Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro by Rayna Jo Zest on a light kitchen counter beside cookies, flour, a wooden spoon and a striped towel, with the illustrated owl chef cover visible.

Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro Kids Cookbook & Storybook

$13.99
$13.99
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Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro by Rayna Jo Zest on a light kitchen counter beside cookies, flour, a wooden spoon and a striped towel, with the illustrated owl chef cover visible.
  • Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro by Rayna Jo Zest on a light kitchen counter beside cookies, flour, a wooden spoon and a striped towel, with the illustrated owl chef cover visible.
  • Interior preview of Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro showing four colorful pages with rhyming story text, woodland kitchen illustrations, a playful food scene and an illustrated recipe.
  • Oliver’s owl-shaped sandwich recipe from The Culinary Pro, with illustrated ingredients and instructions displayed beside a plate holding a bread sandwich with cucumber eyes and cheese details.
  • Homemade owl-shaped sandwich inspired by Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro, arranged on a plate with cucumber and cheese eyes, a cheese beak, bread ears and triangular ham wings.
  • Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro paperback displayed in a kraft gift box surrounded by white tissue paper, with navy ribbon, a cookie and a wooden spoon on the table nearby.
  • A child wrapped in a navy and cream plaid blanket reads Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro on a brown leather sofa, holding the open paperback with its owl chef cover visible.
Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro Kids Cookbook & Storybook
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Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro Kids Cookbook & Storybook

$13.99
$13.99
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Inspired by a real North Dakota family restaurant legacy, Oliver invites little readers to cook, create, and build confidence along the way.

Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro is a playful children’s cookbook and storybook that follows an ambitious little owl as he turns his dream of opening the Twinkling Treehouse Cafe into an adventure. Through rhyming storytelling, colorful illustrations, kid-friendly recipes, and hands-on fun, little readers are invited to cook, create, and explore right alongside Oliver.

Inspired by author Rayna Jo Zest’s own family restaurant legacy, this book brings a little real-life heart to Oliver’s imaginative world. It’s a sweet choice for young aspiring chefs, family read-alouds, creative kitchen time, and anyone who believes some of the best memories are made together.

⭐ Official 2027 North Dakota Great Reads from Great Places Youth Nominee

Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro is one of three picture books nominated in the youth category for North Dakota's 2027 Great Reads from Great Places selection. Public voting will determine which youth title is chosen to represent North Dakota.

Learn About the Nomination and Vote for Oliver
Book Details

Publication date: ‎ March 21, 2024
Language: ‎ English
Print length: ‎ 31 pages
ISBN-13: ‎ 979-8218402693
Item Weight: ‎ 3.84 ounces
Reading age: ‎ 2 - 12 years
Dimensions: ‎ 8 x 0.08 x 8 inches
What's Inside

There's more to The Culinary Pro than turning the pages. Inside, little readers will discover:

• A playful rhyming adventure

• Kid-friendly recipes families can make together

• A hands-on chef hat activity

• Colorful illustrations filled with details to discover

• Opportunities to practice following directions and basic kitchen skills

• Plenty of reasons for kids and grown-ups to create together

The goal isn't culinary perfection—it's curiosity, confidence, and making memories along the way.
Why Families Love It

Story + activity book in one — reading and hands-on fun come together in one adventure.

Kid-friendly recipes — simple opportunities for children and grown-ups to create together.

Creative activity included — extend Oliver's adventure beyond the page.

Screen-free fun — encourage imagination, participation, and family time.

A meaningful gift — especially fun for aspiring little chefs and curious kids.

Inspired by real life — rooted in a North Dakota family restaurant legacy.
The Legacy Behind Oliver

Oliver's culinary world was inspired by one very real one.

My parents spent decades owning and operating the White House Cafeteria in Bismarck, North Dakota, where my dad built his life around feeding people and our family collected countless memories around food, work, and the kitchen.

Years later, those memories found their way into something completely unexpected: a curious little owl with a dream of opening his own cafe.

Oliver the Owl is my playful tribute to that legacy—reimagined for a new generation of little readers.
A Note from Rayna

I created The Culinary Pro as a playful tribute to the world I grew up in—one filled with restaurant kitchens, family recipes, hard work, and the belief that food has a wonderful way of bringing people together.

Oliver may be fictional, but the heart behind his adventure is very real. I hope his curiosity encourages little readers to try something new, make a little mess, and create some delicious memories of their own.

♥— Rayna Jo Zest
Young Oliver the Owl reader proudly shows his homemade owl sandwich from a kid-friendly recipe in the Oliver the Owl book series by children’s author Rayna Jo Zest, a reader-submitted photo of hands-on family cooking fun.
Reader-submitted owl sandwich created from a kid-friendly recipe featured in the Oliver the Owl book series by children’s author Rayna Jo Zest, showing a playful food activity families can make together.
Zestful Productions whisk icon representing cooking, baking, creativity, and hands-on kitchen fun.

STORIES, RECIPES & LITTLE KITCHEN ADVENTURES

A Little Story. A Little Stir. A Lot of Fun.

Read Oliver’s adventure, then bring a little of his kitchen fun into yours. With kid-friendly recipes and creative activities, 

The Culinary Pro invites families to turn story time into something they can make and taste together. An owl-shaped snack, a proud little grin, and an ordinary afternoon suddenly worth remembering.
Living Life on Purpose icon featuring the Zestful Productions crown symbolizing creativity, confidence, entrepreneurship, purposeful living, bold ideas, and the brand philosophy of Bold. Playful. Extra.

INSPIRED BY REAL LIFE

From a Real Cafe to Oliver's Treehouse

Some of the smallest details carry the biggest memories. This original White House Cafeteria tray holds a cup of my dad's borscht alongside a guest check with my mom Joan's order a little snapshot of the restaurant life that surrounded my childhood.

Years later, those memories helped inspire a very different cafe: Oliver's Twinkling Treehouse Cafe.
Original White House Cafeteria tray in Bismarck, North Dakota, with a cup of Ken Weber’s borscht soup and a handwritten guest check showing Joan’s order, a personal piece of Weber family restaurant history that later inspired Oliver the Owl.

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