Maria Lichty is a veteran food blogger and recipe developer, a two time cookbook author, and is known for her delicious and beautiful cookies! After baking cookies for decades and with her recently released cookbook, “Let’s Eat Cookies”, Maria is a bonafide cookie expert.    Today on the show we discuss all things cookies with Maria including tips for making fantastic homemade cookies, her favorite recipes in her newest cookbook, how to host a killer cookie exchange, and tips for making a...

Si Foster has been making incredible Thanksgiving meals for decades and has been teaching her readers how to have a successful meal on the big day for years. In this episode of That Was Delicious, Si answers questions asked by our readers including favorite recipes, how to plan ahead and execute the perfect Thanksgiving meal, pie tips, turkey tips, gravy tips, and so much more.    Get Si’s Free “How To Host Thanksgiving” E-Book Mint Arrow Messages Thanksgiving Episode Apple, Sausage, and...

Susie Bulloch is the founder and head pitmaster behind the award-winning brand Hey Grill Hey, which she started in 2015. She’s a seasoned recipe developer and content creator (pun intended!) and has her own incredible line of specially curated, must-have barbecue rubs, sauces, and gadgets. It’s no surprise that we’ve consulted Susie many times over the years on how to smoke turkey like a pro.    Today on the show we’re talking all things smoked turkey and how to make the best smoked...

Erin is a cookbook author, recipe developer, and baker extraordinaire. She started baking as a young girl and put her skills to the test at the Culinary Institute of America. She’s now published three award-winning cookbooks, all on baking, and hosts the binge-worthy series Bake It Up A Notch for Food52. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Food Network, Bon Appetit, Food52 just to name a few.    In this episode of That Was Delicious, Brooke and Erin discuss...

Cindy is a recipe developer, food photographer, and Austin native. She loves beautiful food that’s healthy and sometimes indulgent, and she wears many hats including mother, wife, grandma, and CEO. Cindy was raised in a home where entertaining was a core part of family life, and when she got married in her early 20’s she hosted her first bridal shower just a couple of months into her marriage. Now decades and countless events later (all documented in a hosting diary gifted to Cindy by her...

Heather is the Vice President for Orson Gygi, a 4th generation family-owned business started in 1945 by Orson Gygi himself, when he saw a dire need for restaurant supplies in the Salt Lake Community. Now decades later, Gygi is our favorite go-to spot in Salt Lake City and online for everything from cooking equipment to craft chocolate to baking supplies to gadgets and must-have kitchen items to in-person and online classes.    In this episode Brooke & Heather Smith take a deep dive into...

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....

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...

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...

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 Follow Female Foodie on Instagram

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Born in 1935 near Lyon, France, Jacques Pepin has been surrounded by food his entire life. From his apprenticeship at the young age of 13, to working in Paris as a young adult, to emigrating to the States in 1959, Pepin knew from the beginning that his life would be centered around food even though chefs weren’t adored as they are today, and cooks typically lived a humble, modest life out of the spotlight.    Today at age 87, Jacques has published over 30 cookbooks, been on over 13 series...

Ben Jacobsen was living in Europe in 2003 when his girlfriend brought home good quality finishing salt and he was blown away by how much better it was than anything he had ever had in his life. After returning back to the states a few years later, Ben began experimenting with making salt on his own, sourcing sea water from the Washington and Oregon coast to see if he could replicate that salt he had enjoyed in the early 2000’s.    After sampling 27 different locations for sea water, Ben...

Did you begin baking sourdough in 2020 with the rest of the world? After watching a friend make artisan sourdough online, Brittny Hiatt was inspired to start baking naturally fermented breads out of her own kitchen. The process was a lot of trial and error at first, but after testing different methods and practicing this new skill, Brittny quickly became recognized as a sourdough expert.    Today on the show, Brittny shares all of her top, uncomplicated, and essential tips for any home...

Larry Reed and his two brothers LeRoy and Dave started Reed’s Dairy in 1955, selling fresh milk for roughly 50 cents per gallon and allowing customers to pay with an honor system using a shoebox above their dairy refrigerator in their original location in Idaho Falls.    Although their farm-to-consumer roots still are in operation today with home delivery still in place as they had in the beginning, second-generation Alan Reed brought unmistakable innovation as a young opportunist to the...

Cristina Olvera was known for her delicious tamales over the years, but it wasn’t until 2019 that she decided to go all in on her aspiring catering company. To obtain the licensing and qualifications necessary to operate her small business, she took over a humble restaurant at a swap meet in West Valley City (Salt Lake City), Utah making classic Mexican dishes like tacos, tortas, and of course her tamales.   A few months later in early 2020, on a day when the total sales of the restaurant...

In 2012, Erika started her blog The Pancake Princess as a casual way to share her favorite recipes, but things changed in 2016 when she began her quest to find the very best chocolate chip cookie recipe out there (spoiler alert: Cook’s Illustrated was the clear winner). Erika had no idea that this would be the beginning of dozens of bake offs (she’s currently at over 60 and counting) with anywhere from 9-12 recipes for each of her bake offs.   Join us as we chat on the show about how Erika...

Today we know Ken Forkish as the James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and restauranteur of several iconic Portland restaurants, but it wasn’t always that way. After dreaming of breaking free from his career in corporate America, Forkish opened his now-beloved bakery in Portland, Ken's Artisan Bakery in 2001. Ken lost over $70,000 in that first year but thankfully after two years of building his dream, Ken knew that he was going to make it. Between the bakery, his pizzeria (Ken's...

Today we're covering 20 of our top travel tips for eating out in Italy. If you plan to visit Italy in the next year (or dream of going someday!) then this episode is a must-listen-to before your vacation. As a bonus, we're sharing 5 general Italy travel tips at the end of the episode that answer some of our most frequently asked questions, including the most important item to pack on your trip and how many days to spend in each city. Resources: Female Foodie Italy Restaurant Guides ...

Crystelle Pereira began cooking in her mother's kitchen at a very young age, but it wasn't until 2019, just before the lockdown of 2020, that Crystelle's family requested that she start baking. After dabbling in several cake recipes and decorating techniques at home, Pereira's family encouraged her to apply for the 2021 season of Great British Bake Off. Thinking there was no chance she'd get on the show and after nearly a dozen rounds of interviews and applications, Crystelle received the...