Meet Amelia, the beautiful little girl who became her mother’s muse, inspiring our company Cooking Lama as well as the cookbook “Look! I’m Cooking: 40 Simple and Healthy Recipes for Kids”.
Our story
When Amelia was just a little baby, our founder Natalia Samoilova became concerned with how to feed her daughter well and keep her family healthy. Natalia observed exhausted parents struggling to feed their little ones and understood that sadly in today’s world, our busy lifestyles and uneducated choices tend to prioritize convenience over nutrition.
With food being a significant part of our lives, occupying a considerable portion of our day from preparation to consumption, Natalia wondered how she could help her daughter to enthusiastically embrace this essential portion of life with joy. Luckily Natalia’s interest in culinary arts since the age of five helped her understand that her desire in cooking is unique and not a passion for all adults nor kids. From there Natalia’s conviction about the topic was born. She was determined to cultivate a comprehensive and systematic approach to feeding her family and sharing those insights with the world.
With food being a significant part of our lives, occupying a considerable portion of our day from preparation to consumption, Natalia wondered how she could help her daughter to enthusiastically embrace this essential portion of life with joy. Luckily Natalia’s interest in culinary arts since the age of five helped her understand that her desire in cooking is unique and not a passion for all adults nor kids. From there Natalia’s conviction about the topic was born. She was determined to cultivate a comprehensive and systematic approach to feeding her family and sharing those insights with the world.
Chapter 1: The idea and desire
Natalia created a nutrition program for Amelia and an intuitive approach to nourish her family. And guess what? At just 14 months of age, Amelia cooked her very first healthy recipe after showing an incredible level of attention and curiosity!
This sparked Natalia’s inspiration to start Cooking Lama. Natalia’s educational background at Stanford University and International Institute of Integrative Nutrition grounded the idea in scientific research on child development by neuroscientists, and methodologies for early childhood education. Moreover, the Montessori method of learning inspired a hands-on playful experience that fosters independence.
The first steps put Natalia’s discoveries to practice those principles with friends and family. The recorded observations and compiled learnings from this experiment birthed Natalia’s framework of her first cookbook for children. Evolving from a personal journey into a shared venture, the idea of Cooking Lama aimed at empowering children and families to explore the world of cooking together.
This sparked Natalia’s inspiration to start Cooking Lama. Natalia’s educational background at Stanford University and International Institute of Integrative Nutrition grounded the idea in scientific research on child development by neuroscientists, and methodologies for early childhood education. Moreover, the Montessori method of learning inspired a hands-on playful experience that fosters independence.
The first steps put Natalia’s discoveries to practice those principles with friends and family. The recorded observations and compiled learnings from this experiment birthed Natalia’s framework of her first cookbook for children. Evolving from a personal journey into a shared venture, the idea of Cooking Lama aimed at empowering children and families to explore the world of cooking together.
Chapter 2: From a personal journey into a shared venture
Available in 40 countries and published in both Russian & English, the cookbook was a major success. Its global reach revealed that children’s nutrition is a topic that resonates with families facing similar challenges as Natalia. This was the foundation for Cooking Lama’s unique program—empowering parents with effective tools to influence their children's diets positively.
In her ongoing efforts to support parents, Natalia aimed at reducing stress when planning balanced nutrition for kids—being aware of its significant impact not only on the various body processes like digestive and cognitive functions but also on immunity, and overall well-being.
Extending beyond the limitations of an online platform, the mission expanded in tangible ways by establishing programs at cultural centres, starting in Dubai at Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children. Our signature Rainbow Food Program has impacted over 300 children and families to date. The program is designed to enhance children's diets by increasing their intake of fruits and vegetables, thus improving their gut microbiome. Participating children embrace the joys of colourful, nutritious food and cultivate a deeper understanding of healthy eating habits. Video about cooperation with Dubai Culture
In her ongoing efforts to support parents, Natalia aimed at reducing stress when planning balanced nutrition for kids—being aware of its significant impact not only on the various body processes like digestive and cognitive functions but also on immunity, and overall well-being.
Extending beyond the limitations of an online platform, the mission expanded in tangible ways by establishing programs at cultural centres, starting in Dubai at Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children. Our signature Rainbow Food Program has impacted over 300 children and families to date. The program is designed to enhance children's diets by increasing their intake of fruits and vegetables, thus improving their gut microbiome. Participating children embrace the joys of colourful, nutritious food and cultivate a deeper understanding of healthy eating habits. Video about cooperation with Dubai Culture
Chapter 3: Expanding horizons
Based on scientific research and together with creative activities and systemic approaches, Natalia, designed our programs to blend education and entertainment seamlessly in collaboration with top specialists, including nutritionists, dietitians, paediatricians, methodologists, and child development experts.
With this framework, Cooking Lama is not just another cooking class, we foster an educational format promoting a deep understanding of food, a trusting relationship with nutrition, and encouraging healthy eating habits from an early age.
Following our collaboration with Dubai Health Authorities and Dubai Municipality in events to kickstart a healthy school year in 2024 for children, we’re excited about Cooking Lama’s future as we work to integrate our programs into schools and nurseries.
With this framework, Cooking Lama is not just another cooking class, we foster an educational format promoting a deep understanding of food, a trusting relationship with nutrition, and encouraging healthy eating habits from an early age.
Following our collaboration with Dubai Health Authorities and Dubai Municipality in events to kickstart a healthy school year in 2024 for children, we’re excited about Cooking Lama’s future as we work to integrate our programs into schools and nurseries.