Te Puke's Luka McNickle from Luka's Little Kitchen it ready to cook up a storm. Photo / Supplied
Te Puke's Luka McNickle from Luka's Little Kitchen it ready to cook up a storm. Photo / Supplied
One of Nadia Lim's youngest and cutest fans has got his hands busy during the lockdown and at just 5, he already has big dreams to make it on to the television screens.
But for now, Pāpāmoa East's Luka McNickle is starting small by creating his own cooking show on YouTube with matching apron and chef hat in tow.
Luka's eyes were opened after watching Lim on television recently said dad Joel McNickle.
"We just so happened to sit down and watch Nadia the other night on television and he was blown away that someone could be on TV and talk about cooking and that people loved watching it.
"We were only halfway through the programme when he said 'I wanna do some baking and make a video and send it to people'," Joel said.
And while letting some 5-year-olds loose in the kitchen could turn into one big mess, that is not the case for the number one helper.
His favourite thing to make was chocolate chip cookies, which was where they decided to start, said Joel, but there are other things in the recipe book Luka has already mastered.
"He is just happy to be in there and making anything actually.
"He will help with dinners and he has a few of those he can do by himself, well, as much as you can let a 5-year-old in front of a hot stove."
Joel and Luka McNickle in the kitchen, where the magic happens. Photo / Supplied
Joel said it was Luka's mum who was the good cook and you could often find him helping her out in the kitchen, but Joel didn't know where his confidence came from when making the video.
"He is a natural. He has definitely got that creative part of him, so we are just going to foster that and help him out if that's what he wants to do."
The fruits of his labour are very much enjoyed too - by neighbours and by Luka's 2-year-old brother who was bribed to stay quiet with a few chocolate chips while they were filming.
Now, the challenge is to keep Luka out of the kitchen, Joel said.
"We're trying to slow him down so we have time to do other things and he can do his school work.
"But he is already talking about what he wants to make next and who he can send it to. He is definitely super excited and we will make some more because it makes him happy."
As for Lim, Luka is still waiting for a reply from his idol after sending her the video but the McNickle family understand she might be quite busy with her own little family.
