2013 Publication of the Year

ChopChop demonstrates that a print publication with the right message can still shine: its pages and its lively website, chopchopmag.com, pulse with energy. The magazine features smart recipes and engaging projects that are fun and informative for both the children and the grownups who read it. The photographs are lively, the layout upbeat, and the stories send positive messages about eating right and cooking with healthy ingredients without ever talking down to readers.

We applaud ChopChop’s mission: “To inspire and teach kids to cook and eat real food with their families.” And we uphold its philosophy: “We believe that cooking and eating together
as a family is a vital step in resolving the obesity and hunger epidemics.”

ChopChop is the brainchild of cookbook author Sally Sampson, who sought a way to use her skills to attack the issue of obesity among children. She invented a stealthy way of changing eating habits: making her pages fun, but never sacrificing content. ChopChop does not patronize; it challenges children’s palates with dishes like ratatouille, gazpacho, hummus, and kale chips. The recipes encourage kids and their families to discover ingredients and recipes that go beyond the supermarket. Along with nutrition and cooking skills, ChopChop values inclusion. “We want everyone, no matter who you are, to look at the photos and see yourself,” Sampson says. ChopChop’s pages celebrate diversity; the cooks are kids of all colors, shapes, and ages.

ChopChop has an intriguing business model. It is a nonprofit publication not supported by advertising but funded instead by foundations that value children’s health and wellness, all
of them listed on the last page of the magazine. ChopChop is distributed free to places that kids frequent—schools, boys’ and girls’ clubs, pediatricians’ offices, and community centers
that serve low-income children.

ChopChop is no ordinary children’s magazine, and the Journalism Committee is proud to name it Publication of the Year.