Tweens and teens may know Reed Alexander as Nevel Papperman, the nemesis on the iCarly TV show, but he has another interest that keeps him in the spotlight: Cooking.
The South Florida native will be at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival this week to talk about healthy foods for kids. He has a website, Kewl Bites, which is dedicated to eating right and cooking for kids.
“I love to travel In terms of food. I have always been a food lover,” he said. “I am always discovering new foods to eat.”
About three years ago, he was overweight, didn’t really exercise and had a history of diabetes and heart disease in his family, he said. He was searching for something from a kid’s point of view, with a kid’s voice. So, he started to improvise.
“I began to experiment,” he said “Swapping out butter or heavy fats.”
He cut out sugar and salt too and looked for a way to make exercise less of a chore. He ended up losing 15 pounds.
“Kewl Bites gives me a chance to talk to kids about a really serious topic,” he said.
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He is now writing his first cookbook and has been the White House three times. He was honored at President Clinton’s health summit and spoke on a panel with Chelsea Clinton.
“Kewl Bites grew out of my own passion,” he said. “It’s allowed me to have a platform to share what I love to do.”
Now he gets messages from moms telling him they loved his recipes and from teachers who are integrating Kewl Bites into their classrooms.
His cookbook launch is set for Sept. 3, and then there’s the national book tour.
Click here to see when Alexander will be at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.
