Would you like to teach your kids how to cook? Then surf on over to Spatulatta.com and see what you’re missing.
Spatulatta is a website designed to teach children how to cook by watching children cook. Your child may not yet be an Iron Chef, but after watching kid-cook hosts Isabella and Olivia prepare great, simple meals, they’ll be that much closer.
Spatulatta is a mixed media, cooking website designed to teach kids how to cook. The site features Quicktime-streamed cooking lessons hosted by sisters Isabella and Olivia Gerasole (pronounced “jer-ra-so-lee”). The children live in Chicago, IL. The show is produced by Gaylon Emerzian. It is her job to stay focused on the underlying theme of the website– teaching children that cooking and eating healthy meals can be fun.
The Gerasole sisters are very natural on camera, which makes teaching kids to cook that much easier, and for adults, the natural charisma the siblings display encourages continued watching. According to the girls, Isabella started cooking Christmas cookies at the ripe old age of 2. Her sister Olivia began cooking much later in life. She was 3. Isabella will tell you that Olivia is the better baker of the two; while Olivia will readily admit that Isabella is the better cook.
Spatulatta features five new video segments each week, organized by theme, holiday or cuisine. The most recent segments are displayed under “What’s New?”. The archived segments can be found in the “Recipe Box”. The sisters will also share cooking time with other guest host, kid-cooks, allowing those children to flaunt their culinary skills.
The site itself is equally well organized throughout all sections. In addition to the streamed cooking segments, Spatulatta site surfers can learn basic cooking skills, discover other forms of kitchen artistry, view outtakes and purchase Spatulatta gear. Of particular interest to parents and educators may be the Kids Links and Links for Parents.
Spatulatta won the 2006 James Beard Foundation Award for best webcast. At ages 10 and 8, Isabella and Olivia are the youngest recipients of a James Beard award.
And that’s something to cheer. “S-p-a-t-u-l-a-! T-t-a-dot-com, if you learn this simple cheer, you can learn to cook right here. Spatulatta, spatulatta, spatulatta-dot-com!” Ooops. Got carried away there, singing the girls’ own cheer.
To summarize, Spatulatta teaches kids to cook using quicktime videos and other kid-friendly techniques. The site is easy to surf and filling weekly with new, original cooking content. The site is such a great tool for kids, it would be nice to see it expand its language options, and the name itself is so interesting, posting a story as to its origin could only add to the site’s already zesty flavor.
On the .com Dish! SiteSurfin’ scale, Spatulatta rates an “E” for everybody.
