Emily learned to cook from helping her mother and father in the kitchen from a young age. Her mother enjoyed making creative breakfast designs while her father cooked more complex adult dishes like lasagna and balsamic chicken. As she got older, Emily began cooking more herself and learned many skills from her father, like how to season and combine ingredients. She also learned traditional Polish recipes from her grandmother like sauerkraut and kielbasa.

1. How I Learned to Cook
BY: EMILY SIDES

2. In the
beginning…
When I was about six
years old my mom
would always cook my
siblings and I foods
with cool designs and
cute faces on them.
She would sometimes
make flowers and other
cool shapes out of my
breakfast.

3. BALSAMIC CHICKEN
 My dad on the other hand
would make other, more
“adult” type foods such as
Barbeque Cups, Lasagna,
and Balsamic chicken.
 I loved to help them make
and prepare breakfast and
lunch for my younger
siblings; that’s when I
decided I wanted to be a
chef.

4. As I got older I would slowly begin to cook more and more. A few
months after I turned ten I began to babysit and had to prepare meals.

7. I had acquired many
skills from my dad
such as how to
season, prep, and
combine foods for
the best results.
For example, if you
add Cajun to brown
rice and bake it over
chicken with soy
sauce then it tastes
just like Chinese
food.

10. Polish Dishes
 My dad’s side of the
family is polish, so I
learned many recipes
from them.
 Sauerkraut and kielbasa,
pierogis, Golabki (stuffed
cabbage), and Pączkis are
some of the recipes I
learned from my grandma
within the past few years.