About Chef Paul Hatfield

Our host, Chef Paul Hatfield, is dedicated to combating today’s epidemic of poor nutrition by getting young people excited about cooking at home.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Paul has spent years in the food industry working as an industrial chef and hunger and nutrition advocate. Working across the country, Paul became aware of the massive trend of Americans to eat more “convenience” foods and to cook much less at home, a trend resulting in terrible eating habits.  Plus, Paul concluded, as fewer kids are exposed to the joys of “home cooking,” the spiral of poor nutrition continues.

Setting out to change things, Paul formed Cookin’ Up Productions with the intention of reaching young people through fun, interactive cooking media. He has an unmistakable gift for working with kids that he conveys through his easy, conversational style. From a TV pilot for an after school cooking show to the first in a series of DVD cookbooks for young adults, Paul is dedicated to turning on kids of all ages to healthy and delicious  food through “Cookin’ Up”.

Our Philosophy

We believe that cooking is a life skill.

We believe that, as a nation, we pump ourselves full of preservatives, trans fats, artificial colors, and tons of salt and corn syrup- simply because we do not cook enough from scratch.

We believe that home cooking is the best way to eat nutritiously.

We believe that one of the main factors of poor nutrition is simply not knowing how to cook well.

We believe that in order to cook, a person must learn how to integrate grocery shopping, food preparation and basic nutrition into daily life.

We strive to teach audiences of all ages the basic cooking skills needed to create tasty, nutritious and inexpensive meals.- giving them the power to make informed choices about how they eat and who they become.