Little Diner’s Crew helps flip youngsters into foodies by exposing them to completely different cuisines and cultures

By the age of two, Tru and Cruz Crenshaw had been every already consuming sushi, mentioned their mom, Alayna Crenshaw. Her adventurous soul and her husband D.C.’s love for meals inspired the couple to introduce their youngsters to the identical meals the mother and father had been consuming for dinner at an early age.

Because the years handed, folks would typically be in awe after they observed that their sons sat on the dinner desk with a “grown-up” dish reasonably than the everyday rooster nuggets, pizza or burgers supplied on youngsters’ menus.

That’s when the couple determined to create Little Diner’s Crew, a eating membership completely for youths that enables them to broaden their palate by making an attempt new meals from completely different cultures at completely different eating places all through town each month. The expertise additionally helps younger youngsters study eating etiquette and know extra about how the meals is ready and from the place the substances are sourced.

The couple realized that at most eating places the children’ menu was restricted and oldsters weren’t inspired to have their youngsters attempt new meals, D.C. Crenshaw mentioned. Now, at their eating membership, the children get to attempt all types of meals, and decide their very own mocktail.

The crew is now in its fifth yr and there are nonetheless loads of eating places and new meals to attempt, the Crenshaws mentioned. After the pandemic shutdown, mother and father and youngsters alike turned extra fascinated by making an attempt new meals, they mentioned. Although membership fluctuates, there have been as much as 50 members, from ages 4 to 18.

Jennifer Husbands, and her little one, Maya Bennett, 10, who makes use of the pronouns they/them, joined greater than 4 years in the past with the intention of spending extra time collectively however, extra importantly, to get Maya to discover the fantastic thing about the culinary world, Husbands mentioned.

Maya cherished the membership. “It’s enjoyable,” they mentioned. “I’ve tried issues and favored issues I by no means thought I would love however seems that I do prefer it.” One of many favourite objects to date has been a matcha creme brulee from KOMO restaurant in Fulton Market, although their favourite meals are nonetheless tiramisu and ravioli.

Maya desires extra pals to hitch the membership. “I feel they’ll like making an attempt all the brand new meals too,” they mentioned.

The membership was born out of the love D.C. and Alayna Crenshaw shared for meals and tradition over 16 years of marriage. Nevertheless it was not one thing that they had deliberate.

When D.C. — a pharmaceutical rep on the time — moved to the Chicago space, he found his ardour for making an attempt new eating places across the metropolis when taking out his shoppers, he mentioned. Because the checklist of his favourite eating places grew, he determined to create a eating membership for adults known as Fete.

The experience and connections he created by his eating membership finally led him to provide and host a TV present known as “Sport Time Dine,” which allowed followers to see their favourite athletes prepare dinner with well-known cooks in Chicago eating places.

He then paired his new profession along with his spouse’s love for journey and intensive publicity to delicacies from everywhere in the world to create the eating membership for kids collectively.

Throughout every Little Diner’s Crew assembly, youngsters sit at a separate desk from adults. Typically the children are in a special a part of the restaurant to offer them extra of a way of independence, thus encouraging them to attempt regardless of the cooks could serve, Alayna Crenshaw mentioned. Dad and mom of teenage diners can drop them off on the restaurant.

D.C. and Alayna Crenshaw be part of the children at their desk and lead the conversations in regards to the specific restaurant and its roots. The individuals price every dish and go across the desk to speak about their preferences.

“That method, if considered one of them doesn’t wish to attempt one thing, possibly in the event that they see considered one of their friends making an attempt it and say one thing optimistic about it, then they may attempt it too,” Alayna Crenshaw mentioned.

For D.C. Crenshaw, it’s been rewarding to see simply how a lot his personal youngsters, now 11 and 14, have grown from their love for meals. Not solely is their palate expansive, their data of the world and of various cultures can also be wide-ranging. He hopes that the membership has the identical affect on different youngsters.

“They can expertise completely different facets of the cultures by meals that they might not in any other case expertise, and sit down and eat with different youngsters — and oldsters with different mother and father — who they might not in any other case know,” D.C. Crenshaw mentioned. “So it permits them to have much less biases of cultures down the highway and be extra more likely to settle for and perceive the distinction they might have with others.”

Husbands mentioned that she has loved seeing Maya increasing palate and spending time with different youngsters who’re prepared to open their minds to new meals and new cultures. A few of the international locations featured by their dinners embrace Cuba, Korea, China, Italy, India and Jamaica.

“There’s a lot variety and I recognize that a lot,” Husbands mentioned. “I, myself, have been uncovered to new issues.”

Alayna mentioned she additionally hopes eating places perceive that children can and are prepared to attempt different meals past rooster nuggets, pizza and burgers.

Dad and mom and kids don’t must be members to partake within the month-to-month occasions however there are annual and month-to-month memberships obtainable. To study extra, go to littledinerscrew.com.

larodriguez@chicagotribune.com