Talking children’s menus and picky eaters with renowned chefs Jennifer Carroll and Monica Glass

10 Arts' chefs, Jennifer Carroll and Monica Glass.

You may have seen Jennifer Carroll cooking it up on Top Chef All Stars–but these days, you’ll find her manning the helm of 10 Arts Bistro and Lounge by Eric Ripert, an incredible restaurant in the lobby of the Ritz Carlton hotel in Philadelphia.  When Chet and I stayed at the Ritz a few months ago, I ate at 10 Arts every single night of my stay.  It was that good.

I noticed that the restaurant, though a renowned joint at the Ritz, was full of kids at every meal.  Very curious.  Moreover, I found myself fascinated by the menu–the kiddie menu, that is.  Forget just finding something Chet would eat (and he would eat it all), despite an incredible regular menu, I could have ordered off of it, too.  Jen and her partner in crime, 10 Arts’ pastry chef, Monica Glass, told me more about what goes into creating fabulous meals for families.

Q:  So what goes into creating a good kids’ menu?

Jennifer Carroll:  When I was thinking about the menu, I obviously wanted to put foods on there that I loved as a kid–your hamburger, your chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, stuff that all kids love.  But I wanted to play on those classics and create healthy, fresh options with only the best quality ingredients.  Kids will recognize stuff that they like and parents can feel good about what they are eating.

Monica Glass:  We think about the desserts in the same way.  They are all very approachable and familiar.  But we try to put a bit of a twist on those old favorites.  It’s something old and something new in every bite.

Q:  You have an incredible and affordable tasting menu on offer.  Do you ever do tasting menus for your kid clientele?

Jennifer Carroll:  It’s amazing–we’ve done so many tasting menus for kids this year.  They come in with their parents and the whole family goes for the tasting menu.  I love it.  And when we see it, we go up to the table and meet everyone, and we’ve found the kids are more excited and knowledgeable about the food than their parents.  Maybe it’s all the cooking shows and channels now, but they are really interested in food and want to be adventurous and try new things, including the rock octopus, the sweet breads and the foie gras.  They want to enjoy food.  It’s really great.

Q:  That’s amazing.  But most parents would tell you their kids are picky.  Mine certainly is.  What would you suggest to expand children’s palates?

Jennifer Carroll:  Honestly, I think the parents being adventurous is what is most important.  When I was a child, if my mother didn’t make me try healthy and different foods, I’d have only eaten butter and sugar my entire life.  Really, that’s it!  But with her encouragement, I learned to love charcuterie, different cheeses, all kinds of great foods.  And that’s because my Mom always encouraged me.  So my advice is simple.  Always encourage your kids to have a taste of whatever you’re having. When you order the octopus, tell them how good it is and then offer them a bite.  Get them excited about new foods, make them feel like an adult and just get them to try one litle bite.  It helps them to expand their knowledge and tastes.

Q:  What is your food philosophy?

Monica Glass:  Honestly, we believe food should be fun and approachable.  You want people to eat  and enjoy, obviously.  But we like to keep things light and simple and add some sort of modern twist you might not expect.  If people are thinking about the food, questioning why we did something, wondering about a certain taste, we’re happy.

Jennifer Carroll:  We want to make the food memorable.  And we do that by using the freshest ingredients–the best out there you can find, really–and finding those unique twists.

Q:  I was surprised by two things at 10 Arts.  First, that there were so many kids of every age at every meal.  And second, it was incredible affordable.  Was that the plan?

Jennifer Carroll:  It was an absolutely conscious decision.  We wanted our guests, old and young, to have a good meal and not be afraid to order everything they wanted to.  We wanted to offer great quality food at a reasonable price.  And also make it a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere where people can hang out and just enjoy.

Q:  So kids are welcome?

Jennifer Carroll:  Kids are more than welcome.  We love having them, feeding them and seeing their reactions.  It’s so cool to see so many of them who are really excited about the food.  And we want to help encourage that with tours of the kitchen, where they can check out all of the chefs at work and see how we make the food.  It makes them more interested in cooking, in eating, in going out to restaurants and trying new foods.  What could be better?

February 26th, 2011 | by Kayt Sukel 4 comments