Getting kids to eat healthy can feel like an endless battle where broccoli is the enemy and sugar reigns supreme. Parents everywhere know the struggle: one day your child devours a plate of carrots, and the next, they stick their noses up at anything green. Grocery stores don’t make it any easier, strategically placing sugary cereals at kid-eye level, while fast food ads promise toys with every meal. Between busy schedules, picky eaters and the lure of processed snacks, convincing kids to choose a banana over a candy bar can seem like an impossible task. 

But what if eating healthy wasn’t a fight? What if it was fun? That’s exactly the mission of The Alphabet Chef, Laura St. John, who has turned the challenge of healthy eating into a playful, exciting experience for kids everywhere.

Laura has spent a lifetime in the spotlight. From belting out Broadway tunes to performing sultry love ballads, her career as a singer, dancer, and entertainer has taken her to cruise ships, corporate events, and some of the most unique performance settings imaginable. But despite her vibrant career on stage, one of her favorite roles has been as The Alphabet Chef, where she combines her love for entertainment with a mission to make healthy eating fun and engaging for kids.

Birth of The Alphabet Chef

Laura’s entertainment career began early. She studied dance at the Royal Academy of Dance, later moving into professional entertainment. Over the years, she performed everything from rock and pop to duets with operatic tenors. 

But despite her passion for music, life as a performer was demanding, and as a mother, she began looking for a way to stay creative while focusing on her family.

Laura’s journey into teaching children about food started at home.

“When my kids were little, I was trying to figure out a way to get them to eat healthy foods,” she says. “I used to talk in a strange, high-pitched voice while I made their meals. They loved it and ate everything I gave them because it was a fun experience. When they had sleepovers, the kids would ask me to ‘be the chef, be the chef.’”

That simple game evolved into a full-fledged program.

“I realized that I could have that effect on all children, not just my own,” Laura says. “It would be another creative thing that I could do during the day while my kids were at school—plus get out the message of healthy eating to young children.”

In 1996, Laura first started dressing up as The Alphabet Chef, officially trademarking the name in 2010. Since then, she has traveled to schools, libraries, grocery stores and even birthday parties, teaching children how to love healthy foods in a way that feels like playtime.

“The Alphabet Chef likes to make healthy food fun,” she says. “Her crazy outfit, her hair, her voice. When she walks into a room, the kids light up with excitement.”

Her signature program, Letters of the Week, introduces kids to foods based on different letters of the alphabet.

“I go by the alphabet,” she says. “So if we’re doing A, I’ll bring in asparagus and apples. If we’re doing C, we’ll look at carrots, cauliflower and celery. I let kids try things, and if they don’t like it, that’s okay, but at least they gave it a shot.”

Beyond introducing foods, Laura teaches kids about food marketing tricks used in grocery stores.

“When I go into classrooms, I tell kids to look at where sugary cereals are placed in stores—right at their eye level,” she says. “Companies are tricking them into wanting the bad stuff first. Once kids realize that, they start paying more attention to their food choices.”

She also gets kids involved by making food interactive.

“I have competitions where kids bring in their healthiest lunch,” she says. “Teachers tell me that students are more motivated to pack healthy lunches because they want to win.”

Beyond the Classroom

Laura hopes to partner with large grocery store chains to bring The Alphabet Chef to more families. She also plans to explore explore digital content and online programming.

“The more we buy organic and healthy things, the cheaper the food will get,” she says. “It’s supply and demand. If we make healthier choices more common, companies will follow.”

She’s also focusing on teenagers through her Homeless Goodie Bag project, using volunteer work to start discussions on sugar intake, protein needs and processed foods.

“I don’t tell kids they can’t have something,” she says. “It’s about balance. If you want a cookie, fine—but not every day. If you love French fries, let’s look at healthier ways to make them.”

For Laura, it all comes down to exposure.

“Kids just aren’t exposed to enough variety,” she says. “I bring in a pineapple and they say, ‘That’s SpongeBob’s house! Then I ask if they’ve ever tasted it, and suddenly they’re excited to try it.”

Her message is simple: healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring.

“I don’t believe in forcing kids to eat certain things,” she says. “You have to make it fun, give them options and let them feel like they’re making a decision.”

Through laughter and creativity, The Alphabet Chef is helping kids form lifelong healthy habits—one letter and one bite at a time.

To learn more, visit www.laurastjohn.com.  

Kid Proof Spinach

Kid’s Smoothie

Cucumber & Carrot “Flowers”

Photos: Cindy Peterson and Provided