Milwaukee’s Chef Michael Feker Revives Family Recipes in Fight to Make Cooking Matter Again

There was a time not that long ago when eating together over a home-cooked meal was the norm—a ritual with proven social, behavioral and health benefits. And while more Americans are eating in today than at any other time in the past 20 years, a new study shows that they’re trading in their stoves for microwaves. To turn this trend around, Chef Michael Feker is asking people all over to turn to the one thing that will allow us to cherish those home-cooked meals — the family recipe.

Starting May 1, 2011, Chef Feker, of IL MITO Trattoria e Enoteca in Wauwatosa, and CMF’s School of Culinary Magic, is asking lovers of life and the blessing that we all call food, to take ownership and pride in their family recipes and join him in his long-fought battle to get people back to the table.

Back by popular demand...

The Family Recipe Revival, will give people the opportunity to submit their favorite family recipe online, along with the story behind it, for a chance to spread hope to those in need. As the name implies, it’s a celebration of the recipes passed down from generation to generation that bring families and friends together.

“As a society, we’ve fallen victim to the so-called convenience of eating on the go and pre-packaged meals and, as a result, have lost touch with the true meaning of mealtime,” Feker said. “Even family recipes, which long represented togetherness, have become something we make only during holidays and special occasions. The Family Recipe Revival is about reminding everyone of the importance of the home-cooked meal and inspiring a renewed sense of cooking.”

Each week for one month, the general public will vote on the recipe and story they like best. Chef Feker will select weekly winners and reward them by featuring their dish on the Il Mito menu the following week. Net proceeds from the sale of those entrées will go to the winners’ charities of choice. After four weekly winners are chosen, the public will decide on the ultimate family recipe, which will be featured on the Il Mito menu for an entire year. Finalists will also be given the exciting opportunity to recreate their family recipe at the Culinary School of Magic with the help of Chef Feker.

Why the focus on family recipes and togetherness? Numerous studies have shown there are benefits to eating together. A recent University of Minnesota study found that children who eat home-cooked meals tend to eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer unhealthy foods. Another study done by Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) revealed that teens who eat family meals fewer than three times a week are twice as likely to try drugs. CASA adds that teens that have frequent family dinners are more likely to get A’s and B’s in school and have excellent relationships with their parents. Other reported benefits of eating home-cooked meals together include social connectedness and money savings.

Recent reports on unhealthy chemicals found in processed food, and the ensuing trend toward organic options, further highlight the need for healthier home-cooked meals. The acclaimed book, In Defense of Food, written by Michael Pollan, contends that the processed food we consume is nothing more than edible food-like substances that are anything but healthy.

Despite the known benefits of eating home-cooked meals, evidence shows that people are cooking meals less and less. According to a December 2009 study conducted by NPD Group, a leading market research company, over the past year sales of pre-packaged meals in supermarkets have sky-rocketed and use of the microwave for meal preparation has increased more than 10 percent.

“There has never been a greater time to bring the home-cooked meal back to the forefront of eating again,” Feker said. “It is my sincere hope that by encouraging people to share their most prized recipes, while helping people in need, we can and will make mealtime matter again.”

In addition to The Family Recipe Revival, Chef Feker is using his Culinary School of Magic to help teach the fundamentals of preparing home-cooked meals--everything from shopping for ingredients and how to make cooking simpler and less time consuming to nutrition, scheduling meals and choosing the proper cookware.