Cool Kid Daniel Chow creates cultural food club to expand classmates' palates

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. (KABC) -- Our ABC7 Cool Kid for Thursday, Feb. 9, is Daniel Chow, who created a food club where his fellow Westlake High School classmates can expand their horizons by trying cultural cuisines.

The 16-year-old founded the club, called Chow Time, and said it gives students from every grade and background the chance to celebrate their diversity.

"It's a food culture club where students get to experience different cultures through the universal language of food," he said.

He said many people haven't tried traditional cultural meals, such as Korean food. The high school junior said he faced a few challenges along the way, but he didn't let them stop him.

With the support of Chow's teacher and the school, the student foodies meet two to three times a month. Chow said he and other club leaders take turns cooking, and even got his teacher to whip up a dish or two.

"Daniel's a fabulous student, he's really intelligent. He's also very passionate. When there's something that he believes in, he is absolutely going to kind of cling onto that," teacher Danielle Ellos said.

Chow is now working on a program that would allow him to distribute untouched leftover food from the school to nearby homeless shelters. He said it's all part of his philosophy on giving back.

"Food is good. Food is awesome. Food is love," he said.