New Orleans-based 14-year-old Kid Chef Eliana (Eliana de Las Casas), award-winning chef, cookbook author, and radio show host, is a Taste Award winner in the Best Kids Program category for her role as host of “Cool Kids Cook,” her weekly web radio show on the VoiceAmerica Kids network. The TASTE AWARDS are the highest awards for the Lifestyle Entertainment Industry. They are the premier broadcast awards show celebrating the year’s best achievements in Food, Fashion, Home, and Lifestyle programs on Television, in Film, Online, and on Radio. Her award was given at a red carpet event at Grauman’s Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, California on January 15, 2014. Although Kid Chef Eliana could not attend the awards ceremony, a representative accepted the award on her behalf.
The accomplished award-winning young chef and cookbook author’s weekly radio show, “Cool Kids Cook,” is on VoiceAmerica, the Internet’s largest talk radio network with over 9 million monthly listeners. Notable guests on her radio show feature some of the top chefs in the nation including Jose’ Andres (“Made in Spain” on PBS), Andrew Zimmern (“Bizarre Foods” on Travel Channel), Pastry Chef Gale Gand, Melissa d’Arabian (“Ten Dollar Dinners” on Food Network), former White House Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses, and so many more.
Eliana says, “This is my second Taste Award and I’m so honored to have won. It’s especially meaningful because my VoiceAmerica Kids producer, Perry Damone, passed away last month and I dedicate this award to his memory. Mr. Perry gave me my radio show and for that, I’ll be forever grateful.”
Cool Kids Cook is in its third season and for its special 100th episode in October 2014, Kid Chef Eliana interviewed James Beard Award-Winning Executive Chef of Commander’s Palace, Tory McPhail. Other notable guests this past year include Chef David Binkle, Food Services Director of Los Angeles Unified School District; Chef Alexander Weiss, Season 1 Winner of MasterChef Junior; Iron Chef UK Judy Joo; Produce Marketing Association President, Cathy Burns; Healthy Lifestyle Advocate and Cookbook Author Reed Alexander; and Celebrity Chef Emily Ellyn.
She has shared the cooking stage with Chef John Besh, filmed with Chef Aaron Sanchez (Food Network) and Chef Carla Hall (ABC’s “The Chew”), and appeared on national television. She was recently featured in TeenVogue magazine and writes a monthly column for Ingredient magazine.
Her mission is to encourage families to cook together and to inspire kids to become culinary explorers. As Eliana always says, “Cool kids cook and get creative in the kitchen!”
