The Beyond Delicious Cookbook Blends Paranormal Encounters with Timeless Recipes
Some special recipes are passed down through the generations, while some come from the spirits of those who have crossed over.
Mary Ann Winkowski’s Beyond Delicious Cookbook (available August 12, 2025) is a delightful, unexpected collection of recipes that combines the realms of the living and the dead, all through the universal language of food. The book weaves a tapestry of stories, memories, and supernatural encounters that reveal how food connects us across time, space, and even the afterlife.
Mary Ann Winkowski, known for her unique ability to communicate with earthbound spirits, brings her extraordinary gift to the kitchen table. Since childhood, she has seen and spoken with ghosts, a talent that has led her into countless homes and hearts. But what sets Beyond Delicious apart is how she uses this gift to gather recipes and stories from those who have passed on, preserving not just their culinary secrets but their legacies.
The book opens with a simple-but-profound lesson: Always carry a notepad and pen. For Mary Ann, this advice came from the spirits themselves, who were eager to share not only messages but also their cherished recipes. One of the most memorable spirits is Bess, the first ghost to share a recipe with her. Bess is a lively presence, filled with opinions about baking and a fierce sense of culinary pride. Her attachment to her nut roll recipe is so strong that she even mischievously sabotages the baking attempts of the living, blowing out stove pilot lights or hiding ingredients when she feels her standards aren’t met.
Humor is a key ingredient in Mary Ann’s storytelling. Whether it’s a ghostly grandmother critiquing green bean casseroles or a spectral chef lamenting the misuse of his barbecue chicken recipe, the book is filled with lighthearted moments that balance the poignancy of loss and memory. Her gentle mediation between the living and the dead often results in laughter, healing, and the sharing of a long-lost recipe.
Beneath the laughter lies a deeper message about the power of food to connect us. Mary Ann’s encounters reveal that many spirits linger not out of fear or regret, but out of love—for their families, their traditions, and the recipes that defined their lives. Food, she observes, is a universal language that marks the rhythms of our days and the milestones of our lives. It is both sustenance and celebration, necessity and nostalgia.
The stories in Beyond Delicious are as varied as the recipes themselves. There’s the tale of a woman who embroidered her cauliflower soup recipe to ensure it would never be forgotten, and the bittersweet account of a grandmother who insists her family remember her pickled-beet soup. Each recipe is a bridge to the past, a way for families to honor their ancestors and keep their memories alive at the dinner table.
Mary Ann’s own memories of family gatherings, filled with the aromas of home-cooked meals, remind readers that the act of cooking is about more than following instructions. It’s about love, tradition, and the desire to nourish not just the body, but the soul. Through her paranormal encounters, she has uncovered the emotional weight recipes carry—how a simple dish can evoke comfort, joy, and a sense of belonging.
What makes Beyond Delicious truly special is its invitation to readers: to see food not just as fuel, but as a connection to those who have come before us. Every recipe is accompanied by a story, a voice from the past reaching out to say, “Remember me.” In a world where fast food and convenience often overshadow tradition, this book is a heartfelt reminder of the importance of slowing down, gathering together, and savoring the flavors—and the memories—that make life rich.
So whether you’re a believer in the paranormal or simply a lover of good food, the Beyond Delicious Cookbook offers a unique feast for the senses. It’s a celebration of life, love, and the enduring bonds of food—across generations, and even beyond the veil.
