'Great Chefs' was a series of cooking shows and cookbooks that made over 700 episodes. Each episode was recorded entirely in a professional kitchen rather than a production studio, and each consisted of 3 segments— an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. Each dish was made by a different chef and the whole thing was super straight-forward. No bells or whistles or fancy camerawork or anything. Just straight-up cooking. And the instructions were incredibly clear thanks to the voiceover work of the one and only Mary Lou Conroy. In her thick Louisiana accent, Mary Lou described everything the chefs were doing.

Watching 'Great Chefs' was Julia's cooking education.

She connected with Mary Lou Conroy, who is now 91 years old, to talk about the role of food in Mary Lou's life, her love of travel and reading, and what makes her excited during this chapter of her life.

There is also a shoutout to the MiNO Foundation (Made in New Orleans) and answers to listeners' questions about vegan cooking with responses from Timothy Pakron (Mississippi Vegan) and Jenné Claiborne (Sweet Potato Soul).

Follow-up links:

• 'Great Chefs' official website.
• Watch 'Great Chefs' on Amazon Prime.
• Eater: 'Great Chefs' is Amazon Prime's Best Kept Culinary Secret
• MiNO Foundation
• Jenné Claiborne: Sweet Potato Soul
• Timothy Pakron: Mississippi Vegan
• Oxo
• Julia Turshen