SMALL ponds
Greta Podleski, along with her sister, Janet, is the co-author of four blockbuster bestselling cookbooks: Looneyspoons; Crazy Plates; Eat, Shrink & Be Merry; and The Looneyspoons Collection. Her first solo cookbook, Yum & Yummer, was Canada’s top-selling cookbook of 2018 and a Taste Canada Awards Gold winner. Podleski’s incredible self-publishing success story and outrageously delicious, healthy recipes have been featured on national TV and radio shows and in newspapers and magazines in both Canada and the United States.
Described by her cookbook fans as “the mad scientist of healthy cooking,” Podleski began developing her kitchen “whizdom” at age seven, when she received an Easy-Bake Oven for her birthday. “If I can cook using the heat of a lightbulb, I can do anything!” proclaimed Podleski during her childhood aha moment. (Her proud mother, Alfreda, in her thick Polish accent, declared Podleski “Da next Julius Child.”)
Podleski lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her best buddy and faithful kitchen companion, Rico, the rescue dog. Not surprisingly, Rico’s favourite meals include “pooched eggs” and “pizza with muttsarella.”
What will you be up to in 2019–20? Since I’m also the publisher and not just the author of Yum & Yummer, I’ll be spending my year on marketing, promotions and running my publishing business. I’m also in the process of dreaming up my next big project. What will it be? I’ve had so many requests for another cookbook, but I’m not sure that’s in the cards. Never say never, though! I love creative work. I’m happiest when I’m conceptualizing and dreaming up ideas, then bringing those ideas to life. My hobby is home renovations and interior design, and sometimes I wonder if that might be my next calling. I guess we’ll see!
Your name?
Greta Podleski
Home (or adopted) town?
I’m from St. Thomas, Ontario, but I’ve lived in Waterloo for 21 years. For the past five years, I’ve spent weekends at my cottage on Lake Huron in my adopted hometown, Sarnia.
Population?
Sarnia, Ontario: population 73,001
Years in residence?
Five years, most weekends and more often during the summer months
Where do you live now?
My full-time residence is in Waterloo, Ontario.
Favourite hangouts?
Big Fish, John’s for breakfast, Skeeters in Bright’s Grove and the beach in my backyard.
Best french fries?
The food trucks under the Bluewater Bridge; the sweet potato fries at Bad Dog restaurant.
Favourite nature walk?
Canatara Park.
Best swimming hole?
Lake Huron, of course! Last year I swam on July 1st, when the lake was 64°F. My screams could be heard across the border in Port Huron, Michigan.
Best place to get in trouble?
Refined Fool Brewery.
Nicest road for a hike/bike/drive?
The Howard Watson Nature Trail, for hiking and biking (no cars allowed). And I never get tired of the drive from Bright’s Grove (a popular, beachy suburb) to downtown Sarnia along Lakeshore Road.
Your town’s claim to fame (before
