A solid foundation
By Christine Davis
The introduction of solids to your baby can be a fun but intimidating time. Figuring out what to try first, when to try it and worrying about whether your baby will like it, leaves plenty of parents sticking to breast milk or formula as the safe bet.
For many, there is also a fear that their child won’t like baby food, or worse, will become a picky eater as her pallet develops.
In an effort to combat picky eater syndrome, some parents gravitate to the idea of introducing fresh, flavourful foods to babies, rather than processed, pre-packaged baby food. The introduction of herbs and spices can help develop their wee pallets, creating, for lack of a better term, baby foodies in the process.
Or at least that is the hope of Toronto chef turned baby food entrepreneur David Chrystian.
Inspired by his daughter, Charlotte, Chrystian always planned on making all the baby food once solids were introduced. “I was planning to take paternity leave,” Chrystian begins, selling shares of his restaurant to do so. But then he had to figure out what to do next, how to be part of raising his daughter and not have to work until midnight every night.
His solution was to create artisanal baby food company Chef’s Daughter Baby Food.
While researching what to feed an infant, Chrystian and wife Katherine Solomon, learned about baby nutrition and brain development and quickly realized that no prepared baby food on the shelves of either standard or high-end grocery stores had the good oils from avocado, egg yolks or coconut, necessary to such development.
“We wondered how do we introduce these things,” and that’s when their research led them to some US-based companies making small batch, artisan baby food. “They were talking about using bone marrow, chicken liver and red meat. I was surprised, but encouraged by the idea that I could use my skill set and incorporate these foods into purees and separate ourselves in the market.”
Charlotte has been their test pilot, and “she’s on board,” Chrystian says enthusiastically, adding that during the process “we’ve learned so much about nutrition and how to cook without salt and processed sugars.”
Working with Charlotte’s solid food introduction timeline, Chrystian has created a menu that divides the foods into three categories. From a baby just testing food to more advanced layered food, followed by textured food, the selection grows with the child from age six months to a year.
Chrystian’s introductory food of choice is sweet potato, which he describes as a staple to start a baby on because it is “smooth and sweet.” Next, he recommends Chef’s Daughter’s signature meal – fresh peas with mint. This delicious, classic combination is ideal as an introductory food as the mint aids in digestion, which can be an issue with new eaters. Chrystian recommends adding one new food every three to four days to ensure the infant isn’t allergic to anything.
“These are a leap off point,” the chef says, explaining that he uses these basic flavours in other layered recipes, of which his include the addition of kale and other bright greens, as well as grains such as quinoa, amaranth and lentils. He recommends serving these layered meals next to something delicious such as cherry puree with the idea that parents “put both things on the spoon so the child gets a different bite in every spoonful,” making the experience fun and rewarding. It is also a great time to discuss with the child what the different flavours and textures are.
Chrystian’s layered meals are artfully combined in clear glass jars, creating a marbled effect reminiscent of tiger tail ice cream and parfaits.
Textured meals bump up the iron content with the addition of chicken liver and veal sauce in the cooking of the grains, served alongside bone marrow. This creates a rich meal that is also perfectly accompanied by the assorted purees.
The Chef’s Daughter menu comprises eight varied items that provide lots of options when rotated, mixed and matched and supplemented with breakfast items such as cream of wheat.
Each week Chrystian scours local markets for the freshest seasonal ingredients, prepares all the food on the weekend and delivers it to GTA customers on Monday and Tuesday.
While Chrystian admits Chef’s Daughter is “a substitute for making baby food yourself at home,” he believes in the concept of introducing babies to real food. “If you start now then I feel like there are things that are going to be familiar to them. The main goal for us was to get back to our lives. We cook at home a lot. The last thing we want to do is have to cook a kid’s meal every time. We hope she (Charlotte) will eat what we cook.”
It’s a hope he has for all his little customers and that is why he started the business and advises parents to “stimulate your child during this time, versus just feeding them baby food. Take advantage, have fun and vary it up as much as you possibly can.
“There will be things they don’t like, but that’s an experience too. When they don’t like something it’s a genuine reaction. You’re learning about them. You get to interact. When you acknowledge that you start to build on trust and it’s really fun.”
Chef David Chrystian’s daughter, Charlotte, was the inspiration behind Chef’s Daughter Baby Food. Chrystian’s layered meals are artfully combined.
