263: Deanna Cook on Kids and Farmers Markets.
Creating an early love of healthy foods & cooking through fun activities.

Deanna, has written dozens of award-winning books for kids including Baking Class, the best-selling Cooking Class, and Farmers Market Create-and-Play Activity Book.Don’t miss an episode! Click here to sign up for weekly podcast updates
In This Podcast:
Encouraging kids to enjoy healthy cooking and eating is an investment in their future, and Deanna Cook has some activities to help make that a little easier and a lot more fun. Working with kids, learning how they enjoy cooking, and helping them have fun in the kitchen has been a focus of hers since just after high school. She has used this experience to create several fun books to help parents teach healthy lifestyles early.
Listen in and learn about:
- The grant that allowed her to travel and collect recipes for children around the world
- Some memories from her travels
- The benefits of bringing kids to farmers markets
- Some of the cool activities she includes in her book
- How kids can get excited while at the market
- Bringing the Farmers Market home
- More about the books Cooking Class and Baking Class
- Recipes that help kids learn to enjoy kitchen experimentation
As well as:
- Her failure – The time her department was eliminated and she did not have a fallback plan
- Her success – Her first book and traveling around the world
- Her drive – Writing and editing books for kids; feedback from the kids who enjoy her books
- Her advice – Teach your kids to cook and don’t be afraid of the mess
Books written by Deanna:


Farmers Market Create-and-Play Activity Book: 100 Stickers + Games, Crafts & Fun!
The Kids’ Multicultural Cookbook (Kids Can!)
Cooking Class: 57 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (and Eat!),
Baking Class: 50 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Bake!
Horse Play!: 25 Crafts, Party Ideas & Activities for Horse-Crazy Kids
Teddy Bear Doctor: A Let’s Make & Play Book: Be a Vet & Fix the Boo-Boos of Your Favorite Stuffed Animals
Deanna’s Book recommendations:
Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollen
How to reach Deanna:
Website deannafcook.com
UrbanFarm.org/MarketPlay