ABOUT US
Meet the Dream Team
Jolene Cox is an award-winning family food writer and content creator. She has featured on national TV as well as in leading newspapers and magazines, and is a member of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild.
As the founder of the Family Cooking Club, Jolene is dedicated to equipping kids with the skills to get hands-on with fresh ingredients and create restaurant-quality dishes. Alongside her daughter, Lily Mae, her mission is to empower kids to cook the food they love — while giving parents the peace of mind to let them lead in the kitchen.
When she’s not in the kitchen, Jolene enjoys walking her dog, Noodles, and relaxing with a gin and tonic (though not at the same time!).
Lily Mae Cox has been cooking with her mum, Jolene, ever since she could sit up in a feeding chair. Now a key part of the Family Cooking Club, Lils helps lead the weekly cooking classes and acts as a fun, relatable role model for kids. With her infectious enthusiasm, she brings joy to every class and has even joined her mum on TV and at live cooking demos.
When she’s not whipping up dishes, Lily Mae enjoys crocheting, art, drama, and spending time with friends — always adding her creativity and warmth to everything she does.
Now You’re Cooking!
Helping kids learn real cooking skills
Jolene Cox is an award-winning food writer on a mission to teach kids how to cook real food they’ll love to eat.
Her daughter, Lily Mae, is 12. They’ve been cooking together ever since Lily Mae could sit up in a feeding chair.
Jolene launched the Family Cooking Club (a weekly online cook-along showing kids how to make delicious meals) with Lily Mae in 2019 and soon discovered that kids engage more when encouraged to take the lead.
Jolene and Lily Mae have put everything they’ve learned since then into Now You’re Cooking!, a cookbook with kids at its centre. They speak directly to kids, sharing their clever tips, tricks, and 70 tried-and-tested recipes for ages 5–12.
Beginning with basics like perfect mashed potatoes, cracking egg-fried rice, and a classic tomato sauce, Jolene and Lily Mae then share their favourites for breakfast, lunch, after-school fuel, tray bakes, one-pot wonders, epic eats, and sweet treats that every kid will enjoy.
More than that, Jolene and Lily Mae want to show kids that cooking is something anyone can do at any age. Whether you’re boiling an egg for the first time or ready to level up your knife skills — now you’re cooking!