Homegirl Anna

A friend invited me to go to Anna Olson's lecture at the public library.  I was thrilled as I enjoy watching Anna Olson's shows and considers myself a novice baker.  To those not familiar with Anna, she is a renowned cookbook author and a popular TV host for Food Network.  


Photo from Food Network

Anna had a way of addressing a crowd in a way that made you feel like you were just enjoying an afternoon tea with a girlfriend.   She revealed fascinating tidbits about herself including the major influence to her career choice, her grandmother; and that she grudgingly worked in finance before pursuing her true passion, culinary arts.  She talked about the meticulous process for recipe and cookbook development as well as the elaborate production sequence of her TV show.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Anna lives in Welland, ON in the Niagara region.  She speaks passionately about the area and its abundant produce that inspires much of her recipes and ideas for her show.  Anna is a regular at the roadside fruit & vegetable stand and the farmers markets.  She reinforced our decision that living in rural Niagara has a lot of tangible benefits.

The hour-long lecture went by so quickly.  At the end of the talk, I was so inspired (not to mention star-struck) that I wanted to purchase her latest cookbook for Anna to sign.  But, I didn't bring enough cash and the library didn't take credit nor debit cards.  However, knowing that Anna frequents farmer's market, I'm sure I'll bump into my homey again one of these days.

Photo from Amazon.com

Happy Sunday,