Tom Colicchio Offers Advice for Eating Out With Baby
 Amanda Schwab/Startraks |
When it comes to screaming babies in restaurants, Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio says do yourself — and those around you — a favor, and head for the nearest exit!
“You’ve gotta leave,” the 47-year-old dad-of-two tells Babble. “If something’s going on and you can’t get him quiet, just pick him up and leave. Say, ‘Sorry, I gotta go.’”
His opinions are equally strong when it comes to the food choices parents offer their children while dining out. “Kids should order off the [adult] menu,” he says, suggesting appetizers as a kid-friendly alternative. And while some children are naturally picky eaters Tom says that more often than not, it is a situation created by mom and dad.
“I think a lot of it has to do with parents saying, ‘Oh, you won’t like that. You don’t want to eat that.’ Why? You don’t know what they like until they try it.”
To that end, Tom recommends exposing children to new flavors and ethnic cuisine “from a very early age,” as well as leading by example.
“I think a lot of the problem is that kids eat like their parents and their parents aren’t trying,” he explains. “I remember giving my kid oysters and saying, ‘Here, try it. It’s not going to bother you.’ But when they get to school, his classmates go, ‘Oh my god, you eat that? That’s horrible.’”
Click below to read about Tom’s approach to tackling sleep deprivation with a new baby.
