POPSUGAR UK

The 1 Lesson Chopped Chef Alex Guarnaschelli Wants to "Hammer Home" With Her Daughter

31/05/2018 - 06:26 PM

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 15:  Chef Alex Guarnaschelliprepares a dish at the Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival Presented By Coca-Cola - Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite featuring SamsungĀ® Culinary Demonstrations presented by Mastercard at Pier 94 on October 15, 2017 in New York City.  (Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for NYCWFF)

Chef Alex Guarnaschelli [1], a mom and restaurateur you may recognise from Chopped and Iron Chef, is the first one to admit that she didn't just become a celebrity chef overnight. In fact, Alex put in countless hours to get where she is today, and still has to practice.

So when it comes to instilling the principle that practice makes perfect [2] in her 10-year-old daughter Ava, she told POPSUGAR that she's pretty relentless.

"When we're cooking, my daughter will say something to me like, 'I already know how to do this,' and I'll say, 'Well, that's interesting because I'm much older than you and I don't feel like I fully understand it,'" she said jokingly. "Kids want to get to the point and I get that."

While Alex is an incredible example of how hard work can really pay off, she finds herself reminding Ava about just how much you need to practice to actually master a task.

"You're going to tell me I need to practice something 20 million times to get good at it,' and I was like . . . 'Yeah.'"

"Ava came to me recently about something and said, 'Mom, I know what you're gonna say. You're going to tell me I need to practice something 20 million times to get good at it,' and I was like . . . 'Yeah.'"

Believe it or not, Alex quite literally practices what she preaches, despite the fact she's already solidified her reputation as a well-known chef.

"Ava asked me where I was going one day and I told her I had an episode of Iron Chef coming up and I needed to practice cooking," she said. "And she was like, 'I don't understand. All you do is cook. Why do you have to practice something you always do?' And I told her it's because I want to be really good at it."

And Alex doesn't just reserve her teachable moment [3] for the kitchen. She points to other individuals who have found success in different fields, like athletics.

"I watch Olympic events with her because athletes are a really good place to start when it comes to practice," she said. "How much time do you think Michael Phelps spends in a swimming pool? I want to hammer that concept home."


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/parenting/Alex-Guarnaschelli-Tells-Her-Daughter-Practice-Important-44895983