Our son is Robert. From the beginning, he made it clear that his name was Robert, not Bob, Bobby or Rob. Another thing he emphasized early on was that he could cook. 

I like to think that, because I’ve done most of the family’s cooking, Robert saw my example and that inspired him to start cooking. I want to believe that, but I would be wrong. Robert was born with a natural talent for appreciating colors, flavors and presentation when he cooks. He naturally enjoys cooking, just like me. 

One of the great things I’ve learned from him: He was the one who taught me to plate my food properly. 

“Dad,” he said, “you eat with your eyes. Make it look good before you serve it.” He also taught me to pronounce “gnocchi” correctly, but that’s a story for another time.

Robert was cooking oatmeal (totally supervised) by the time he was in first grade. By the time he was in seventh grade, he had created his cheese enchilada recipe and was cooking it (unsupervised) for family and friends. By high school, he was preparing four-course meals for his friends, who were glad to pay. I was his proud sous-chef (“Yes, chef! Right away, chef!”) and happy to clean up the kitchen while he sat with his friends to enjoy each other’s company … and food.  

Here’s something Robert made for us the last time he visited. After seeing a similar dish in a deli display, he made it from scratch and called it Cold Edamame Salad. His recipe is roughly as follows:

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh shelled edamame (frozen is okay)

1½ cups corn (frozen is okay)

1 cup black beans (rinsed and drained)

¼ cup red bell pepper (chopped)

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (chopped)

1/3 cup lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 avocado (cut into ½-inch pieces)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except the avocado pieces. Stir well. Gently fold in the avocados to avoid mashing them while mixing into the rest of the salad. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional cilantro if desired. 

Chef Randy Graham, the healthy chef. Providing consistently good vegetarian comfort food recipes. See his cookbooks at Amazon.