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| Steve Baker and his grandchildren |
Bein' Small and Livin' Large
by Molly O'Neill
An almost-grandfather cooks up a storm with his almost-grandchildren
Steve Baker is a retired auto-racing parts dealer, a former private investigator, a food-obsessed cook, and a fixture in the iron-mining community of Chisholm in Northern Minnesota. He has no children, but nevertheless, he is an almost-grandfather. His longtime partner, Barb Castagneri, has five grandchildren. And before they were walking, Baker realized that cooking and baking with the children would ensure that a tight family bond would form –– while plenty of flour was spilled.
When his almost-grandson Zack was a year old, Baker placed him in his highchair and turned his nightly dinner preparations into performance art by clowning around and slipping the child treats.
“Sure he makes a mess,” Baker said, “the dogs love when he helps, but at least he's learning about clean-up. Learning other things, too.”
Kitchen catastrophes, like a fallen cake, are opportunities for Baker to emphasize the importance of following the recipe. He plays to his pre-kindergarten audience, adding a few special directions like "Let the little boy lick the spoon" or "Tell the little boy to wipe up the sugar he spilled.”
Zack is hooked. He often grabs Baker’s hand, leads him into the kitchen, and says, "Cook, Poppa." Those words are music to the almost-grandfather’s ears.
Two of Zack’s favorite recipes are Wild Porkypine Meatballs and Tickle Me Cake. “A handful of Tickle Me Cake, a sippy cup of chocolate milk, and a Shrek DVD,” Baker says with a chuckle, “now that's bein' small and livin' large!”
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