Kitchen Confidence

A charming new children’s cookbook is promoting positive thinking one recipe at a time

Written by Joan Tapper

Bringing mindfulness to the kitchen, Santa Barbara’s Nati Smith has written Mish and the Recipe for Adventure (Wise Ink Creative Publishing, Kindle edition, $4; hardcover, $23), with illustrations by Guillermo Alonso, about a kid who enters a cooking competition against other talented chefs. As she advances to the finals, she wows the judges with a comforting childhood favorite, thanks to calming spiritual practices that help her through and a secret ingredient—love. The message is that big dreams are possible if you believe in yourself.

            Born in Jerusalem, Smith is an advocate for introducing children to international culture and has included fun recipes from around the world in this colorful, entertaining book. She says, “Mish is a journey of friendship, food, culture, believing in yourself, and overcoming obstacles with affirmation and love. My hope in writing this book was to connect with my readers and open their palate and mind to different cultures, dishes, and travels and encourage curiosity and friendship.” Available on Amazon.