Alex Guarnaschelli’s Biggest Achievement Is Her Daughter Ava! See Her Sweetest Quotes About Motherhood 

Working as a critically acclaimed chef and Food Network star is only just half of Alex Guarnaschelli’s huge accomplishments. The Chopped judge is a proud mom to her daughter, Ava, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Brandon Clark. Ava, born on September 24, 2007, has already developed a passion for cooking just like her famous mother. 

When Ava was just 4 years old, Alex shared that she had already started joining her in the kitchen. The Alex’s Day Off host told Food Republic in May 2012 that her daughter was “a little scared of the oven” but was really enjoying learning new cooking skills. Ava is now shaping up to be a pro in the kitchen, expanding her culinary vocabulary and learning all of the old-school techniques. 

“My daughter and I cook dinner together quite often. We usually will make pork chops and a side,” Alex told USA Today in June 2019. “She and I also enjoy getting up early on the weekends to make a killer breakfast! Pancakes, eggs, bacon … the whole nine yards.”

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alex shared that Ava decided to take on her own pickled vegetable project. The teen shared an array of pickled vegetables and her latest creations on her Instagram account. Alex is always sure to keep a stocked fridge and pantry to allow her daughter to experiment with new recipes. Even though her mom is one of the most famous chefs in the entire world, Ava is also a huge fan of one other celebrity chef. 

“She only has one cookbook — Gordon Ramsay’s last cookbook. She’ll say, ‘Let’s make chicken parm’ and I’ll say, ‘Great. I’ll get out Dione Lucas’ book,'” the restaurant owner told Associated Press in March 2019. “She’ll say, ‘no, we’re gonna do what Gordon says.'”

Seeing Ava blossom as a chef in her own right is similar to the way Alex learned to cook. Her late mother, Maria Guarnaschelli, was a cookbook editor who loved bringing her daughter into the kitchen to taste test her recipes. 

“The food we are exposed to during childhood can have a profound effect on our cooking (and eating) choices when we become adults,” she continued. “My mother would whip up a soufflé from scratch on a weeknight and my father would stir fry some Cantonese food the next.”

The Worst Cooks in America mentor is always encouraging parents to make their kids “seamlessly part of the cooking process.” She told Newtown Moms in August 2020 that she and Ava “bond” while doing small tasks like filling donuts and making soup. 

Scroll to see the sweetest things Alex has said about being a mom to her daughter, Ava.