Anna Olson

Anna Olson (born May 4, 1968 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a professionally trained American pastry chef. She resides in Welland in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada. She was previously the host of Food Network Canada's Fresh with Anna Olson,[1] Sugar and Kitchen Equipped and Bake with Anna Olson. She currently hosts the Twitter exclusive video short series Sweet Something which can be seen on Food Network Canada Twitter. She also hosts short videos on her YouTube channel Oh Yum with Anna Olson.

Anna Olson
Anna and Michael Olson
Born (1968-05-04) May 4, 1968
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
EducationJohnson & Wales University
Queen's University
SpouseMichael Olson
Culinary career
Cooking styleBakery
Current restaurant(s)
Previous restaurant(s)
Television show(s)
Websitehttp://www.annaolson.ca/

Biography

Anna Tomcik Olson was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Her parents, Donna and Andy Tomcik,[2] immigrated to Toronto where she grew up. Olson's paternal grandparents came from Slovakia.[3] Olson earned a degree in political science and sociology from Queen's University in Kingston.[4] She also worked for a time in a bank in downtown Toronto. During her lunch breaks, Olson wandered the St. Lawrence Market searching for different ingredients and inspiration for her next dinner party.[5] Olson recalls that she was baking a banana muffin one night after being unable to sleep when she had a "muffin epiphany" and decided to pursue a culinary career.[6] Olson then enrolled in the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.[7] Upon her graduation from the university, Olson travelled across the United States. She would eventually find her way to Niagara Falls. Olson was a pastry chef at Inn on the Twenty in Jordan, Ontario for seven years, where she met her husband, chef Michael Olson.[8]

Olson's writings include The Inn on the Twenty Cookbook, co-authored by her husband and published in 2000. Olson also published a cookbook called Sugar in 2004. It was a companion to her TV show by the same name which aired on Food Network Canada.[9] Olson co-authored another book with her husband which was released in October 2005. The book is called Anna & Michael Olson Cook at Home: Recipes for Everyday and Every Occasion. This is a menu-driven book which highlights how Olson and her husband cook at home. It also includes tips and tricks for entertaining and weeknight dining.[10] In late 2006, another cookbook with recipes derived from Sugar, called Another Cup of Sugar was released. Olson also writes for publications such as Vines and LCBO Food and Drink.

Anna Olson opened Olson Food at Port in Port Dalhousie, a historic lakeside community in St. Catharines, Ontario. She sold the Port Dalhousie shop in April 2009, to their long-time friend and pastry chef Andrea Poirier and her sister Leesa Leshkewich.[11]

In July 2008, the Olsons opened their second location, Olson Foods at Ravine, in partnership with Ravine Vineyards in St. David's, Ontario. In February 2010 it was announced that they were no longer involved with the location at The Ravine Winery and the partnership was ended.[12]

Olson supports a local program called the Niagara Women's Enterprise Centre.[13] The centre provides training in the hospitality sector to women who might not have that opportunity, with her end-of-the-day product given to a local YWCA women's shelter or Out of the Cold Program.

Endorsements

Starbucks Coffee

Olson has been featured for the past few years in various promotions for Starbucks Coffee Canada. This started in the winter of 2004, when her Mocha Bites recipe was featured on a recipe card available in Starbucks retail stores.

In the spring of 2005, Starbucks Coffee featured Olson in television advertisements aired nationally to promote their sweepstakes that was held in-conjunction with Food Network Canada and to introduce Anna's Brown Sugar Pound Cake being sold in retail stores. This also included in-store advertising of her cake with special pastry toppers and take-home recipe cards.

In winter 2005, her Chai Decadence Chocolate Bundt Cake was one of the featured holiday pastries sold in stores (once again promoted with in-store recipe cards). Olson was also featured in the Christmas television advertisement for Starbucks Coffee Canada. In the spring of 2006, Olson appeared in television advertisements promoting Starbucks Coffee's annual Brewing Sale 2006.

Splenda

Starting in late 2005, Olson has appeared in television advertisements for Splenda and has provided recipes on their official Canadian website.

KitchenAid

Olson has appeared in television advertisements for KitchenAid appliances. Fleischmann and KitchenAid were official sponsors of Bake with Anna Olson beginning in season two.[14]

Pillsbury

Olson did commercials for Pillsbury Christmas cookies during the 2006 Christmas season.

Bulk Barn

Olson's "Chef's Selections" appears in Bulk Barn's flyers and website.[15]

Home Hardware

Olson has done television commercials and flyer ads for Home Hardware, advertising kitchen products and appliances. She also has a recipe section on the Home Hardware website and contributes to Home Hardware's free quarterly magazine "Home at Home".[16]

Filmography
Television
Year Show Role Notes
2002-2007 Sugar Host
2005-2007 Kitchen Equipped Co-host
2008-2010 Fresh with Anna Olson Host
2008 Twas the Night Before Dinner Christmas Special Herself Christmas special with Bob Blumer, Anthony Sedlak, Laura Calder, and Ricardo Larrivée
2009-unknown Live It Everyday Co-host of the cooking club
2012–2015 Bake with Anna Olson Host
2016 Inspired With Anna Olson Host
2018 Iron Chef Canada Herself/Iron Chef Holiday baking edition
2019 Sweet Something Host Short online series
2020-present Great Chocolate Showdown Co-Host and judge One of the three co-hosts/judges, including Steven Hodge and Cynthia Stroud
Junior Chef Showdown One of the three co-hosts/judges

Awards and nominations
Anna Olson awards and nominations
Wins 3
Nominations 4
Year Nominated work Award Category Result Ref
2009 Fresh with Anna Olson Grand Remi Award - Worldfest Houston Best Lifestyle Programming Won [17]
2017 Bake with Anna Olson Canadian Screen Awards Host in a lifestyle, talk or entertainment news program or series Nominated
2017 Bake with Anna Olson: More than 125 Simple, Scrumptious and Sensational Recipes to Make You a Better Baker Taste Canada Awards Single-Subject Cookbooks - English Language - Silver Won [18][19]
2019 Set for the Holidays with Anna Olson Taste Canada Awards General Cookbooks - English Language - Silver Won [20]

Bibliography
  • Inn on the Twenty Cookbook co-written with Michael Olson (July 2003 Whitecap Publishing, ISBN 1-55285-518-X)
  • Sugar - (April 2004 Whitecap Publishing, ISBN 1-55285-509-0)
  • Anna & Michael Olson Cook at Home: Recipes for Everyday and Every Occasion co-wrote with Michael Olson - (October 2005 Whitecap Publishing, ISBN 1-55285-702-6)
  • Another Cup of Sugar - (October 2006 Whitecap Publishing, ISBN 1-55285-809-X)
  • In The Kitchen With Anna: New Ways with the Classics - (September 2008, Whitecap Publishing, ISBN 1-55285-946-0)
  • Fresh with Anna Olson - (September 2009, Whitecap Publishing, ISBN 978-1-55285-995-7)
  • Back to Baking: 200 Timeless Recipes to Bake, Share, Enjoy - (December 2011, Whitecap Publishing, ISBN 978-1-77050-063-1)
  • Bake with Anna Olson: More than 125 Simple, Scrumptious and Sensational Recipes to Make You a Better Baker - (September 13, 2016; Appetite by Random House, ISBN 978-0-14-753021-9)
  • Set for the Holidays with Anna Olson - (October 2018, Appetite by Random House, ISBN 978-0-14-753081-3)

References
  1. "Food Network Canada Blog - On Set of Fresh with Anna Olson". Food Network. September 14, 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011.
  2. Anna Olson (September 1, 2010). "Folks for Dinner". Fresh with Anna Olson. Season 1. Episode 16. 19 minutes in. Food Network Canada.
  3. "Anna Olson bio". LifeStyle Food. Archived from the original on August 6, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
  4. "Anna Olson to be Published by Appetite by Random House". Penguin Random House Canada. March 7, 2016.
  5. "Anna Olson shares circular journey to baking stardom". St. Catharines Standard. March 4, 2019.
  6. Lipson, Alanna (May 11, 2017). "Q&A With Celebrity Pastry Chef Anna Olson". Canadian Living.
  7. "Inspired with Anna Olson: Host Bio". Food Network Canada.
  8. "About Anna". AnnaOlson.ca. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
  9. Olson, Anna (2004). "About the Author". Sugar: Simple Sweets and Decadent Desserts. Whitecap Books. ISBN 978-1-5528-5509-6.
  10. Olson, Anna; Olson, Michael (2005). "Backcover". Anna and Michael Olson Cook at Home: Recipes for Everyday and Every Occasion. Whitecap Books. ISBN 978-1-5528-5702-1.
  11. "Olson Foods at Ravine". Niagara Greenbelt. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016.
  12. "NOTL for Valentine's Weekend - the Ultimate Dead End?". Chowhound. January 31, 2010.
  13. "Anna Olson spreads some sugar for kid services centre". Niagara This Week. May 18, 2006.
  14. Fatah, Sonya (August 11, 2015). "Olson bakes with Fleischmann and KitchenAid". mediaincanada.com.
  15. "www.bulkbarn.ca". Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  16. Harris, Rebecca (January 13, 2015). "Anna Olson Dishes Expert Advice for Home Hardware". marketingmag.ca.
  17. Seiberling, Irene (May 6, 2010). "Anna Olson wins prestigious award". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  18. "2017 Taste Canada Awards". Taste Canada. 10 April 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  19. Food Network Canada (October 31, 2017). "Best New Cookbooks Named at Taste Canada Awards". Food Network. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  20. "2019 Taste Canada Award Winners". Taste Canada. 26 October 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
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