Milieu launches new cookbook with a bold vision for food in early childhood

Milieu Early Education & Care has officially launched its new cookbook, unveiling the project at a waterfront celebration at Aqua Luna and bringing together leaders and professionals from across early childhood, nutrition and hospitality.

And in true Milieu style, it was never going to be a quiet launch, because who said childcare can’t be a little boujee?

The launch marks another exciting milestone for Milieu founder and Approved Provider Daniela Silicato, who continues to make her mark on the early childhood sector by challenging traditional perceptions of what childcare can look and feel like.

For Daniela, the Milieu Cookbook represents much more than a collection of recipes. It forms part of a broader vision to change the way food is perceived in childcare and to place greater value on nutrition, variety, presentation and the overall mealtime experience for children.

“We wanted to create something that went beyond our own services,” Daniela said.

“Food is such an important part of a child’s day in early education, and we wanted to take the recipes our children already know and love and make them accessible to families, educators and other services as well.”

“Our goal is to continue changing the way food is perceived in childcare and show that nutritious food can still be exciting, beautifully presented, family-friendly and, most importantly, something children genuinely enjoy.”

The cookbook has been almost two years in the making and was developed with the support of dietitian Daniela Mondello, who assisted throughout the project to ensure the recipes considered the nutritional needs of young children while remaining practical, appealing and achievable for both early childhood services and families at home.

The official unveiling took place at Aqua Luna’s waterfront venue in Sydney, where Milieu welcomed an impressive mix of Approved Providers, early childhood professionals, nutrition specialists, hospitality professionals and industry guests.

Special guests included MasterChef Australia’s Julie Goodwin and Leanne Elliston, CEO of Nutrition Australia, with representatives from Munch & Move NSW also joining the celebration.

But guests didn’t simply get to hear about the food featured in the cookbook, they were able to experience it for themselves.

Live cooking stations were set up throughout the evening, with dishes prepared from the Milieu menu in front of guests. Attendees were able to taste the very same food served to children every day across Milieu Early Education & Care services.

And to say they were impressed would be an understatement.

“People were genuinely surprised when we told them this was the food our children are actually eating at childcare,” Daniela said.

“That was such a special part of the evening. We weren’t just standing there talking about changing the perception of childcare food, we were able to put it on a plate and let people experience it for themselves.”

The live cooking experience also brought the early childhood and hospitality industries together, demonstrating how food in early education can be approached with the same consideration given to nutrition, flavour, presentation and experience in other food settings.

The involvement of Julie Goodwin, Nutrition Australia, Munch & Move NSW, dietitian Daniela Mondello and professionals from across the hospitality and early childhood sectors reflected the wider purpose behind the project, starting a bigger conversation about the role food and mealtimes play within early childhood education and care.

The Milieu Cookbook features recipes currently served across Milieu Early Education & Care services, alongside additional family-friendly recipes that can be recreated both within early learning environments and at home.

For Daniela, making the cookbook available beyond Milieu’s own services was always an important part of the vision.

“We didn’t want this to be something that only lived within Milieu,” she said.

“We want families, educators, chefs, Approved Providers and other services to use it, be inspired by it and hopefully start looking at food in early childhood a little differently.”

That vision is already beginning to gain momentum.

Since unveiling the cookbook, Milieu has received an incredible response from services and Approved Providers wanting to get their hands on copies, introduce the recipes into their own services and become part of what Milieu hopes will become a much wider movement around food in early childhood.

“Seeing other services already wanting to jump on board has probably been one of the most exciting parts,” Daniela said.

“This was never just about producing a cookbook. It was about sharing what we have learned and created and hopefully encouraging the sector to think bigger when it comes to food.”

From Monday, 5 October, the Milieu Cookbook will be available for Milieu families to purchase across all Milieu Early Education & Care centres, with online sales also launching for the wider early childhood sector and community.

The first release will consist of 500 copies, with registrations already open for those wanting to be among the first to receive the book.

For Milieu, the launch represents another example of taking something traditionally viewed as an everyday part of childcare and elevating it into a meaningful part of the early learning experience.