Kid Chef Eliana got her first set of knives at 8. Now 16, she’s building a cooking empire.
When she was 8, Eliana de Las Casas posted her first video online. It was the first step in her taking the cooking world by storm.
Eliana grew up in a home where food was a favorite pastime. Family gatherings were centered around the kitchen, and she loved being a part of that. And with grandparents from the Philippines, Cuba, and Honduras — as well as Louisiana, where she lives — there was a lot of good cooking happening.
At around 4 years old, Eliana begged her mom to let her help out with meals.
"I just loved seeing everyone cooking in my family," she said. "And one day I was like, 'Mom, can I help?'... At 4 years old, I wrote my first recipe for strawberry and cream cheese sandwiches for a Valentine’s Day party."
By 8, she’d received her first knife set and was a full-fledged chef putting together her own meals and getting creative with recipes. She’d stumbled upon her first love.
All images via Kid Chef Eliana, used with permission.
"I have never said, 'Oh, I want to be a doctor, a singer, or whatever.' I’ve always — ever since I was 4 — I was like, 'I want to be a chef.'"
And Eliana's family supported her. In fact, there’s a chance none of this would have happened without them. Her mom, who is a published author, encouraged her to write a food blog one summer to keep developing her writing skills while the school year was on break. She dove into this assignment headfirst and loved it so much that she never stopped.
It was Eliana's sister who suggested she post cooking tutorials on YouTube. When her show took off, the entire family chipped in to help her self-publish her first cookbook, contributing recipes and funds. They gave her the support she needed, and she let her own passion drive her.
Kid Chef Eliana's crab-stuffed tomato dish. Hungry just looking at it!
Today, she’s known as Kid Chef Eliana, and she helps both parents and kids find their way into the kitchen.
She wants to make it easier for kids to get in the kitchen so that they don’t experience the young adult moment of shock and disorientation when they don’t have their parents to supply all of their meals. An endless diet of ramen doesn’t have to be the answer if kids develop basic cooking skills.
She's also on a mission to spread the word that food that's good for you doesn’t have to be bland. She encourages families to approach all foods with moderation and says she and her family indulge occasionally — they do live in the land of Cajun food after all — but they know that not every meal needs to be filled with bacon and butter. She put together an entire cookbook of some of her favorite recipes using fresh foods to give families a few ideas for delicious meals.
The most important thing, she says, is for families to just start somewhere — wherever they can.
It can be cooking a few meals per week. Or planting an herb garden and letting it grow; Eliana started her own to cut down on produce costs and now has fun growing her own herbs and vegetables.
And even though she’s getting older, Eliana isn’t leaving her audience behind. She still thinks there’s a strong need for kid-friendly cooking shows. "A lot of people only will cater to adults. ... I want kids and different families to learn how to cook. Food brings people together, and I think that’s something that’s really important."
Even with all that Kid Chef Eliana has done, this is still only the beginning for her.
She's about to launch her own line of spices. She’s starting with one family-friendly Cajun blend that has less salt and less heat than other ones on the market but which is equally delicious. She wants to launch a line of cookware for kids, and her focus is laser-set on getting her own cooking show (her numerous TV appearances are preparing her well).
With the way she’s accomplished everything she’s set her mind to so far, it seems likely that those achievements are on the horizon.
"As I keep going I’ll add more things that I want to do," she said.
She's introduced thousands of families the endless benefits of coming together and having fun with food all while juggling school and building her own mini empire. There's no telling what will come next.
Update 10/11/2016: Kid Chef Eliana was recently named the Food Network's 2016 Chopped Teen Champion, winning $25,000. Another dream of hers come true.
"Now your fishes will be warmed."
"To have one’s eyes lined with ham."
"To lay your head in water."
"Repetition teaches the donkey."
"I only understand train station."
"To speak directly from the liver."
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Medusa image of giant squid in Gulf of Mexico off of Mississippi Gulf CoastPhoto credit: 
Sign warning against feeding alligators next to alligator in Mississippi marshlandsCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
Mississippi Gulf Coast beach in BiloxiCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
2009 photo of giant squid caught in Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi GulfPhoto credit: 
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."