Bonus Episode 1: The Sugar-Free Gummy Bear Disaster and the History of Artificial Sweeteners

Episode 35: Chocolate Chip cookies and the Toll House Inn

What does a burning roadside inn have to do with America’s favorite cookie? In this episode of True Crime Culinary, Leah explores the surprising history of the chocolate chip cookie — from early Dutch koekjes and twisted “jumbles” to Ruth Wakefield’s invention of the Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie in 1938. Learn how a chopped Nestlé chocolate bar, an ice pick, wartime care packages, and the rise of refrigerated cookie dough helped transform a regional dessert into a national obsession. The episode also explores: * the history of the Toll House Inn * why brown sugar changes cookie texture * how WWII mail systems spread recipes across America * the origins of chocolate morsels * and why chocolate chip cookies became emotional shorthand for comfort and home If you love food history, nostalgia, psychology, and the strange stories behind everyday foods, this one’s for you. References & Research Summary * Wikipedia — “Chocolate chip cookie” Overview of Ruth Wakefield, the Toll House Inn, the creation of the Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie, Nestlé partnership details, and the spread of the recipe through wartime popularity. * Wikipedia — “Ruth Graves Wakefield” Background on Ruth Wakefield’s education, ownership of the Toll House Inn, and development of the cookie recipe in the late 1930s. * Wikipedia — “Cookie” History of cookies broadly, including the Dutch origin of the word koekje and early cookie traditions. * Wikipedia — “Jumble” Historical information on jumbles, the twisted spice cookies considered predecessors to modern cookies. * Wikipedia — “Nestlé Toll House Cafe” Context on the later commercialization and branding legacy of Toll House cookies. * Wikipedia — “Nestlé” Information on Nestlé’s baking chocolate products and the development of chocolate morsels/chips for baking. * Smithsonian Magazine — “Cracking Open the History of Chocolate Chip Cookies” Additional historical context around the Toll House recipe, Ruth Wakefield, and the cultural rise of the chocolate chip cookie. * U.S. National WWII Museum — wartime mail and care package resources Used for information about military mail logistics, morale, care packages, and how recipes spread among soldiers during World War II. * Historical references on wartime postal systems and V-Mail Used to explain how letters and packages moved through military mail depots, ships, and overseas sorting systems during WWII. * General food science references on sugar chemistry Used for explanations of brown sugar, molasses, hygroscopicity, chewiness, and cookie texture differences between white and brown sugar.

Bonus Episode 1: The Sugar-Free Gummy Bear Disaster and the History of Artificial Sweeteners

What happens when food science tries to create candy without consequences? In this True Crime Culinary bonus episode, Leah Llach breaks down the infamous sugar-free gummy bear disaster — from the rise of artificial sweeteners and America’s sugar-free craze to the internet reviews that turned one bag of candy into online legend. Learn the history of sugar substitutes, why sugar alcohols can cause digestive chaos, and how Haribo sugar-free gummy bears became one of the funniest food failures on the internet. Perfect for listeners who love food history, strange internet culture, psychology, and bizarre product stories. References Summary * FDA – Aspartame and Other Sweeteners in Food [https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/aspartame-and-other-sweeteners-food?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Used for the history and regulation of artificial sweeteners in the United States, including saccharin, aspartame, and sugar alcohols. Also used to explain how sweeteners are approved for use and why sugar alcohols became common in sugar-free candy. * The Saccharin Institute – History of Saccharin [https://saccharin.org/history/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Used for the origin story of saccharin, including its accidental discovery in 1879 and its early role in diabetic and low-calorie foods. Helped provide historical context for the rise of sugar substitutes and the broader sugar-free movement. * Harvard Health – Added Sweeteners / Sugar Alcohols [https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-healthy-is-sugar-alcohol-202312183002?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Used to explain what sugar alcohols are, why they are commonly used in sugar-free products, and how they can cause digestive distress when consumed in large quantities. Also used for context on the popularity of low-calorie sweeteners. * Healthline – Sugar Alcohols: Good or Bad? [https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sugar-alcohols-good-or-bad?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Used for explanations of maltitol and other sugar alcohols, including how they are digested, why they can ferment in the gut, and how osmotic effects contribute to bloating, cramping, and laxative effects. * NIH – Gut Cells Distinguish Between Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners [https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/gut-cells-distinguish-between-sugar-artificial-sweeteners?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Used to discuss emerging research showing that the gut may biologically distinguish between real sugar and artificial sweeteners, reinforcing the episode’s broader theme that sweetness and digestion are not always processed the same way by the body. -> My friend is Dr. Kaelberer :) * YouTube – LA Beast Sugar-Free Gummy Bear Challenge [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6pJrxmDYEI&utm_source=chatgpt.com] Used for internet culture context surrounding the sugar-free gummy bear phenomenon and the spread of reaction-based content tied to the product’s digestive effects. * Bored Panda – Hilarious Sugar-Free Haribo Gummy Reviews [https://www.boredpanda.com/hilarious-comments-sugarfree-haribo-gummies/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]Used for examples of the viral online reviews that helped turn sugar-free gummy bears into one of the internet’s most famous food disasters. The article helped illustrate how consumers described their experiences in exaggerated, story-driven ways that spread widely online. * Reddit discussions and reposted review threads were also referenced for examples of how the sugar-free gummy bear story continued spreading online years later, particularly through humor, storytelling, and shared “survival story” experiences.

Episode 33: Gu gel and the Chicago Marathon Heatwave

The history of endurance sports is basically the history of humans trying to avoid bonking by aggressively eating increasingly weird snacks. This week on True Crime Culinary, Leah Llach looks at the 2007 Chicago Marathon heat disaster, the sticky rise of PowerBar and GU, California’s endurance culture boom, and why athletes went from believing food during races was weakness… to carrying caffeinated sugar goo in tiny foil packets. Also: mountain bikes, ultramarathon aid stations, and why humans eventually realized they actually like chewing. This episode references reporting and historical information related to the 2007 Chicago Marathon heat disaster, endurance fueling, women’s marathon history, and the rise of California endurance culture. Sources include historical information on PowerBar and founder Brian Maxwell, early mountain biking pioneers Gary Fisher and Joe Breeze, the 2007 Chicago Marathon, and marathon pioneers Kathrine Switzer, Stamata Revithi, and Marie-Louise Ledru. Additional information on endurance physiology, glycogen depletion, and carbohydrate fueling during exercise was referenced from peer-reviewed sports nutrition research. * PowerBar History [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBar?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Brian Maxwell Biography [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Maxwell?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Joe Breeze Biography [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Breeze?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Gary Fisher Biography [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Fisher?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * 2007 Chicago Marathon Overview [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Chicago_Marathon?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Stamata Revithi Biography [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamata_Revithi?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Marie-Louise Ledru Biography [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Louise_Ledru?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Kathrine Switzer Biography [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathrine_Switzer?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Nutrition and Athletic Performance Research Review [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3464793/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Episode 32 - Fortune Cookies and the Order That Solved the Murder

Fortune cookies aren’t actually Chinese — and their history connects immigration, war, restaurant culture, and one devastating murder investigation in Queens. In this episode of True Crime Culinary, Leah traces the surprising origins of fortune cookies from Japanese tea gardens to Chinese takeout counters across America. Along the way, she explores how World War II and the internment of Japanese Americans reshaped restaurant culture in the United States, how fortune cookies became mass produced, and how a Chinese food delivery order helped investigators solve the 2000 murder of restaurant owner and delivery driver Jin-Sheng Liu. From handwritten fortunes to forensic timelines, this is a story about food, history, labor, and the strange paper trails we leave behind. References * YouTube — Fortune Cookie History Video [https://youtu.be/OsOA4eYzG5s?si=eZ71whY1s3AyTOU4&utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Smithsonian Magazine — “Cracking Open the History of Fortune Cookies” [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/cracking-open-the-history-of-fortune-cookies-28538557/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Wikipedia — Internment of Japanese Americans [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internment_of_Japanese_Americans?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * The New York Times — “Owner of Restaurant in Queens Is Killed During a Delivery” * The New York Times — “Teenagers Accused of Killing for a Free Meal” * ABC News — “Prosecutor: Five Teens Order Takeout, Kill Deliveryman” [https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=95451&page=1&utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Episode 31 - Snickers and the Foiled Race Horse Doppelgänger

A horse wins a race by a hair… and then the paint starts dripping down its legs. This week on True Crime Culinary, Leah dives into one of the strangest scandals in horse racing history: the 1984 Fine Cotton scandal, where gamblers swapped a racehorse, used spray paint to disguise it, and nearly pulled off the perfect betting con. But somehow, this story also leads directly to the history of Snickers — the candy bar named after a real horse. From the rise of Mars Incorporated during the Great Depression to Olympic sponsorships, endurance athletes, and one extremely questionable spray-paint decision, this episode looks at how money, perception, and horses collided in one absolutely batshit true story. 🎧 New episodes every Thursday. Grab a snack — preferably one not named after a racehorse involved in fraud. References / Sources 1. “Snickers.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snickers [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snickers] 2. “Fine Cotton scandal.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_Cotton [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_Cotton] 3. Mars Incorporated — “Our History.” https://www.mars.com/about/history [https://www.mars.com/about/history] 4. “Facts About SNICKERS® | Candy Bar History and Contact.” https://www.snickers.com/our-story [https://www.snickers.com/our-story] 5. “Story and history of Snickers, Mars and other classic chocolate bars.” https://harshchocolates.com/blogs/news/the-story-of-how-the-all-classic-chocolate-bars-mars-snickers-and-more [https://harshchocolates.com/blogs/news/the-story-of-how-the-all-classic-chocolate-bars-mars-snickers-and-more] 6. YouTube — “Fine Cotton Scandal” documentary/video source. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyOx32awSXQ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyOx32awSXQ] 7. YouTube — horse racing/Fine Cotton coverage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYq1qwvB3co [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYq1qwvB3co] 8. YouTube — additional Fine Cotton scandal coverage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB1WNDyilNY [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB1WNDyilNY]