MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories Storytime with MrBallen | Rosie Grant
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Jan 23, 2026 In this engaging discussion, Rosie Grant, the creative mind behind Ghostly Archive, reveals how a cemetery internship led her to discover recipes etched on gravestones. She recounts the viral spritz cookie that captured the internet's heart and shares her journey of documenting family histories through food. Rosie reflects on the death-positive movement, the evolution of memorial practices, and her own unique cookbook, *To Die For*. Their conversation touches on the importance of discussing mortality while honoring cultural food traditions.
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How Ghostly Archive Began
- Rosie Grant discovered gravestone recipes after interning at a cemetery while studying library science during COVID-19.
- Her TikTok post of Naomi's spritz cookie recipe went viral and launched her Ghostly Archive project.
Food as Grief Work
- People use recipes and food to maintain relationships with lost loved ones and process grief.
- Rosie saw many comments of listeners making deceased relatives' dishes to feel closer to them.
From TikTok To Fieldwork
- Rosie turned research into oral histories, traveling to every gravestone recipe site across North America.
- She mapped markers, photographed graves, interviewed families, and compiled the material into a book.
