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IGNORED. Overlooked. Unappreciated. Underrated. Unacknowledged. Dismissed. Looked down on.  Sidelined. Marginalised

Probably the lot of children the world over. 

But definitely not for Dario Stephen, Miami-hailed founder of “Kids Can Cook” programme.

“Kids can cook but you must show them how,” he said after a packed cooking workshop at the 16th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival.

He tells Daily Express why.  

“Cooking is my passion. It’s what wakes me up every day. And I love sharing my passion with the kids all over the world.”

“That’s what gets me up and gets me going.”

“My goal is to cook on every continent on earth. And right now, I’ve only done two.”

”I’ve done Asia, North America, I need Australia, I need Africa and I’m really working on Antarctica. That’s going to be the hard one,” he quipped.

Daily Express: You must be very famous to have been invited to UAE to conduct this workshop? 

“Definitely. I was found by Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival. In 2019, they found me on Instagram, and the coordinator reached out and asked me if I would come. And that’s when my journey began. This is my third time here (2025).”

Daily Express: What did you teach the kids today? 

“I taught them how to make quesadillas, a really fun dish from North America. It comes out of Latin cultures.”

Mexican delight 

Quesadilla is a Mexican dish consisting of a tortilla that is filled primarily with cheese (queso) and sometimes meats, spices and other fillings.

This writer had piece of it. The verdict? Delicious!

Dario wasn’t the only instructive chef. I have met Russian chefs, Lebanese chefs etc.  The spectacle ignites a moment of rethink.

Children aren’t dumb.

“Kids can cook, not only healthy food but cooking up confidence and joy, from simple dishes like French toast to globally inspired dishes,” Dario declared.

The calls are out: Teach kids how to cook because it provides essential life skills, fosters not only healthy eating but also excitement, creates opportunities for family bonding and cultural appreciation.