Someone You Should Know: Chef Jeff Goldfarb
CHICAGO (CBS) - He's been a chef for 25 years and he loves to cook. But now he gets a lot of joy out of teaching children about food. His name is Jeff Goldfarb. CBS 2's Harry Porterfield says he's someone you should know.
First graders at the Skinner North Classical School are learning about food from someone they can really look up to.
"I am here today to talk to you about healthy foods," said Jeff Goldfarb.
Goldfarb, who stands 7 feet tall, is known as the world's tallest chef. In high school, basketball coaches were eager to have him on a team, but he opted to work as a cook at a fast food restaurant.
"I chose to forget about basketball in high school and become a chef. I worked at a KFC in high school," Goldfarb said. "I've had a great career so far. I love it. I'm very passionate about cooking."
Goldfarb, 41, volunteers his time to work with kids, with the thought of teaching a healthy lifestyle through healthy eating.
On this occasion, he brought along a soy bean snack called edamame.
"It's high in iron and vitamin C," said Goldfarb.
One student said, "I like it because it tastes like green beans."
Another student said, "I like the flavor."
Ethan Netterstron is the principal of Skinner.
"Working with our wellness and health committee, we brought him in to kind of go over with the kids, different kinds of eating habits, different recipes they can make, expand their knowledge about what they are eating every day," Netterstron said.
A chef for 25 years, Goldfarb will tell you he's worked at Disney World, at the downtown Marriott hotel, and at a dude ranch, among many other places.
In addition to his work as a chef, Goldfarb, who wears a size 20 shoe, is writing a children's comic cookbook. He believes that as a chef, he has a special mission when working with children.
"Instead of having children eat fruit juices with high sugar and soda, and pop and candy, I want to show them my world, what I can do," Goldfarb said. "And how I can show them all these flavors and textures, and smells and senses of what they can enjoy and eat for the rest of their lives."
Jeff Goldfarb: he's a chef and a teacher, and someone you should know.
For more information on Jeff, click here.
