The Delicious Story: Celebrate 55 Interesting People and 55 Memorable Meals
Celebrating The Delicious Story Milestone of 55 Interesting People and 55 Memorable Meals
Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below, and I may receive commissions for purchase made through the links in the post. However, these are products I highly recommend. I won’t list anything I haven’t tried and found personally useful.
Think for a moment of a memorable meal. Who was there? What was served? And, most importantly, why is it so memorable? I bet you can come up with a story or two.
This was the premise for my longtime passion project: the podcast #thedeliciousstory.
The Delicious Story has had a few renditions (my husband and I co-hosted a video version years ago), but as of the last year and a half, the format has been podcasts interviewing “interesting people about memorable meals.”
The question “What is your memorable meal?” sparks answers as varied as the guests, and often they have a lot less to do with food and more to do with the people, place, and the event of the meal. It’s a favorite question I’ll ask clients when helping them create a personal history because there is something revealing in the memories they cherish about people and love.
Often, the magic of memory is its spontaneity—a meal on a trip or under circumstances that were a surprise—and maybe for that reason, a person decides to archive the experience. They determine to savor it, noting that it is special.
As of this past week, I reached the milestone of 55 interviews and thought I’d share the full list with you. I’m excited to have the opportunity to interview such interesting people, and I appreciate that they each made time to speak with me. I also appreciate vicariously experiencing “meals” where I don’t have to take in the extra calories to enjoy them.
Here is the list of 55! I invite you to sit at the virtual table and meet someone or several people that are interesting.
TDS 1 A Taste for Adventure: Sara Middleton Downing – An Iowan woman on an adventure living abroad in Chile for a time and her food experiences there.
TDS 2 The Man About Eating: Oliver Borzo—My son, who traveled a lot for work, has eaten all over the United States. Entertaining and informative observations about local cuisine in some parts of the country.
TDS 3 Kristen Hall: Attorney/mediator Talks Peace at the Table—With the exception of this year when we’ve refrained from getting together, most holidays bring family together. Ideas here for how to keep the peace.
TDS 4 Breaking Bread with Kristie Burns—A discussion of Be Earth Institute Schooling, herbs, travel and bread!
TDS 5 Interview With Food Blogger Sarah Topar: Pie and Then Some—Sarah shares recipes from her blogs and her thoughts on family and food.
TDS 6 Jenny Zink: Women on Adventures—Jenny helps woman go on adventures and shares ideas and thoughts on how to bring more adventure into your life. We also talk about comfort foods and a delicious memorable meal.
TDS 7 Kat Robinson: Best of Eating in Arkansas—Kat is THE leading expert on all that is worth eating in Arkansas. This is a discussion of food that will give you ideas and have your mouth watering.
TDS 8 Claudia Shabel: Always Serve Up Diversity—We dive into what diversity really means and how we can accept our differences. We also talk about food memories and how food can be a bridge as well. and how food can be a bridge.
TDS 9 Deb Brown: Real Dish About Small Towns—Deb is an expert about small town economics and she can tell you a thing or two about how to launch ideas. There are essential ingredients involved which she spells out. We also talk memorable meals and share a recipe.
TDS 10 Jann Freed: How to Sage With Flavor—Jann is an expert leadership coach who also delves into the importance of aging into next chapters with purpose. She also shares a wonderful family memorable meal story.
TDS 11 Greg Borzo Talks Lost Restaurants of Chicago—Writer Greg Borzo shares one story after another about the quirky and interesting history of eateries in Chicago. So many anecdotes reveal the flavor of the people and the communities, plus it is a tasty walk as well.
TDS 12 Dan Curtis Food of Fond Memories—Retired Lt. Colonel Dan Curtis is living it up in his beloved small town of Iowa near Lone Tree where he grew up during the 1940s. He shares memories of rural life and food.
TDS 13 Kelly Boon: Live a Tasty Life of Creativity—Kelly is an artist willing to live boldly. She offers up ideas on how to harness your creativity and shares a really funny Thanksgiving meal memory.
TDS 15 Mary Beth Wims: Physical Therapy and Pasta Therapy—Mary talks about her journey to becoming a physical therapist and what she does. Then we segue to travels and Italy and pasta.
TDS 16 Tay Nguyen: An American Remembers Meals with Brothers—Tay works enthusiastically. This young man served his country and then came home to start his family and build his life. He exudes a positive attitude and talks about his moving business. You’ll find his memorable meal story inspirational and moving.
TDS 17 Sarah Bisignano: Legacy of Love—A story of a legacy and some of the tastiest salad dressing around. It’s also a peek at the Italian restaurant tradition in Des Moines, Iowa one woman’s entrepreneurial journey to keep a beloved dressing in circulation.
TDS 18 Mariah Jade: Art and the Borderless Coffee Shop—An artist who talks about her symbiotic relationship with coffee shops in the United States and Mexico.
TDS 19 Martie McNabb: Stories of Stuff and Brooklyn On Wheels—A woman journeying to share Show & Tales Events and traveling to discover America in the process. We also chat about what it takes to be a thoughtful dinner guest.
TDS 20 From One Boomster to Another, Exercise Your Options: Interview with Rebecca Olkowski—Rebecca brings information to her audience of the over-50 in health, finance and travel as well as other topics focused on helping people live well. In this episode we talk about her blogging journey and memorable meals on the road.
TDS 21 Serving, Zest, Joy, and a Tasty Path to a Healthy Lower Blood Pressure Lifestyle: Interview with Rick Henderson –When Rick realized he needed to lower his blood pressure he got busy doing so and made discoveries in the process. As an expert and he offers recipes and tips on how to do just that for others.
TDS 22 Old Archive: The Making of Chevre on a Small Family Farm—This is an older episode of another rendition of The Delicious Story. The interview features a woman who made such wonderful chevre which she sold for years at the Des Moines Farmers Market. She retired her business but the story is great with goats in the mix!
TDS 23 Lisa Krugar: Barattas—The Rich History of an Italian-American Restaurant—Lisa Krugar the story of her restaurant nestled in a Des Moines Neighborhood, and delightful food stories too.
TDS 24 Blank Park Zoo, Commissary Open: Conservation Is the Dish—An interview with zoo staff John Krogmeier and Jessie Lowry who talk about the feeding routine for the animals at the zoo, and the mission to help endangered species. They reveal what happens once the zoo gates close each day.
TDS 25 Zach Engstrom on The Only Sure Things Death: Taxes and Eating—Zach Engstrom talks about his experiences as an estate attorney, and then we discuss food stories, too.
TDS 26 Ron Bonanno Remembers His Dad And Bamie’s Pizza on Des Moines’ South Side—Ron shares memories of the family restaurant that was an icon in Des Moines.
TDS 27 Dani Lin Says Aloha, and Offers a Simple Path to Eating Well—Dani talks about her love of cooking and teaching others to enjoy new dishes. The memorable meal involves a dish that’s popular from her childhood home in Hawaii.
TDS 28 Steven Noah: The-Well Lived Unplanned Life and a Fungi Feast Remembered—Steven Noah talks about the chapter after retirement that led to travel and relationships he never imagined.
TDS 29 Carol Marlow McGarvey: The Inside Story of Feature Writing and Food Judging—Carol shares stories of her years of judging for entries for the Iowa State Fair and her background as a features writer for the Des Moines Register.
TDS 30 Julia Mae Hunt: Brand Photographer Talks Images And Meaning, and an Impromptu Memorable Meal—Julia shares her process and focus in capturing photos of people and moments. She also tells the story of an unexpected meal she has never forgotten.
TDS 31 Angela Williams Jackson: the Perfect Frame and the Perfect Meal—Angela shares her passion for supporting artists and artfully framing the cherished memorabilia and art of patrons. She finished with a memorable meal honoring her family.
TDS 32 Tiffany Mauch: Pet Caregiver Services and Life As a Slow Cooker—Tiffany talks about her work as a pet caregiver, especially for pets with special medical needs. She then talks her cookbook collection and her commitment to slow cooking.
TDS 33 Tim Diebel: A Grounded Leap of Faith and a Memorable Meal Harvest—Tim talks about the incredible next chapter he and his wife committed to after years of being city dwellers. The memorable meal brings together people and food harvested from their own farm.
TDS 34 Turn What’s For Dinner Into Yum, Andrea Love—Andrea prepares good food right into people’s homes for hire, and helps others prepare meals in bulk. Learn the backstory of this woman went from an A Plan to a B Plan that has been tasty and inspiring. Her memorable meal story takes us to Peru.
TDS 35 Memories of Saloo’s India At The Des Moines Farmer’s Market With Saloo Sadiq and Aisha Syed—The mother and daughter team talk about their years working together at the Des Moines Farmer’s Market and how the venue has changed over the years. This is an old Delicious Story podcast updated in the post with the latest news of iconic Des Moinian Saloo.
TDS 36 How to Love Your Kitchen You Have: Interview with Amanda Riordan—Amanda talks about helping her clients arrange their kitchen stuff so it makes sense for cooking.
TDS 37 What’s Whimsical, on Wheels, and Serves Iowa Wine? Your Next Great Event Interview with Nikki Schneider—Nikki brings all the amenities of a party featuring Iowa wines and beer to events, rolling out the wine trailer carpet with style.
TDS 38 What a Sugar Cookie Can Teach You About One Sweet Life: Interview With Brittney Haskins—Brittney shares her story of becoming sugar cookie and pie baker extraordinaire.
TDS 39 The Biggest Travel Mistake You Don’t Want to Make: Interview With Travel Advisor Chris Slack—Chris shares ideas for how to make your travel perfect and a memorable meal abroad.
40 The Best Gift to Give Your Body: Interview with Rachel Scholten, Kneeling Cat Pilates—Rachel talks about the benefits of Pilates and her studio in the historic Sherman Hill area of Des Moines.
TDS 41 The Decision to Make Before Any Event: Interview with Shana Davison—Shana shares the questions that need to be answered before planning any major event.
TDS 42 When the Food Must Wow: Interview with Cyd Koehn, #1 Caterer—Cyd shares stories and insights about her life as a caterer with years of experience, and how to select one that exactly right for your next event. Food stories galore here.
TDS 43 How to Be a Good Cook For Real: Interview with Kate Schulz of the Dinner Sisters—Kate explains how she and her sister Betsy Wallace are testing recipes and sharing food lessons in each podcast.
TDS 44 Why You Should Care About Your Urban Farm Neighbor: Monika Owczarski of Sweet Tooth Farm—Monika talks about how she turned a little unused patch of city property into an urban farm and the compounding benefits it has meant for a community.
TDS 45 Why Women Thrive Best in Women’s Network Groups: Interview With Janet Huston—Janet shares the story of what sparked this women’s group and how professional woman help have each other’s back over chicken salad each year.
TDS 46 How Simple Helps: Interview With Erin Port of Simple Purposeful Living—Erin explains how to find the time and joy for the important things in life.
TDS 47 The Automat by Hopper in the Des Moines Art Center: An Interview with Laura Burkhalter—Laura explains the backstory of the famous painting. You’ll never look at Hopper or this work the same way after this podcast.
TDS 48 Alan Koslow: A Man of Intrigue—A physician based in Des Moines, Iowa tells stories of serving as a medical aide in natural disasters throughout the world, and how he helped assure us Star Trek and its many offshoot shows, too. Food stories of grandmother here.
TDS 49 How to Invest and Eat Like a Nomad: Interview With Shlomo Freund of Free Financial Self—Shlomo talks about the life of living abroad in one place or moving often and investment strategies for the more adventurous as well as classical tools, too. His memorable meal takes place in China and involves Dragon’s balls.
TDS 50 How You Dress Can Improve How You Feel: Interview With Nancy Dilts Wardrobe Consultant –Nancy eloquently talks about the impact of the clothes we wear on our minds and hearts. Her memorable meal is an Italian dream.
TDS 51 Mari Fiebach: What is for Dinner?—Marie offers loads of tips on how to make more meals at home instead of through a drive-thru. It can be done with planning.
TDS 52 Becoming Wiser One Movie at a Time: Interview Don Shanahan—Don’s unique take on how to view the movies will inspire and help you pick movies worth watching. And of course we talk about his favorite pick for a movie where food is a primary character. See what you think.
TDS 53 Style Your Life: Food Photographer Jena Carlin—Whether you want to take beautiful photos of food yourself or just know the inside secrets to how to do it, Jena is an expert with the work to prove it. We talk about the secret sauce of creating luscious food images and a tear-jerker memorable meal story.
TDS 54 How to Preserve What Matters: Interview with Courtney Work and Teri Ernst—Courtney and Teri talk about how to flip your brain on dealing with stuff. It needn’t be painful and you can get help to keep what really matters. We also talk memorable meals involving The Bridges of Madison County and Mexico with a side of BLTs with peanut butter and chocolate cake with mayonnaise.
TDS 55 Why Feed Hunger: Interview with Michele Book of The Food Bank of Iowa—We live in incredible times when the pandemic, and recently the derecho, have given our state a double-whammy. Michele speaks about the circumstance of hunger in our state, how the Food Bank supports pantries, and most importantly, how we can all help. Do you think donations are up or down right now, and where do most of them come from? You may be surprised to learn the answer.
Postscript: One comfort is a clean space. If you need help getting going on organizing your home check out Get Organized Gal’s courses for support.
I used her course to organize my office, and it is in pretty good shape these days. Success in one space has lead to cleaning channels to other rooms and photos as well. Check out he courses here.
Sherry and Alexandra Borzo together in Lima, Peru
Sherry is the founder of Storied Gifts a personal publishing service of family and company histories. She and her team help clients curate and craft their stories into books. When not writing or interviewing, Sherry spends loads of time with her grandchildren and lives in Des Moines, Iowa.
STORIED GIFTS SHOP
Need a beautiful infusion of inspiration for your storied life? Please check out the Storied Gifts Shop where we offer Wearable Wisdom & Daily Inspirations.
The shop is a mother and daughter venture for Sherry and Alexandra Borzo of Content In Motion. They both work to help their client's stories sing. The shop is their effort to inspire a focus on healthy minds for everyone through positive thought.
LET’S BE FRIENDS
Please like the Storied Gifts Facebook page. We offer tips and inspirations to help you tell your stories and live a storied life by harnessing your healthy mind through the power of the thoughts you choose.