Petite Palate Gourmet Baby Food: Meals Even a Mother Can Love

Petite Palate Puree of Garnet Yams

Babies are in for a treat with a new line of baby food created by two chefs that’s available at Amazon.com as well as in local stores on the east coast like Whole Foods and Zabar’s. Petite Palate was started by Lisa Beels, a graduate of Cordon Bleu in London and Christine Naylor, a graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, both of whom wanted to feed their own babies more adventurous foods than they could find. So of course they started creating their own! What makes Petite Palate stand out from the rest is that its chefs/moms don’t shy away from good ingredients, even if thyme and ginger may not be typical baby fare.

Entirely organic and packaged in eco-friendly containers that are portable and can be thawed and served right in the package, the frozen meals are not only easy but incredibly delicious. Their yams aren’t just yams, for instance. After all, why shouldn’t babies have their sweet potatoes spiced up a little with nutmeg, cinnamon and bouquet garni? And Petite Palate’s protein-packed split pea soup isn’t much different from one I’d make, complete with garlic, pepper and oregano.

As Lisa and Christine themselves write: "Petite Palate knows thatinfants are born with taste buds that need to be nurtured from the veryfirst taste of solid food. We believe in the French tradition of smallmeals with big flavor. This leads to a positive relationship with food(as opposed to large portions of bland foods typically served). Ifpresented as early as possible, children will grow up with bettereating habits, reducing the incidence of child obesity and a number ofhealth problems. Petite Palate also believes that with a highlydeveloped palate, older children will choose nutritious foods overfried and processed ones; setting healthy habits for their entirelives."

— Jen