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It was such an honor to be invited to interview Tyler Florence, author and celebrity chef of Food Network’s Food 911, How to Boil Water, and Tyler‘s Ultimate. As a working parent, concerned with feeding my family well, it was only natural for me to ask Tyler about how a busy man like himself is able to spend time with his family in the kitchen.

“Family meals are a top priority,” he says, and he does whatever he can to be there to eat with his wife and three children.  He praised his wife Tolan’s cooking and says that they both work hard to prepare delicious meals for their family to enjoy.

My friends and I have always been curious about the types of meals that professional chefs prepare in their own homes.  I asked him if he cooks differently than the average family.  “I don’t think that chefs necessarily try for ‘fancy’ as much as they work for ‘delicious,’” he says.  But he does acknowledge that “an average meal for us is never average.  We’ve got a 6 month old, a 20 month old, a 12 year old, and of course ourselves, so we’ve got a couple different stages of flavor and texture going on.  For ourselves, we try to put together something fresh and seasonal, but not too over the top.  We keep it simple but delicious.”

As a children’s cooking teacher, I am often curious how other people involve their children in the kitchen.  When I asked him if his children help with meal preparations, he laughed and said, “If you count letting them smear roasted apple puree all over the place, yes!”  His 12 year old, Miles, has more self control, of course, and loves to help his father prepare meals and home made gifts in the kitchen.  Tyler pays particular attention to the foods that his children enjoy so that he can prepare meals that will suit them.  “The smiles on their faces let me know what they like and what they don’t” he says.

My daughter, a self-proclaimed picky eater, had a burning question to ask Tyler: “If your kids don’t like what you made for dinner, do you say, “Too bad, this is what is for dinner.”  Or do you make them something else?”   He agrees that this question “is a tough one!  But in general, I have thought about their tastes beforehand, so that I hope that it doesn’t come up.  If I know what I have prepared is good for them and something they generally like, I don’t have a problem saying “no” to making something else.”

For families like mine, where people have a variety of food preferences, he encourages meals to begin with a “somewhat neutral base and then make additions from there.  Take tacos – you can always add the heat.  But the best way to satisfy the whole gang is just to do a little bit of extra research in advance and find a dish that satisfies everyone.  Branch out from your “go-to” dishes and I’ll bet you can find something that will work.”

If you have a favorite dish that your family enjoys, be sure to take a look at Tyler’s contest, Macy’s Keeps America Cooking, which ends on April 13.  The contest calls for viewers to record and upload their own videos showing how to prepare some of their favorite recipes. Prizes include a trip for two to San Francisco to cook with Tyler, a shipping spree with Tyler for new kitchen products, and gift certificates from Macy’s. For more information about the contest and to view a sample video entry, please visit the What’s Cooking Blog and Macy’s Keeps America Cooking.