As a chef, Jesus’ actions speak to Jeremy.
Jeremy Miller, best known as the youngest son, Ben Seaver, on the classic 1980s hit show Growing Pains, cooked up various schemes week after week to the delight of millions of young viewers who tuned in to watch him and his popular television family.
These days, Jeremy is cooking up delicious dishes for busy moms, along with making personal appearances at events and conventions across the nation for his role as “Linus” in the beloved Peanuts animated Charlie Brown specials Happy New Year, Charlie Brown, Snoopy: The Musical, and This is America, Charlie Brown.
Enjoying life as a celebrity chef, Jeremy offers private cooking party lessons for busy moms, up to 12 people, whether in their homes, at parties, in backyards, in rental kitchens, or even a filmed cooking class for special events.
Both his Growing Pains working mom and his real-life mom faced various time constraints many mothers face. “My Mother was a very busy mom,” describes Jeremy, “taking us to auditions, Little League, karate, singing lessons, my filming, etc. Yet she always made sure we ate well and usually cooked dinner at home.”
Since his mom’s full schedule and limited time to cook caused her stress in planning and preparing nutritious meals, he thought, “What mom wouldn’t want to learn some fast, tasty recipes that also add nourishing vegetables to the dishes?”
Jeremy’s Love of Cooking Inspired by His Grandmother
“I got my passion for cooking from my Grandmother, seeing how she loved feeding people, including her family, friends, and neighbors,” shares Jeremy. “Cooking was truly her love language, and I grew up cooking at her side.”
Raised by his grandmother and mom, Mother’s Day seems like the perfect day for him to share one of his favorite recipes for busy moms. “It has always been an incredibly important day to me,” says Jeremy, “giving me an opportunity to go overboard to make sure they know how very much I appreciate all they have sacrificed and done for me.”
As well as for other busy moms, Jeremy is ready to teach themed dishes for every occasion, including birthdays, bridal and baby showers, and a long list of special events. With each lesson, Jeremy serves up a custom menu of four or five dishes, teaching individuals full instructions on how to cook by walking them through each dish, along with sharing each dish’s history.
Jeremy’s Motivation to Teach and Cook for Others
As a recovering alcoholic and motivational speaker, Jeremy considers cooking for others as one of the most unselfish ways of showing love. “When done right,’ says Jeremy, “you are not only nourishing the body but uplifting the mind and soul, and being able to teach this gift to others makes my heart content.”
Some may be surprised to discover that not only did Jesus feed five thousand and turn water into wine, but He also cooked and served a meal. John 21:9 describes how Jesus cooked breakfast for His disciples, describing the setting as they arrived at the shore from a night of fishing. “When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.”
Then, “Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples dared ask Him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord” (John 21:12).
As a chef, Jesus’ actions speak to Jeremy. “The fact that Jesus cooked for His disciples and served them is significant to me in a few ways,” says Jeremy. “To me, this is Jesus showing His complete and unselfish love for them. He loves them enough to take the time and effort to personally nourish them. Not only does He do that, but He serves them as well.”
In today’s culture, Jeremy says, “This would be bigger than a Michelin Chef humbling him or herself and coming out to personally serve you the dish they prepared. To me, this is an act of humble service by Jesus that ranks up there with Him washing the disciples’ feet.”
As a follower of Christ, Jeremy says, “I try my best every day to follow His example, to be of service to all that I can, and even though I fall short every day, I try to emulate Christ’s example of love, compassion, and service.”
Jeremy’s Delicious Dish for Busy Moms
Italian soup has a history and tradition of being a simple, hearty dish made from whatever simple ingredients happen to be on hand at the time. Adapting this favored dish to a busy mom’s schedule, Jeremy describes his Italian soup as packed with flavor and nutrients, saying, “Soups are not usually thought of as quick meals, because most soups benefit from long and slow cooking to develop the most flavor.”
However, Jeremy’s soup has the addition of Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese, bringing a lot of flavor right up front and bypassing the need for long cooking, taking less than 45 minutes for a busy mom to prepare.
Jeremy’s Italian Soup Ingredients:
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1lb sweet Italian sausage, bulk or removed from casings
-1 large onion diced
-4 cloves garlic minced
-3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
-3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
-7oz jar sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped
-6 cups chicken broth
-5oz can of white beans (navy, cannellini, etc.) drained and rinsed
-1 bunch kale
-3/4 cup heavy cream
-1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add olive oil and coat the bottom of the pan. Add sausage and break it up. Cook 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, till browned. Add onions and sauté 3-4 minutes until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent. Add garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the herbs and sun-dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and lower heat to medium. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. While it's cooking, peel kale from the stems. Tear it into smaller pieces and rinse well. When the 20 minutes is up, add the white beans, cream, and kale. Cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Serve with more grated Parmesan cheese to taste and some crusty bread. Feeds 4-6.
Jeremy Sets His Sights on Inspiring Others
Jeremy’s heart is to inspire busy moms with his dishes, to help relieve the stress they may experience in preparing nutritious meals, like his own mother did, who came to dislike cooking. He, too, suffered stress and an anxiety disorder as a child actor, filming over 167 episodes of Growing Pains, throwing up before each live episode taping.
Growing up in a functional alcoholic family, Jeremy had his first drink around 4 ½ years old, finishing up his family’s bottles of beer at gatherings. Although he didn’t drink every day, when he did, it was excessive.
Uncomfortable at being in the public eye, alcohol became his go-to self-medication, easing his anxiety and helping him to feel comfortable in social settings. For years, Jeremy was very secretive, not wanting anyone to know about his alcoholism.
In the One-on-One with Kirk Cameron television show, Jeremy gave his on-screen Growing Pains siblings, Kirk and Tracey Gold, who played Mike and Carol Seaver, a cooking lesson, as they discussed the challenges and struggles they faced growing up in Hollywood and how they overcame them to find purpose and self-worth.
Nowadays, as a recovering alcoholic, if it will help just one person, he wants to share his struggle with addiction, to shout it from the mountaintop and inspire others, and to let people know that even if they aren’t aware of it, God is always at work in their lives.
Cameron wrote in the foreword of Jeremy’s book, When I Wished Upon a Star, “My dear friend, Jeremy Miller, could have become just another Hollywood statistic were it not for the divine intervention of a God who cares, honors wishes, and, yes, answers prayers.”
Resource:
(J. Miller, personal communication, April 18, 2025)
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/alvarez
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
