WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - This Mother's Day, while other moms will be enjoying slightly burnt pancakes or a bowl of Cap'n Crunch served on a tray in bed, Pamela Mitchell will be served fresh crepes.

Last year, it was a cheese omelet, scones and bacon.

And if that doesn't make you feel bad enough, get this: Her personal chefs are none other than her teenage children.

At 15 and 13, McKenzie and Luke Mitchell aren't your ordinary teens, at least when it comes to the kitchen. For the past three or four years, the two young Martinez children have been the chief cooks in the household, much to mom Pam's delight.

Becoming kitchen savvy came easily to the Mitchell children. McKenzie says she learned to cook when she would come home from school, "and wanted something to eat." Luke says he learned with the help of his older brother Cooper, now 19, who also is no slouch in the kitchen.

The main dish that appears in the Mitchell kitchen is pasta - "it's easy and we usually have all the ingredients," said McKenzie - but both children like to try different things.

"I came home last week, and McKenzie had whipped up Sesame Chicken and a chocolate raspberry cake for dessert," Pam says. Luke had played the role of sous chef, helping complete his sister's grand plans.

While Pam's career as a Realtor allows for some flexibility, it also sometimes demands late nights and weekend work. She knows that when that happens, she won't have to worry too much about dinner.

For both McKenzie and Luke, cooking just comes with being part of the family, a family that is more tightknit now than ever before. Three and half years ago, Pamela's husband, Scott, the children's father, was killed in a scuba diving accident. It was about that time that the kids decided that cooking was a way to help out Mom, and to maybe channel some of their own sadness.

Plus, cooking has turned into a fun activity. "I will invite my friends over and cook for them," said McKenzie. "They all love it." Luke's friends, too, are the happy recipients of the fruits of his hobby, as he has helped his friends prepare meals for their families, too.

When it comes to the kitchen hierarchy, McKenzie certainly has the upper hand. "I usually boss Luke around," she said laughingly.

Luke, good-naturedly agrees. "Yep, she decides what to cook and I just help out," he says. And it may stay that way forever, as McKenzie wants to open a restaurant someday, and Luke wants to be a chef.

Pamela said she is just happy that her children are choosing to eat wisely, although she still buys the bulk of the groceries. And she said that when they started playing around in the kitchen, she was fearful of the kids cutting themselves with the kitchen knives. "But I had to let go," she said. "They are very conscientious."

To that end, Pamela sent them both to the Cooking Essentials teen class at Walnut Creek's Home Chef. Coupled with some home economics classes at school, the kids are getting a good solid knowledge about culinary arts.

McKenzie favors Asian-themed dishes, while Luke likes lamb. However, McKenzie is also branching out in a more adventurous direction.

"My dad always said he'd take me hunting, but he never got the chance," she says. "So after he died, my uncle helped me get my license and took me on my first hunting trip."

They came home with a duck, which McKenzie, at 14, plucked and prepared for grilling.

"I don't think I want to specialize in it," she says. "But I had to learn how to do it."