This is what Seattle chef Eric Tanaka cooks for his five kids, including a picky eater

A morning visit to chef Eric Tanaka’s home in Broadview, Seattle started with a short introduction to the tarantula that his kids are house-sitting during winter break. Paultoro, 7, points to the box.

“This is how we get the crickets,” said Hiro, 5, as he motions to another box where the bugs are stored. “Then we shake the lid.”

Editor's note: You enjoy their food, admire their creativity. But where do chefs get their inspiration? And what do they eat on their days off? A visit to executive chef Eric Tanaka's home is the first story for our new series, 'Chef's Day Off.'

In the kitchen, Tanaka, executive chef and partner of Tom Douglas Seattle Kitchen, was preparing soup. His youngest, 2-year-old Juniya, tried to get his attention.

“What do you want?" asked Tanaka. "Spoon? Yellow spoon…”

On his days off, Tanaka usually cooks one-pot meals.

“Sundays I generally make split pea soup because my kids love that,” he said.

And with five kids, it helps minimize cleanup. The soup also meets everyone’s food preferences.

“One of the kids is an amazing eater; he eats everything,” said Tanaka. “My skinniest kid, he will not eat anything but fruit. Sometimes it’s challenging. My wife is vegetarian.”

Into the pot went onion, garlic and five slices of bacon for flavor. Yes, his wife doesn’t eat meat, but: “She’ll eat around it," Tanaka chuckled. "Or fend for herself.”

Tanaka knew he wanted to go to cooking school at a young age, but his parents vetoed that idea. In college, he majored in economics and urban planning. Later, when he was working for the city of Irvine planning bike trails, he learned it was not the path for him.

“That was miserable for myself," Tanaka said.

His mother saw an ad for an entry-level prep cook and clipped it for him even though he had never worked in restaurants.

“She’s like, 'Well, you should just try. You hate what you’re doing.' And I’m like, okay. So I went and I got the job,” said Tanaka. “But unfortunately I was terrible so I quit after a month.”

The chef must have seen something in him, because he convinced Tanaka to stay. Tanaka practiced recipes at home and after six months he was promoted. A year later, he became a chef in New York. His career has taken him to LA, New York and Italy.

Tanaka was visiting his brother in Seattle when he met Tom Douglas.

“It happened to be one of those weeks where it was 70 degrees and sunny the whole week,” he recalled. “And I’m like, man, this place is beautiful! Why wouldn’t I want to come here? Tom was on my list of people to interview with and we actually hit it off.”

Tanaka has been with the Tom Douglas Seattle Kitchen for 25 years. Today, his colleagues refer to him by his initials: ET.

ET has opened 12 restaurants, including his namesake, Tanaka-san, described as "a modern mashup of LA meets Japan."

But these days, Tanaka spends less time in the kitchen. His role is to develop concepts for new projects, make sure the restaurants comply with new regulations and to mentor young chefs. Working in restaurants can be a grind, Tanaka explained.

“There’s a lot that happens that’s not as sexy as what you see out there on TV or in magazines or on Instagram," Tanaka said.

While the soup simmered, Tanaka started to make a pot of rice. Growing up, he said, his family ate mostly American food.

“The one piece, maybe, of Japanese culture we kept is the rice,” he said. “There’s always rice, regardless of whether we’re having hot dogs or chicken pot pie.”

Tanaka has seen a lot of people come and go at the restaurant. Some go on to develop and open their own restaurants. And that, Tanaka said, makes him feel really good.

Below, find Tanaka's recipe for split pea soup, to please even the pickiest eaters.

Eric Tanaka’s Split Pea Soup

This is a Sunday staple that Eric Tanaka’s kids love, including the finicky eaters. It’s easy to put together and requires minimal clean up.

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, diced

1/3 head of cauliflower, finely chopped

1 lb. dried split peas

4-5 pieces of bacon, chopped (optional)

1 quart chicken broth

½ c white wine

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, combine olive oil, bacon, onion, garlic and carrots. Cook until vegetables soften and plump up. Add wine, stir and continue to cook. Add cauliflower and split peas. Pour in broth and bring to simmer. Check every 20 minutes and add water if necessary. Continue to cook until peas are fully cooked, about two hours.