. My favorite recipe to cook is my poached salmon salad with goat cheese and a tarragon herb dressing. Yes, it’s as delicious as it sounds.”
Noting that we sometimes eat with our eyes, Amber adds, “There are tons of mouthwatering ingredients in that salad, but the secret ingredient is actually on the plate. I use thinly sliced zucchini and I wrap it around the salad on a plate, creating a bowl. It takes your salad to the next level and makes it look like it came from a five-star restaurant.”
Ignoring negativity
Even if your gourmet passion isn’t shared by everyone, don’t let it get you down, because in Amber’s case, it helped drive her towards success.
“My family always cooked wholesome and delicious foods, but when I would bring that to school for lunch, I would get teased,” she says. “None of my friends thought my foods were ‘cool’ because they didn’t have crazy cartoon characters on them. I knew my food was delicious and I wanted to show the world how mouthwatering fresh foods can be. Creating my YouTube channel was my way of proving all the bullies wrong. Through my YouTube channel, I got to connect with so many other people around the world who believe in my message and think my food is cool.”