Giuseppe Dell'Anno had a quintessential Italian upbringing in a small town where everyone knew everyone and he was surrounded by family. His father, Cosimo, was a passionate baker and although not a teacher in the traditional sense, his traditions and emphasis on food made a huge impact on the family including Giuseppe.

After Giuseppe's oldest son planted a seed in his head that he should apply for Bake Off, he secretly applied for the show, never thinking it would amount to anything. Several rounds of interviews later and after waiting for months, Giuseppe found himself competing in the tent he'd seen on television for so many years, baking several times a week over the course of seven weeks for Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.

In this episode of the show, we discuss in depth Giuseppe's experience leaving his family and competing in the Great British Bake Off, how his frist cookbook came to be, what it's been like working on book two, and his hot takes on Italian cooking and culture.

Purchase Giuseppe's first cookbook, Italian Bakes

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Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes became friends through swimming in Manhattan in 1987. They subsequently started training for Ironman Triathlons and had long hours on the bike together where they explored various entrepreneurial ideas together. Connie had since left her job in investment banking and gone to culinary school and Pam had a stable job in Fashion. The two of them had done catering gigs for friends and businesses in the city over the years, but it wasn't until 1995 that they decided to take the plunge and open their basement bakery on 74th and Amsterdam that we now affectionately know as Levain Bakery.

In this episode of That Was Delicious, Brooke explores the full story of the beloved bakery including the early days of Levain, key milestones for the business, how the iconic 6-ounce cookies came to be (spoiler alert: they weren't even on the menu when they opened), and what's next for Levain Bakery including their 13 locations and counting.

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Elizabeth Poett was born and raised on her 14,000-acre family ranch, Rancho San Julian, in Santa Barbara County, California. She always liked the idea of coming back to the ranch after going away for school, but what she couldn't have anticipated were the opportunities she's had to share the ranch with the world over the past few years. After beginning her Ranch Table events in 2018, it was apparent that guests at her culinary gatherings were yearning for connection with the food they were cooking and the land it was grown on.

Elizabeth began hosting her hit show "Ranch To Table" on Magnolia Network in 2021 (now debuting its 4th season), which showcases day-to-day life on the ranch where you'll catch lots of straightforward, delicious cooking demonstrations and different snapshots of what life is like on the ranch.

After years of dreaming of publishing a cookbook, Elizabeth has compiled a beautiful, seasonally organized tribute to the ranch, "The Ranch Table", which not only shows off her family's most beloved dishes from Rancho San Julian, but also stunning year-round photos and stories of the place she calls home.

In this episode of That Was Delicious, we discuss Elizabeth's upbringing and family life through the years, what it's been like to host her "Ranch To Table" show on Magnolia Network, behind-the-scenes details on making her brand new cookbook, and her candid thoughts on ranch life.

Purchase Elizabeth's New Cookbook, "The Ranch Table"

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You've shopped at Costco a million times before but have you ever shopped with our tried and true grocery list of must have Costco items? From cheese to chocolate to pantry staples, Brooke Eliason shares her 27 must-have Costco food items on this episode of That Was Delicious.

Beecher's World's Best Mac & Cheese Recipe

Butter Taste Test

Potato Chip Taste Test

Pickle Taste Test

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Chances are you've heard of Salt & Straw and if you're one of the lucky ones, you've enjoyed firsthand some of their insanely delicious ice cream, but this Portland born-and-bred company wasn't always the ice cream powerhouse it is today.

In 2011 cousins Kim & Tyler Malek set out to create an ice cream gathering place unlike anywhere else. Kim was the brains behind the concept, bringing years of experience from her career at Starbucks, and Tyler utilized his skills honed in culinary school to develop 30 different flavor recipes in just 7 days (all made with ice cream makers purchased secondhand). They took two tubs of ice cream, chocolate gooey brownie and sea salt with caramel ribbons, served it from a garden trough to their first time customers on Alberta Street, and the rest is history.

From challenges they faced early on to wins they've enjoyed as seasoned business owners, Kim & Tyler discuss it all on this episode of That Was Delicious.

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It's that time of year again when schedules seem to be full to the brim, everyone's adjusting to the new school year, and it's not quite the season to be spending copious amounts of time on dinner. Today on That Was Delicious, Brittney Hanks is sharing 5 easy meals you can make when you don't feel like cooking–all thanks to her new cookbook, Costco One Stop Meals. Embrace the joy of effortless meal prep and make cherished memories over delicious dishes thanks to this book that requires only one stop at one of our favorite places to shop: Costco.

In this episode we not only cover 5 super easy, convenient dinner ideas but we also discuss Brittney's story on how her brand Home and Kind got started, her mission to simplify and streamline things to make life at home better, and what's next for Home and Kind.

Resources:

Get Brittney's New Cookbook, Costco One Stop Meals (Update: The magnetic bookmarks mentioned in the episode are temporarily sold out, but you can still use code FEMALFOODIEGIFT to receive a free Costco shopping list notepad when you add both the cookbook and notepad to your cart.).

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Headed on vacation soon? Or do you simply want to find better restaurants in your hometown? One of our most frequently asked questions is "how do you decide where to eat in a city you've never been to?"

Today on That Was Delicious, host Brooke Eliason uncovers 17 tips for finding incredible places to eat whether you're at home or out of town, including best practices for consuming crowd-sourced food ratings (such as Google, Yelp, Tripadvisor, etc.), how to digest recommendations on social media, and her personal favorite ways to cull restaurant recommendations that you can trust.

Resources:

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Reyna Vazquez is the co-owner of Veracruz All Natural, an award-winning, iconic restaurant empire and home to the best breakfast tacos in Austin, Texas. But it didn't start out that way—Vazquez and her sister Maritza opened a modest food truck in 2008 selling fruit cups, smoothies, and natural drinks, knowing that someday they'd use their passion and expertise in the food industry to serve honest and delicious Mexican cuisine.

After two years of slow and steady business, with many sleepless nights and sales grossing $80 on a good day, the Vazquez sisters upgraded to a bigger truck where they could finally prepare breakfast and lunch items, including tacos. After perfecting the migas breakfast taco (their signature menu item) alongside the rest of their menu, their business steadily snowballed into what it is today, with six thriving locations and a brand new sister restaurant, Veracruz Fonda & Bar.

In this episode, Reyna shares some of the challenges she had to overcome to successfully run her business, her biggest source of inspiration, how she and her sister have scaled their restaurant without compromising quality, and a beautiful and poignant story of a memorable meal with her grandmother in her hometown of Veracruz, Mexico.

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Ellen Bennett was working as a line cook when she volunteered to make aprons to outfit the entire restaurant. Ellen had no business experience, no background with design or manufacturing, and just a few hundred dollars to spare, yet her determination, purpose, and vision took her through the hoops and hills of entrepreneurship to build Hedley & Bennett into what it is today.

On this episode, Ellen shares a peek into her story including some of her greatest challenges, some of her proudest moments, what it was like writing her book "Dream First, Details Later", and even spills details on her life behind the scenes including her favorite 15-minute dinner, life as a mom, and some of her favorite places to eat in Los Angeles.

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Amy Guittard's great-great-grandfather Etienne Guittard started his company in 1868, when he came from France during the California Gold rush and realized that he had more luck trading chocolate than he would mining for gold. Decades later, Amy joined the company after working for Clif Bar and has now been working at her family company for what feels like forever, carrying on the ethos and beliefs of Guittard that were instilled in her since she was a young girl.

On this episode, Amy shares what it's like to be in a fifth-generation family-owned business, what to look for in good quality chocolate when you're shopping online or at the grocery store, different types of chocolate and what they're best for, and some of her most beloved, cannot-live-without Guittard products and recipes.

Resources:

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Order Amy's Cookbook the Guittard Chocolate Cookbook

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