Anna Olson

Celebrity Pastry Chef , Host of Food Network's 'Fresh with Anna Olson'


Anna Olson will be on the Food Network Celebrity Stage and will be recreating some of her famous recipes utilizing SPLENDA® Brand products.

Anna Olson originally hails from Atlanta, Georgia, but considers herself a Canadian gal, as she was raised in Toronto and has lived in Niagara for over 10 years.  A degree in Political Studies and Sociology from Queen’s University in Kingston helped Anna hone her writing skills, but it wasn’t until she pursued her true passion for cooking at Johnson & Wales University in Vail, Colorado, that she really found her calling.

Anna spent some time working in Colorado, Texas, and New Orleans before being drawn to the cooking styles of Michael Olson at Inn on the Twenty in Jordan.  She fell madly in love with his respectful approach to cooking using local and seasonal ingredients, and then fell madly in love with Michael!  They were married in 1999.

After leaving Inn on the Twenty as pastry chef, Anna moved into the medium of television as host of Sugar on Food Network Canada.  Sugar,an approachable all-dessert show, ran for five seasons and well over a hundred episodes. Additionally, Anna successfully hosted Kitchen Equipped a kitchen renovation series for two seasons which aired on both Food Network Canada and HGTV.  Anna’s latest series Fresh with Anna Olson features Anna in the comfort of her Niagara Region country home, preparing delicious and accessible recipes based on her personal mantra “eat fresh, eat local.”

In addition to television, Anna also explores print media.  The Inn on the Twenty Cookbook was co-authored with her husband and published in 2000.  Following the success of the show, Sugar, Anna published a book of the same name in 2004, and followed up with the successful Another Cup of Sugar, in October 2006.  In fall 2005, Anna and her husband released their second co-authored cookbook, Anna and Michael Olson Cook at Home – a menu-driven cookbook that highlights how the Olson’s cook at home, with loads of tips and tricks for ease in entertaining and weeknight dining; the book was nominated by Cuisine Canada for Cookbook of the Year. Anna also freelance writes for various publications including Vines, LCBO Food & Drink, and writes a regular column with Michael for the St. Catharines Standard newspaper.

In all this activity, Anna found she missed the adrenaline surge of active restaurant duty and decided in August 2004 to open Olson Foods + Bakery in Port Dalhousie, a historic lakeside community in St. Catharines, Ontario.  This little retail shop boasts an open kitchen and sells baked goods made fresh daily, artisanal cheeses, freshly prepared sandwiches and salads, and gourmet pantry items.  When she’s not taping or writing, this is where Anna spends most of her time.

Giving back to the community is also important to Anna.  She supports a local endeavour, the Niagara Women’s Enterprise Centre, which provides hospitality training to women who might have such opportunities.  She participates in a number of fundraisers, and her end-of-day product from the bakery is given to the local YWCA women’s shelter or the Out of the Cold Program.  She also sits on the board for the Adolescent Family Support Services of Niagara, which provides educational and daycare support for young mothers.

Fresh and Fabulous: Savour the Local Harvest with Anna Olson
Fresh with Anna Olson Launches March 24 on Food Network

Fresh with Anna Olson
New Series
Weekdays at 3:30 p.m. PT
beginning March 24 It’s Anna Olson like you’ve never seen her before. This spring step into Anna’s Niagara-region country home as she prepares savory and delicious dishes, with the bounty of fresh ingredients from area farmers and winemakers. Fresh reintroduces audiences to celebrated kitchen personality, Anna Olson, former host of Sugar and Kitchen Equipped, in a new Canadian television series. In each episode Anna creates a colourful, themed palate of delicious foods including walnut pesto, potato prosciutto kebabs and roasted lamb with date salsa, which are then enjoyed at special events from weddings, to beach parties, to winemaker’s dinners, to birthday extravaganzas.

 Anna Olson inspires us to eat fresh and eat local but most importantly have fun in the kitchen.