CINCINNATI, Ohio —  When most people go into retirement, they look forward to more rest and relaxation. That wasn't on the menu for one southwest Ohio chef.

Cincinnati native chef David Dennis has had a lifelong passion for food.

“Every once in a while, it’s important to get out there and taste new things life has to offer,” he said. 

Not so far away, 12-year-old Jordan Dennis is also a foodie. Instead of pots and pans, she’s picking up her pen and notebook.

“The thing I like about writing is that you can use your imagination however you want. Writing can also be therapeutic,” she said.  

Now, this father-daughter duo is coming together and combining both their passions in a special way. 

“So I thought I good test run for us would be to come together and give our family and friends our experience as daddy and daughter foodies,” David Dennis said.

That test run became The Good Food Zoo book.  It’s a rhyming cuisine book with dishes from A-Z -featuring some unique characters. It’s a rhyming cuisine book with dishes from A-Z featuring some unique characters. It gives kids a fun way to learn more about the culinary world.

The Good Food Book also gets these young foodies face-to-face with top chefs from local participating restaurants. 

The duo’s latest stop was to chef Nickey Nicole at Southern Grace Eats in Cincinnati.

“I think it’s highly important to have current chefs build into our younger generation to teach them how to be great cooks,” Nicole said.  

With each autograph readers collect, the hope is that those young foodies get motivated and inspired to go out into the world and make great food. 

As for Dennis, he couldn’t imagine a better partner to have on this new journey. 

Dennis said he’s also in talks with Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval to bring the first ever Good Food Zoo Extravaganza to the area. 

To keep up with the Dennis family or to grab a copy of the book, click here