How One Family Turned Therapy Into Fun in the Kitchen

For Amanda Farwick and her family, cooking is about much more than preparing a meal. It is an opportunity to learn, practice important life skills, build independence, and have fun together.

Amanda is the author of Cooking With Wilson, a colorful cookbook for children inspired by her son, Wilson, and the family’s popular cooking videos. Filled with simple recipes, step-by-step instructions, and photographs of every finished dish, the book encourages families to bring their young chefs into the kitchen.

From Therapy Exercises to Real-Life Skills

Wilson was born with Down syndrome and began receiving early intervention services, including speech, physical, and occupational therapy, at a young age.

His therapists encouraged the family to practice activities that would help him develop strength, coordination, and fine motor skills. These exercises included pretending to stir, picking up objects with tongs, standing on a stool, and practicing stepping up and down.

Amanda, who has always loved cooking, saw an opportunity to turn those exercises into practical, enjoyable activities.

Rather than asking Wilson to pretend to stir, she invited him to help stir real ingredients. Instead of practicing with tongs during a separate exercise, he could use them to serve food. Standing and stepping exercises became part of helping at the kitchen counter.

“I am not a therapist or a chef,” Amanda explains. “I am just a mama who loves to cook and wants to help her son gain as much independence and learn as many life skills as possible.”

Those shared experiences eventually grew into the Farwick family’s online cooking videos. Amanda and Wilson prepare the food together, while Amanda’s husband, Steve, works behind the camera.

Together, they encourage other families to have fun while learning in the kitchen.

Creating Cooking With Wilson

As the family shared more cooking videos, Wilson’s fans repeatedly asked whether they would create a cookbook featuring his recipes.

Eventually, the answer became Cooking With Wilson.

The cookbook includes simple, Wilson-approved meals, desserts, and snacks designed to be easy to prepare without requiring advanced cooking skills. The recipes do not take long to make, allowing children and their families to enjoy the experience without facing complicated techniques or lengthy preparation times.

Each recipe includes:

• A complete ingredients list
• Step-by-step instructions
• A full-color photograph of the finished dish

The book was created for young chefs and the adults cooking alongside them. Its approachable format gives families an opportunity to prepare food together while helping children develop confidence and practical skills.

No previous cooking experience is required. All families need is a willingness to participate, have fun, and enjoy good food together.

A Different Kind of Creative Process

The Farwick family was already accustomed to creating cooking videos, but producing a cookbook required an entirely different process.

Videos could be planned, recorded, edited, and shared relatively quickly. Each new video also gave the family an opportunity to build on what they had learned from the one before it.

A printed cookbook, however, was a more permanent product. Recipes, photographs, instructions, and design elements needed to be carefully developed and finalized before publication.

The cookbook took approximately nine months to complete once the family seriously began working on it. During that time, Amanda was surprised by how much their cooking continued to evolve in real life, even as they worked to complete the book.

That experience showed the family just how different book production could be from the faster turnaround of their regular video content.

Finding Guidance Through the Publishing Process

When Amanda contacted Publish Pros, she knew how to cook, create recipes, and help Wilson learn in the kitchen. What she did not know was how to turn those ideas into a professionally produced book.

“We needed guidance on all the things book creation and development,” Amanda says. “What we are good at is cooking and learning together in the kitchen, but beyond that, we had no clue about the process.”

The family needed support throughout the project, including editing, cover design, graphic design, pricing, and marketing strategy.

Amanda appreciated having someone available to guide the family through each stage of production and answer questions as they arose.

“We appreciated Publish Pros’ knowledge and expertise in the process from start to finish,” she says. “They were always quick to answer our questions and guide each step of the process.”

Having experienced support helped the family move beyond the uncertainty of creating their first book and focus on sharing the message behind Cooking With Wilson.

Amanda’s Advice for First-Time Authors

For authors considering self-publishing their first book, Amanda recommends finding experienced professionals who can provide practical and realistic guidance.

She understands how intimidating the process can feel when an author has a strong idea but little knowledge of editing, design, production, distribution, pricing, or marketing.

“We would recommend Publish Pros for anyone looking for down-to-earth and realistic guidance throughout the publishing process,” Amanda says. “Their expertise put our fears at ease from start to finish.”

Learning Together in the Kitchen

At its heart, Cooking With Wilson is more than a collection of recipes.

It is the story of a family that found a creative way to turn therapy exercises into real-world experiences. It shows how everyday activities can help children practice important skills, become more independent, and take pride in what they accomplish.

Most importantly, it reminds families that learning does not always have to feel like work. Sometimes, it can look like stirring ingredients, serving food with tongs, standing beside someone you love, and enjoying something delicious together.

Find Amanda Farwick and Cooking With Wilson

Website and Book Purchase: CookingWithWilson.com
Facebook: @FarwickFamily
Instagram: @TheFarwickFamily
TikTok: @FarwickFamily
YouTube: @FarwickFamily

Amanda Farwick and her family are based in Lexington, South Carolina.