BLW Meal Prep Tips from 2X Food Network Chopped Champ Chef Tatiana Rosana

Tatiana Rosana (0s):

Kids don't need fancy meals with a million different ingredients prepared in a million different ways. A simple black bean burger comes together in seconds. It's super nutritious. It can be made in large batches and frozen for later, and you don't have to worry about it.

Katie Ferraro (15s):

Hey there. I'm Katie Ferraro, registered dietitian, college nutrition professor, and mama of seven specializing in baby led weaning. Here on the baby led weaning made easy podcast, I help you strip out all of the noise and nonsense about feeding, feeding you with the confidence and knowledge you need to give your baby a safe start to solid foods using baby led weaning. Hello, and welcome back. Today I am so excited because I have a super cool guest joining me, chef Tatiana Rosana is here. She is a two time food network, chopped champion. She's the executive chef at the Omni hotel in Boston and Tatiana and her wife are raising a baby led weaning baby.

Katie Ferraro (1m 0s):

His name is Arlo. He's eight months old. I actually met Tatiana if you could say that through Instagram, she has a super cool account documenting Arlo's baby led weaning journey and she's here today to talk to us like from her chef perspective, but also real life mom's status. How do we effectively do baby led weaning meal prep? Because I know you guys, it can be a drag trying to figure out what new foods to feed your baby or how to streamline your workflow. So you're not spending all of your time meal prepping to feed the said, baby. So I absolutely love the podcasting platform. It's such a cool way to share ideas and I think you guys are really going to love what chef Tatiana Rossano has to share insight of this podcast episode. As I said, she's a real life mom, she's a working mom, she makes amazing food for work all day long, she was on chopped four times.

Katie Ferraro (1m 45s):

She actually won chopped twice, and then she got invited to be on beat Bobby Flay. So she's going to talk a little bit about that and the stress, the pressure, why they're different, how it all kind of played into a personal and professional life. And Tatiana is a first generation Cuban-American, she's trained in French cooking and her wife is a first-generation Korean American. So Tatiana is going to be sharing some really interesting ideas and different ways to incorporate a lot of diverse foods from various food cultures as you embark upon helping your baby learn how to eat. So with no further ado, here are some BLW meal prep tips from two time food network, chopped champion, chef Tatiana Rosana. All right, well Tatiana, thank you so much for being here.

Katie Ferraro (2m 26s):

I am so excited to get to talk to you. I know you peripherally from Instagram as one of Arlo's moms, and I love watching him learn how to eat. I know you guys are doing baby led weaning, but aside from that, you have a very interesting background in the food and culinary world. So I was wondering if you could just tell us a little bit about that and what your professional journey has been like up until this point.

Tatiana Rosana (2m 47s):

Absolutely. Well, first of all, I want to thank you so much for having me on, I have been a huge fan of your account and your family, and all of your advice has helped so much with our baby led weaning journey. So thank you for that. But yeah, as a first generation Cuban American growing up in Miami, food was always a huge part of my day-to-day life. All of our triumphs and struggles kind of centered around coming together and cooking and learning about ingredients and how to prepare them. However, I didn't always plan on becoming a chef. I started out actually as a pre-med biomedical science major, however, I was painfully unhappy and I knew I wasn't following my heart. So about halfway through my degree, I did decide to completely change my career path.

Tatiana Rosana (3m 28s):

And my passions led me to the kitchen. So I switched gears and went to culinary school before moving to Boston to further that career journey. And since then I've appeared on food networks, chopped four times actually winning twice. And I've been on the show beat Bobby Flay, just narrowly missing out a win against him. And I'm the executive chef of the Envoy hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. So it's been a really amazing and interesting journey so far.

Katie Ferraro (3m 58s):

Oh my gosh. That is crazy. So you started, you've been on the show four times. Like how does it work to get invited back? I'm just curious.

Tatiana Rosana (4m 5s):

Yeah. So the first time I'm really active on social media and Instagram. And actually the first time they asked me to be on the show, they reached out to me via my Instagram and it was a Cuban themed episode. So that was a lot of fun because I got to kind of mix my culture with my cooking passions. So that was awesome. And I got to take home the win and actually winning that was kind of what gave me the money to start my family and have our low in the first place. So it kind of came full circle and they just kept inviting me back for more like champion tournaments and the last time I competed, I was almost seven months pregnant with Arlo. So it was really a full circle moment for me, but it was a lot of fun.

Katie Ferraro (4m 43s):

I love that you used your chopped weddings to start your family. That's so cool.

Tatiana Rosana (4m 47s):

Yeah, it was, it was amazing.

Katie Ferraro (4m 49s):

So they reached out to you on Instagram. That's crazy. Did you think it was like fake at first? I would be like, whatever, it's not real.

Tatiana Rosana (4m 55s):

So at first I kind of did, but then they called me and I got to speak with the producers and it kind of came together really quickly. And before I knew it, I was in the chopped kitchen, like about to open that basket of secret ingredients and it was really amazing.

Katie Ferraro (5m 8s):

Oh my gosh. How did the Bobby Flay thing come about?

Tatiana Rosana (5m 11s):

So Bobby Flay, it's a bunch of different producers, but they do kind of all work kind of closely together. So after I was on chopped, they called me to be on beat Bobby Flay. And just to see if I was interested and I was like, why not? I've already done chops. So let's do it.

Katie Ferraro (5m 26s):

Is there any like differences between the two, like more stressful, less stressful, nicer.

Tatiana Rosana (5m 30s):

Beat Bobby Flay is definitely a lot more fun. I would say chop does a lot of fun, but chopped is very real and a whole lot of pressure. And that clock waits for no one. And those secret ingredients are really a secret and you don't know what they're going to be. And so chops was a lot more pressure and chop there's money on the line. If you win against Bobby, it's kind of bragging rights, but if you win chop, there's a decent amount of money on the line there so.

Katie Ferraro (5m 55s):

Oh my gosh. I didn't even think about that, but that makes, so we did two chopped episodes about baby led weaning. I'm like embarrassed for you to listen to them maybe because you'd be like, that's not actually how chopped works. So I'm not a big TV person, but we, like, we always get episode ideas from listeners. They put it in the reviews at apple podcasts. And two of the girls who helped me with the podcasts Caitlyn and Lauren were like, you have to do a chop episode. Everyone's asking for it and was like, I don't even know how that works. Like, we'll put it all together for you. But it was like secret ingredients for me where they, they kind of surprised me with the ingredients were like, all right, how would you make this for baby led weaning? And I was like, this is so easy. And they're like, see, this is not easy to other people, but like you could tell me any food that I could like tell you how to make it safe and interesting for a baby to eat.

Katie Ferraro (6m 37s):

But as far as like doing it on TV for adults, like there is no way that I could ever do that.

Tatiana Rosana (6m 42s):

Oh my gosh, it's so much pressure. But chopped and baby led weaning actually have a lot in common because you do have to find ways of putting these ingredients together and whatever you have in your pantry, you know, kind of make it work. So I love that you did those podcasts. They're amazing.

Katie Ferraro (6m 55s):

I'd get a lead to your real chopped episodes in the show notes for this episode, you guys. So if you go to BLW podcast.com forward slash 86, we found all your videos and sorry, we kind of stopped you. Well, what happened? Just so everyone knows is that Tatiana's son, Arlo, is doing baby led weaning. I was following your baby led weaning account. And then I don't know. I think we just connected on DM and you mentioned chopped, and then I went and saw your profile page. I was like, oh, in real life, she's like a superstar chopped chef and an executive chef, but it's funny cause I was first interested in like, oh my gosh, what's Arlo eating today so.

Tatiana Rosana (7m 29s):

That's awesome. I love that.

Katie Ferraro (7m 30s):

I'm glad we got introduced to you and I'm so glad you could come on because I've been trying to do a meal prep episode for a while, but other than like make food ahead of time and put it in the freezer. Like that's not like people know to do that. That's not entirely helpful. So I know we've kind of thrown around some ideas, but I just, I guess we need to talk first about Arlo before we talk about what we actually make for food. So your interests, your expertise in food, obviously off the charts and that I love to hear like what chef bombs like really make at home when it comes to your family. So tell us a little bit about when Arlo turned six months, why you decided to explore baby led weaning for your son?

Tatiana Rosana (8m 3s):

Absolutely. So Arlo was actually born three and a half weeks early. So we started a little after he turned six months to make sure he was six months adjusted age, but my wife and I always knew that baby led weaning was the way we wanted to go. We wanted to instill, you know, our love for food and our son, and also wanted to make sure that he was an active participant in his eating journey. Both of which I think are kind of at the core of baby led weaning. And we knew we wanted him to try as many textures and flavors as early on as often as possible to encourage that adventurous and independent food experiences for him, which has going pretty great so far. But because we have such a strong kind of food core in our lives, baby led weaning for us was kind of a no brainer.

Tatiana Rosana (8m 45s):

We definitely wanted to introduce Arlo to that as soon as possible.

Katie Ferraro (8m 49s):

You're lucky though, because most people's partner significant other whoever's helping with feeding is not necessarily as into it as the person who like decides to do it. So does your wife have a background in food or did you both know about baby led weaning? Like I feel like as new parents, a lot of people don't know about.

Tatiana Rosana (9m 3s):

Yeah so she had no idea at all. I was kind of the one that brought it up to her and gave her all the research and showed her your page and gave her the rundown of all of it. But she is also in the industry. She works in banquets. She's kind of the guest facing part of it though. So it's fun because we have both aspects of the same industry in our household, but she is an amazing home cook in her own right and she is a huge foodie. So it really was a no brainer for us to want to do baby led weaning because food is such a big part of our lives. And we also didn't want Arlo to be a passive eater. We didn't want it to be something where he was just opening his mouth and swallowing as opposed to actually enjoying textures and flavors, which was really important for us.

Katie Ferraro (9m 45s):

And he gets to eat so many amazing foods. You're first generation Cuban-American your wife is first generation Korean American. I've seen like a whole gamut of foods that he has been able to eat. He's eight months old. Now at the time of this recording, I'm curious, what's been one of the biggest surprises for you guys about helping Arlo learn how to eat ?

Tatiana Rosana (10m 1s):

You know, one of the biggest surprises has definitely been how quickly he's picked up self-feeding and open cup drinking because in the beginning it was very difficult. Like this isn't something that naturally they're just going to know how to do off the bat on their own, but see him progress from day-to-day has been really amazing. Starting out, he could almost hardly hold the spoon properly, putting the wrong side of the spoon in his mouth, kind of just playing with it, which was still fun and still have a way of him learning. But now he's like shoveling in mouthfuls of food, like a professional with the spoon. So he's doing really great.

Katie Ferraro (10m 36s):

And I like that you point out that it doesn't start like magically, like it you're in kind of the golden age now when they're eight, nine, ten months of age, it's generally you guys, when you've been feeding your baby for about four, six, some babies even take eight weeks to really get the hang of it. So I think it is important that we talk about the other side of it. Like yes, shoveling food in your mouth is great, but the audience loves to hear like what the hard stuff is as well because not every baby super interested in food right off the bat. And that's totally fine. That's typical curious if you guys had any struggles or challenges so far and baby led weaning with Arlo that you've encountered, if you feel comfortable sharing.

Tatiana Rosana (11m 9s):

Of course. So, like I mentioned in the beginning, he wasn't interested as much in actually eating the food. It was a lot more kind of playing with it and throwing it on the floor and getting it everywhere except in his mouth, which I think for us. And I think for a lot of first-time baby led weaning parents, that could be frustrating because you kind of want them to start out and already know what they're doing and get the scary parts out of the way, but that's not realistic. You're there to help them learn and to be on the journey with them. So watching them progress is really part of that journey. And honestly, as a first time and full-time working mom, it was pretty overwhelming in the beginning. Kind of getting used to the gags, which are definitely scary at first. But I consistently had to remind myself that gagging is inevitable and completely normal.

Tatiana Rosana (11m 53s):

And part of his learning process also getting through the eight major allergens was a bit scary and we just finished our last one, which was soy. We gave him tofu last night and he did great, but there was times, you know, through all of that where we weren't sure we could continue with it. It was definitely overwhelming, but we're glad we persisted. And it's been so helpful, not only to have such an understanding and supportive partner, but also to have an entire community like yourself and like other parents going through this journey with us to lean on and learn from, oh yeah. And another thing is the mess. A mess is extreme. A lot of times it took a lot of getting used to watching, you know, Arlo throw things on the ground as opposed to eating them, but seeing him light up when he encounters those new tastes and textures is completely right.

Katie Ferraro (12m 41s):

And I think it's cool. Cause like you're in a professional setting all day long, your wife is as well. Like you guys are, you're good at what you do and it involves food. And then when you turn around to feed a baby, sometimes we feel like, man, this is like totally different. You have to kind of shift your mindset. You have to get comfortable with the mess. Like if one of your kitchen staff threw food all over the place, you'd be like "Hey man, that's not cool", but with the baby, it's like

Tatiana Rosana (13m 1s):

Yeah

Katie Ferraro (13m 1s):

This is part of the learning how to eat process and more and more of it gets in their mouth and was just heads up down the road. Like usually ten month, elven month old babies, they kind of go through a phase where they go back to throwing food around.

Tatiana Rosana (13m 12s):

Wonderful

Katie Ferraro (13m 12s):

And a lot of times if you're experiencing that though, they're a little bit farther down the pike, as far as their developmental abilities and also their ability to recognize and respond to their own hunger cues. So for those of you guys, if you have like, you know, 10, 11 month old babies who are throwing food or playing with food, if it's happening right at the beginning of the meal, that's sometimes an indicator that they're not actually hungry. So early on babies can't feel and respond to hunger. So when Arlo is dropping food at eight months, it's just cause he's learning what to do. But later once they do get the hang of it, if they're messing around and not interested in food early on, it might be a good idea to take a look at, you know, how much milk is he having and how close to the meal is it? Is he full from milk or is he full from snacks? Cause that happens sometimes as well. We want our babies to feel a little bit of hunger so that they in turn can participate.

Katie Ferraro (13m 54s):

But I know he's like digging it right now.

Tatiana Rosana (13m 57s):

Yeah

Katie Ferraro (13m 57s):

Can we talk about meal prep? Because that's like the thing that parents always want to know about because nobody has time to be prepping a bunch of new foods from scratch multiple times a day. And of course, no one expects you to, but anything you have as a chef that you could share with us, things you do to streamline your family, food prep, that also includes like making new foods for Arlo.

Tatiana Rosana (14m 16s):

Yeah absolutely. So what I like to do is on like Sunday or my day off, I like to preplan a week or a couple of weeks ahead. And then I actually build my meals and my ingredients on top of each other. So for instance, if day one is chickpeas, then I'll make a large batch of hummus with them. And then day two, I'll introduce cucumbers, which go great with hummus and then day three, I'll introduce lamb and chili with cucumbers and hummus. So kind of that one prepped ingredient goes through the entire week, maybe in different iterations or different ways of preparing it. But like, let's say I introduce sweet potato one day, then I'll roast off a bunch of sweet potato. And the next day, if I'm introducing ground beef, I'll make beef patties with the already roasted sweet potato mixed in.

Tatiana Rosana (15m 2s):

So my prep all plays off of each other and each day is super simple because half of the work is already done the day before. So I hope that makes sense, but

Katie Ferraro (15m 11s):

And there's nothing wrong with that. Like, yeah, just, and I think some parents are like, wait, what? I can feed the same food? Heck yeah. Same food three times a day. If you want same food, three days in a row, like as long as you're introducing something else and keeping, you know, moving forward, exactly. Not need to be making all this new food from scratch. No one has time for that. Are there foods that you've found that are low can eat or you like to prepare that you can refrigerate and freeze ahead of time. And then like if you're not feeling it or you don't have time, you just reheat or defrost frost them on a busier day

Tatiana Rosana (15m 39s):

Yeah. I mean, honestly Arlo loves everything period. The kid is a tank and there's nothing he won't eat, but he really loves all protein and meat. And because of that, I love making chili for him because I feel like you can change it up so much. It freezes really great. And you can use it as a way of using up any leftover veggies that you might have. So for instance, he loves lamb, which is super surprising and really exciting for me. But I will make like a lamb chilli and I'll use chickpeas in it or chicken and white beans and throw in those sweet potatoes I was talking about earlier because you can cook these up in really large batches. And they're really great for baby led weaning. And like I said, they freeze amazingly well. And all you have to do is take out a small portion defrosted or throw it in the microwave or in a pot really quick, and you have dinner in honestly seconds.

Katie Ferraro (16m 27s):

And I know some people think, oh wait, soups or stews, like how can babies eat those before they know how to use a spoon? If you just make them a little bit thicker, you guys, like I wouldn't strain off the extra liquid. You can leave a liquid in there, but it might get pretty messy. And they, they do start to learn how to dip and scoop with their own spoon, but you can make them nice and thick where you baby, can he be eating the chili with their hands. And I love that idea of taking an idea like chili and then making it four or five different ways because there are so many different ingredients that can be incorporated into a recipe like that.

Tatiana Rosana (16m 55s):

Absolutely

Katie Ferraro (16m 55s):

Okay. What about for the parents and the caregivers who are listening and they feel really overwhelmed, cause you mentioned it even at like it's your profession and it still can be overwhelming because you have to now make food for another person in your family. So for those that are just like dipping their toes into the water for cooking or food prepping, do you have any kitchen hacks or tips or tricks that are working for you and your wife at your house that we could maybe also implement in our home kitchens?

Tatiana Rosana (17m 18s):

Yeah, so my biggest piece of advice, not only for baby led weaning, but in general for home cooking is to keep it simple, keep it seasonal and be open to changing your plans. Right? Kids don't need fancy meals with a million different ingredients prepared in a million different ways. A simple black bean burger comes together in seconds. It's super nutritious. It can be made in large batches and frozen for later. And you don't have to worry about it. If you have mango on your list of items to introduce for the week, but mangoes are out of stock at your local grocery store or they're not in season and the papaya looks really amazing, introduce the papaya instead. Your child will still be exposed to different ingredients and different textures.

Tatiana Rosana (17m 58s):

And honestly, the more seasonal the fruit or vegetable is, the taste here it normally is anyways. Also don't put so much pressure on yourself. We don't have to be professional chefs in our home kitchens. Our children are not going to expect us to be professional chefs in our own kitchen. This should be a fun experience, not only for our children, but also for ourselves. I feel like it's a moment in our children's lives that are really setting them up for future food experiences and getting them to enjoy kind of this dining experience. And you know, it should be fun and it should be something that we're enjoying together. So taking that pressure off of us and going with the flow more, I think will make not only tastes your meals, but just the better experience overall.

Katie Ferraro (18m 40s):

And I appreciate that you pointed out that it doesn't have to be professional or look amazing because I love your baby led weaning account. It's hello, dot it's, dot Arlo, A-R-L-O. And it's just like real life food. I'm like, oh my gosh, she's a professional chef. Her baby is eating a variety of foods, but it's like, I could make those foods and I'm never been on chopped because on your professional Instagram, she's on Instagram at chef dot Tatiana. It's like amazing, beautiful, well, styled food. And someday Arlo will get to eat all that if he's not already, but it doesn't have to look like that when we're starting new foods with babies. So I really appreciate your Instagram. Cause it seems like very attainable and doable and you're just giving us like great ideas of different foods. Because for example, you know, you're bringing a Cuban food culture to the family and your wife is bringing Korean American foods.

Katie Ferraro (19m 23s):

I'm just curious any like Cuban foods or dishes or staple items that you've been able to modify to make safe for Arlo to eat.

Tatiana Rosana (19m 30s):

Yeah. So I mean, so far I've done a lot with MOHO sauce, which is like a garlic and lime and like dried oregano sauce, which I've raised a lot of his meats in. And that's great because it keeps it super moist, but it's definitely a staple in our cuisine and it's so much fun to watch him like just love every second of it. And also with the Korean food, we just gave him short ribs, which are kind of a big meat product in Korean cuisine. And it's just so much fun to watch him adapt to the different cuisines that we give him and enjoy like every second of it

Katie Ferraro (20m 2s):

You guys sound like super jazzed about feeding your baby, which I know sometimes when you do something for work, it can be really a grind to go home and have to do the same thing again. But I can tell that you really love cooking and it's so great that you found a way to share that passion with Arlo. So I got to ask about feedback from Arlo because I mean the pressure on chopped it must've been so intense and you have to stay there and smile, everyone's critiquing your food. Oh my gosh. But you are totally tough as nails, but I would assume it's like kind of nice to have an audience of one who pretty much likes everything you offer. Is that a cool change of pace to like, have it be a little bit less pressure at home than at work?

Tatiana Rosana (20m 37s):

Oh my. It's honestly the best, like watching Arlo's face, light up when he tries something new, it is worth every single second of prep or every single second of worry. And it's definitely whole lot less pressure, honestly, even if he's having an off eating day, which is normal and sometimes he just doesn't do as well as he does other days at the end of the day, like he looks up at me with just complete love and adoration and it's worth everything.

Katie Ferraro (21m 3s):

So I know a lot of our parents are interested in meal prep. So you seem to like have it very top of mind cause you're right in the thick of it, like the new foods that Arlo is eating, you mentioned mango. And then you mentioned the black beans and the ground beef. What foods are on the horizon, like name a couple of the foods. And then just if you can like freestyle and let us know how you're thinking about preparing them. Cause you have such great prep ideas.

Tatiana Rosana (21m 24s):

Yeah absolutely. So we're planning on introducing pork pretty soon. He hasn't had pork yet and that's big in Cuban cuisine and I love braising like a whole pork shoulder and kind of giving it kind of like a deconstructed taco because he's had most of the other ingredients like avocados and the whole milk yogurt, which we've given him. So I think I'm really excited about kind of a taco Tuesday with the braised pork shoulder that I'm going to give him and some yogurt and in place of sour cream and the avocado. But yeah, honestly I just love perusing the grocery store and seeing kind of what's new and interesting and going from there. So I think he's going to have a lot of really fun food coming up and I can't wait to share it with everybody.

Katie Ferraro (22m 5s):

We are so excited Excited and you guys again on Instagram, it's hello dot it's dot our low and I'll link everything up from Tatiana's episodes on food network to her work, Instagram to Arlo's Instagram on the show notes for this episode @blwpodcasts.com forward slash 86. So you mentioned going to the grocery store, which I'm always interested, like how chefs really shop, like, do you buy stuff online, pandemic style? Are you like actually still going to stores and buying stuff and are you buying it for work? And then like, oh, I'll pick this up for our Arlo ? Or how does that work ?

Tatiana Rosana (22m 33s):

We do a little bit of both. So I do like getting my dry goods kind of delivered to us and things that we already like, know how they're going to come and not have to pick it out. But I also get a lot of inspiration from the produce aisle and seeing what looks good and what could be used or transforms for baby led weaning. So we do kind of a hybrid, a little bit of both online and in store grocery shopping for Arlo. And then when I'm coming up for new menus at the restaurant and hotel, that definitely picks my inspiration and motivation for what I'm going to serve in, in the future because you know, the possibilities are endless and it's so much fun to see him try new things. So yeah, it's been amazing and I love

Katie Ferraro (23m 12s):

That. You're not stretching it too far. I think parents ask, I don't know what to cook. And then I always say, okay, if you were at a restaurant right now, what would you order? And then whatever your answer is, let's work backwards and we can make that safe for your baby to eat. Like, think about the foods you already want to be eating. I love it. You're like working on menus for work. And there is some components of that that would definitely work for baby led weaning. Like you're not thinking of entirely different menus for your kid, which is really important. Cause you would totally burn out if that were the case.

Tatiana Rosana (23m 39s):

Yes, absolutely.

Katie Ferraro (23m 40s):

Alrighty. So I'm going to link up everything. Like I mentioned at the show notes, BLW podcast.com forward slash 86, but can you just tell us where we can go to learn more about you, your work and then obviously for those of us that need to continue watching Arlo learn how to eat well, where is that at ?

Tatiana Rosana (23m 55s):

Yes absolutely. So I'm documenting Arlo's baby led weaning journey on his Instagram, as you mentioned, it's hello, dot it's, dot Arlo. I do day by day. Every single thing we're feeding him. I have recipes on there for you and just kind of any tips and tricks I throw on there as well. And then professionally, if you're interested in anything I'm doing, either on TV or at the restaurant, you can find that at chef dot Tatiana, that's T-A-T-I-A-N-A and I love putting on again, tips, tricks and recipes on there that might be better suited for adults, but definitely still as fun. So please feel free to check me out on there. And if you're ever in Boston, come visit me at the Envoy hotel and I would be delighted and honored to cook for you.

Katie Ferraro (24m 41s):

So how it going as a hotel? I've been meaning to ask like with pandemic and restaurants, I'm in San Diego. I mean every part of the world is different at the time of the recording because of restrictions related to COVID. How are you doing work-wise?

Tatiana Rosana (24m 53s):

Yeah so we are super strict with COVID protocols here and we have completely sectioned off some plexiglass sectionals over on our rooftop. So we have an amazing rooftop with views of the city, but we call them our ice boxes because it is quite chilly over here right now, but they are heated and we spray sanitize them between each guest that comes and we do have our lighted and heated igloos. If you go on our website at Envoy hotel.com, you can see those there, but they're these amazing igloos that are heated inside and you can order your food. And again, they get spray sanitized down between each guest. And it's just amazing what we're doing here with everything, but it's completely safe and definitely delicious if you want to get out and get some fresh air.

Katie Ferraro (25m 39s):

Okay that's Boston fans. You got to go visit Tatiana is the executive chef at the Envoy hotel. And they'll probably come and ask you a bunch of questions about baby led weaning. If I can, if it's not too nosy, do you and your wife like switch off because if you're, I'm always interested in two working parent households, do you just take shifts or does someone else help you guys watch Arlo when you're working?

Tatiana Rosana (25m 58s):

So my wife has actually been at home the majority of the time. She has worked a little bit since the pandemic started, but luckily it's been unlucky and lucky, but fortunately for us, she's been able to do most of the prep for Arlo's baby led weaning. But on the days that she does work, we go ahead and pull out some of those pre-made meals and then add in whatever ingredient we want to introduce for the day. So it's been working out for us to be able to like pre batch and pre pep, a bunch of food for him ahead of time, and then use that throughout the week with new ingredients.

Katie Ferraro (26m 30s):

Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. It was such an honor to get to speak with you and thanks for sharing all of the great meal tips. This is so cool.

Tatiana Rosana (26m 38s):

Thank you Katie. It was such a pleasure. And if anybody ever has any questions, feel free to reach out to me. And it was a pleasure speaking to you. Thank you so much for everything you've taught me so far. And I look forward to seeing what else you have

Katie Ferraro (26m 49s):

And we look forward to seeing Arlo like continue with all the new foods it's been amazing.

Tatiana Rosana (26m 53s):

Yes

Katie Ferraro (26m 54s):

All right, bye now.

Tatiana Rosana (26m 55s):

Thank you. Bye-bye.

Katie Ferraro (26m 55s):

Well I hope you guys enjoyed that interview with some ideas on some BLW meal prep tips. I think chef Tatiana Rosana is so down to earth. Like, you know, the foodie people sometimes can be so intimidating and I have to be real. When I saw her pro Instagram, I was like, oh my gosh, like this is way too much. Most parents are gonna feel super overwhelmed if this is how she's making food for her baby. But then go look at hello dot it's dot Arlo. Her baby led weaning account. And it is the real deal. I mean, she's just in there showing you how you make these different foods. I'm going to link to everything she shared, including her show episodes from food network. If you guys want to check them out, that's all going to be on the show notes for this particular episode, which you can find at blwpodcast.com.

Katie Ferraro (27m 37s):

Tatiana. Thanks again for being here. That was super cool. And you guys thank you so much for listening. Go check out Arlo, he is a doll and I am kind of obsessed with watching all of the foods that he's learning, how to eat. See you guys next time. Bye now.