Make room for little chefs

From starting their own YouTube channel to learning new recipes, youngsters are taking to baking this lockdown

Cooking is a very useful skill to have. Many have found that statement to be true especially this lockdown. While many take years to find their interest in this field, few others start out quite young.

Vihaan Nair started baking around the onset of the lockdown. All of seven years old, he started his own YouTube channel called ‘Vid’s Kitchen’ where you can find him giving baking tutorials and making chocolate mousse, chocolate chip cookies and sponge cakes. Without a doubt, chocolate is his favourite ingredient.

“I want to cook and show everyone my recipes,” he exclaims. “He used to be in the kitchen most of the time when I’m working there and liked being involved,” his mother, Sharmila Nair, says.

“Considering that he cannot go out to meet his friends or do anything, I thought of helping him with his YouTube channel. It’s also exciting for him when people show interest in his work and want to work on a new recipe. It’s a win-win situation for everyone at home.”

Not every young chef who enjoys baking has a social media channel like Vihaan but they love what they do.

Passed down generations

Roger Ninan Varughese started baking when he was 12 years old. Three years later, he bakes almost everything.

“My mother and grandmother make these incredible cakes and cookies. Whenever I get time in-between studies, I bake. I think the most important thing about baking is measuring the ingredients,” he says.

Ask him what his favourite part of baking is and he says, “It’s when you open the oven and you get the aroma of a baked cookie or cake. That’s really amazing.”

Baking duo

Vikram Sai Lekkala and Ritwika Sai Lekkala,14 and 12 years old respectively, are siblings who enjoy baking together.

“I am good at baking pizzas and garlic bread, and my sister is good at baking cakes and cupcakes,” says Vikram.

Vikram likes to look up recipes online and then add his own twists to them. Ritwika says, “We like baking because it’s very relaxing and also a lot of fun.”

Encourage young hands

Mother Sharmila Nair says, “There seems to be a lot of apprehension about children entering the kitchen among adults. My husband and I wanted to encourage Vihaan from an early age. We are also learning to edit the videos together along with him. He’ll be more independent this way, which is the whole point.”

Some parents feel that the easiest thing to do is give their child a gadget to keep them busy. “That is fine for some time but it’s better to keep kids engaged with other activities. Every child is talented in their own way, be it painting, baking or playing with Lego. It’ll be nice if parents could be a little more involved with their kids,” she says.