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New Fibe TV1 show invites viewers to dig into spiritual creations

Host Melinda Paletta teams up with Alloro chef Rene Ryers and local mediums to explore her passions

Culinary creations and spirituality come together to feed you and your soul in a new television show on Bell Fibe TV1.

Host of the show and gourmet culinarian Melinda Paletta, owner and executive producer of Basil and Sage Inc., is thrilled to see her idea come to life. The Burlington resident enjoyed an evening of tasty delights with some of the psychics and mediums, chef and producers to celebrate the show’s launch at the Holiday Inn’s Alloro restaurant on Feb. 18.

Paletta describes the six-episode series, which you can also find on Basil and Sage TV’s YouTube channel, as a mouth-watering and mind-awakening series combining the creation of authentic Italian cuisine with the exploration of the world unseen. Local mediums talk about the world of spirituality and host Paletta’s friendly and entertaining discussion makes it something more than your average cooking show.

Paletta said her kitchen can get loud and rowdy and, as such, she invites friends with supernatural sensitivities to help her cook meals while chatting about the afterlife and world unseen. Local mediums share tales of the ethereal in season one, co-produced by Simon Hutchings and Mike Pollington; the producers believe the show will be well-received and say it’s a nice mix of cooking and mediumship, but not too heavy on the latter.

Each installment introduces the audience to an appetizer, main and dessert, and contains stories, insights, and prophecies by one of Paletta’s spiritual friends. In the culinary corner, Alloro head chef Rene Ryers shows viewers important kitchen techniques such as choosing the correct knife for the task or learning how to maintain knife sharpness.

Paletta said as an Italian, she often found herself in the kitchen growing up, preparing dishes from ancestors, sneaking a taste of homemade sauce, or just catching an aromatic scent of something frying up. A lifetime believer in the psychic world, she is excited to be able to combine both her passions in one show. Season two is already being cooked up, and she’s confident there will be more to come.

In the first episode, host Paletta teaches Layers of Life and brings another level to the kitchen, while spiritual medium Sally Fitzgerald shows viewers the other side of life. Christine Bay whips up a hearty Bourbon and Sage Cocktail behind the bar at Alloro.

Other episodes feature: Paletta and psychic Barb McCallum as they discuss cooking techniques and fairies – sweet winged little angels with a carnivorous appetite; intuitive medium Diane Berkley and Paletta as they try to prepare delectable dishes in the kitchen but keep getting interrupted by spirits from the other side; Paletta showing psychic medium Leah Strocen the technique to smoking a beef brisket; What do you get when you put an Italian and a Hungarian in the kitchen? Palleta and The Blue Hair Medium Kathryn Dzsudzsak prepare a comforting meal, with messages of a baby on the way; Paletta and Indigenous psychic medium Cathy Starfire Woman cook a rustic family favourite in wine country and discuss what happens when we die in the season finale.

The sixth episode sees them cook risotto, a major staple in Paletta’s home growing up, and her dad’s favourite recipe. He died last October, and that show is dedicated to him, she noted.

And let’s not forget Pandora and Estelle, the creepy mascots of Basil and Sage TV. These eerie old-time porcelain-faced dolls even go shopping with Paletta, who laughs when she sees fellow shoppers react to spotting the dolls in the front seat of her grocery cart.

Strocen, who’s based out of Mississauga, said she had a fun experience on the show and is pleased with seeing it come to life. Starfire, who is an Indigenous psychic medium from Six Nations of the Grand River, echoed her sentiments, adding that she saw the show coming to life more than five years ago.

“The show opens the door to people to see what mediums do, and hopefully they will see that there’s nothing to fear from the other side,” she said. “It encourages people to think on their own and set aside past conditioning." More importantly, she said, they have a great time. “All we do is laugh and have fun.”

Recipes for the culinary creations on each episode can be found on Paletta’s website: basilandsagetv.com.


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Julie Slack

About the Author: Julie Slack

Julie Slack is a Halton resident who has been working as a community journalist for more than 25 years
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