First-time dad Ryan Miller and veteran fathers Yannick Bisson, David Rocco, Anthony Lemke and MasterChef Canada winner David Jorge reveal to Hello! their favourite things about their children and memorable moments from their journey through parenthood.
Yannick Bisson
Star of Murdoch MysteriesChildren: Brianna (26), Dominique (24) and Mikaela (18).
“The greatest part of being a dad is watching my kids very deftly sidestep the pitfalls that I didn't. Seeing my three daughters get great educations and strive for their life goals has been the most rewarding experience in my life. My daughters always make an effort to make Father’s Day memorable. But one tradition I hope they never abandon is how they put money in my account at my favourite bike store, Cycle Solutions. No ties for this guy, I only wear those as Murdoch!”
Ryan Miller
Goaltender for the Vancouver CanucksChildren: three-month-old Bodhi
“So far the best part about being a dad is when Bodhi sees my face and gets really excited. We don’t really have any plans [for his first Father’s Day]. If he sleeps four to five hours straight, that would be a nice gift! [My favourite memory of my own dad] is the long drives for hockey when it was just the two of us listening to the radio and talking about life."
David Rocco
The famed chef recently partnered with Barilla's Share the Table campaign to encourage meaningful family mealtime.
Children: Twin daughters Emma and Giorgio (7) and Dante (3)
“One of my favourite ways to spend time with my kids is to have them cook with me. I get to teach them a valuable life skill and we get to spend some quality time together. They love doing the little things like squishing the plum tomatoes with their hands, tearing up fresh herbs or stirring the sauce. The best part is that I find if they’ve helped out in the kitchen, they feel very proud that they’ve contributed and come meal time, they’re 10 times more likely to actually eat the food!”
Anthony Lemke
Actor ( Dark Matter, Lost Girl, The Listener)Children: Two daughters and a son
My idea of the perfect day off would be hanging with my kids. Whether it’s going to the beach or biking through the county or literally just hanging out in the backyard or romping around in the water – right now that’s the stage I’m at in my life and I feel really fortunate and blessed to have three wonderful kids that are all really joyful little monkeys. When you’re a dad of young kids it’s not so much about travelling the world, it really is about being with them at this stage because that will change pretty darn fast. It will be like oh I want to hang out with my friends or go to the mall – but now they really do just like hanging with the family so let’s take it, I’ll lap it up for as long it lasts.
David Jorge
MasterChef Canada season two championChildren: JJ (6) and Nuno (5)
“After winning the trophy and $100,000 at the taping of MasterChef Canada last October, we knew keeping the big win a secret for six months was going to be hard enough for us, but we figured the boys were going to have the hardest time; they were definitely the weakest link in the chain. So we did what any responsible set of parents would do: we bribed them and told them to keep a secret. We did our own form of media training, drilling them with questions we thought people might ask, and encouraging them to answer every one with "I don't know." They did great, so much so that we got a little worried. We kept saying, "OK these guys are TOO good at keeping secrets!" But ultimately it was the promise of a trip to Disneyland if no one ever found out that Dad won before the finale, that likely sealed the deal. It worked, and two little boys will be off to Anaheim this fall. And they deserve it!"
Daniel Kanter
Producer, songwriter, musical director & guitarist for Justin BieberChildren: Zackary (5 months)
"I took my son Zack to a baby music class and one of the songs that they played was "Baby" by Justin Bieber. I've probably played that song 20,000 times in the last 5 years, and I never realized how perfect it is as a nursery song until I had another kind of baby in my life."