One is the effort made by the home cook; the other is how children are taught to react to what is set before them.

Mr. Pepin remembers how he and his wife nurtured their daughter Claudine and gave her a lifelong appreciation of food that she continues to cultivate as an adult.

"When Claudine was a year old, I would hold her in my arms and let her do the stirring while I made the meal," the chef recounts. "When the dish was done, she would say, 'I made it!' "

Mr. Pepin says that by giving her ownership of the dish, Claudine was invested in the outcome and predisposed to like what was being served.

"Let kids taste as you cook, let them lick the spoon," he suggests. "Let them arrange the tomato slices on the plate or make the vinaigrette for the salad."

Parental attitudes about food can color their children's views, he says.

"Some parents make eating a big deal. They'll give a reward for eating spinach. You should eat whatever is put on the table. When Claudine was young, she used to say, 'What's for dinner?' Her mom always said, 'Food.' "

Mr. Pepin is dismayed by parents who insist their children will not eat vegetables. "Kids aren't born with a palate that's allergic to string beans or carrots. One day a kid loves string beans. Two weeks later, they hate string beans. Let it go.

"Then there are parents who are so righteous they only give their kids carrots. Kids need ice cream and cookies occasionally, too." Otherwise when they get to be 10 or 12, they're totally addicted to junk food, he says.

Mr. Pepin also advocates giving children the same meal as the adults. If company is coming, there shouldn't be special food for guests and a hotdog for the child.

Imagine the problems for a child who is served adult food for the first time at a formal occasion.

"If children always get separate food, when they turn 10 or 12 and they sit around the table and see another set of food, they are going to think, what is this?

"It's important to condition taste buds as early as you can."

Finally, Mr. Pepin advises parents to sit with their children at the table.

"There is no better time for family communication," he says. "The time you spend at the dinner table is essential. It should be a pivotal part of daily life."