Anna & Michael Olson's bio
Anna and Michael Olson met while they worked together as chefs at Inn on the Twenty in Jordan, Ontario and "fell in love in the kitchen". Their professional collaborations have extended into a number of successful cookbooks as well as a restaurant and bakery in Welland, Ontario. Anna has been a host with the Food Network for a number of years and has worked on a variety of shows such as Sugar and Fresh, with Anna Olson. Michael Olson came to Ontario's Niagara Wine Country in 1993 and knew it was home for good. He is now a Chef, educator, writer and bon vivant. They both share an avid passion for working with locally grown and seasonal produce preferring to cook with foods from farmers and vendors within their own community. Anna is working on a new book and Michael continues to pursue his passion for making great food.
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A Quick Twenty Questions
- Utensil you can’t live without: Silicone Spatula
- Biggest Disaster: Apple Tapioca – I decided I could cook Tapioca for the first time without following a recipe or ratio. You could play tennis with my tapioca pudding. It was a nice rubber ball.
- If I could live anywhere else it would be: right now, Spain
- My absolute favorite food is: Cheese
- My pet's name is: Oscar
- My work day starts at: 7
- I wish I could: Have more sleep
- Best time of the day is: Right before and just after dinner
- Favorite time of year is: Fall
- My nickname is: HB
- If I could live in a different time, I’d live in: I’d go back to Regency England
- I’d like to spend more time doing: I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing
- In 20 years I will be: Still living with an inventor
- My must have item when I travel other than the basics: Sunscreen
MICHAEL UNPLUGGED
- Insider Tip: Don't refrigerate your tomatoes
- I collect: Enamel glazed cast iron pots and pans. Old and new. My mother had a collection of them and I’ve carried it on.
- Biggest Disaster: I fixed a wedding cake that fell apart. It was wedding cake that was inadvertently cut into pieces that I had to repair.
- Utensil you can’t live without: Probe thermometer
- The celebrity I’d like to cook for is: The guy from Gorillaz, Damon Albarn
- My absolute favorite food is: Steak
- I wish I could: Play beautiful music on a piano
- My nickname is: Moe
- My proudest moment: My wedding day
- My nickname is: HB
- In 20 years I will be: An Inventor
Have you ever been picky eaters?
Michael: When I was very young I refused to eat egg whites.
Anna: I was not a picky eater. The standard kid stuff I didn’t like – liver and lima beans.
Have you ever been picky eaters?
Michael: When I was very young I refused to eat egg whites.
Anna: I was not a picky eater. The standard kid stuff I didn’t like – liver and lima beans.
I know that you both have a passion for promoting eating locally. How does that influence the recipes you develop and the way you look at eating?
Anna: I think we have a common sense approach to cooking. And we just out of habit and the way we develop and share recipes is with the seasons.
Michael: We also think it makes sense to cook things that are fresh and when they’re grown close to you they’re fresher, you know who grew them, how they were raised. It’s not a political move, it’s just logical.
Anna: And you think of some of your favourite dishes associated with the season and the cooking style, that changes with the season – it all kind of goes together. You don’t make a pot roast in August, but in January it makes perfect sense. Grilling chicken or fish in August vs January, the same applies.
What is one staple recipe that everyone should know?
Anna: A good soup recipe. Because that could turn into many recipes, quickly.
Michael: Scalloped potatoes
What are three things every amateur cook should remember while cooking?
Anna: What grows together goes together. In terms of the seasons.
Michael: Use salt and pepper effectively
Anna: Which ties into, taste what you make.
How does working with a loved one affect or contribute to your cooking? Does it make the experience a richer one?
Michael: Definitely
Anna: 100%
Michael: There’s the sort of mechanical, physical part of cooking which is about doneness, and protein, and sugar acids, salt balance. But all of that goes out the window when you eat something that somebody has been made for you with love.
Anna: And share the dishes and the responsibility of cleaning up!