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We sat together on the balcony of The Palmer House Hotel in Chicago— the birthplace of the brownie — sharing a sundae made with the original recipe. The lighting was dim and golden. Below us, the grand foyer was alive with energy, people gathered in clusters, bars humming, and in the distance, the grand staircase rose up to the famous Empire Room — a ballroom where legends like Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, and Sonny and Cher had once performed.
We’d come from half a world away — from our own small kitchen in Brisbane, where we first developed our signature Classic Luxury Brownie — to sit in the very place where it all began. It reminded us just how far handmade food can travel when it’s made with heart.
And it reaffirmed everything we believe about small batch baking: that flavour, texture, and meaning come not from mass production, but from care, detail, and intention.
The moment also deepened our appreciation for the history of brownies, which we’d only truly discovered years into our journey — through a kind customer who travelled with our brownies from Brisbane to Chicago.
We hadn’t heard of The Palmer House when we launched Dello Mano. In fact, it wasn’t until years into our journey that a regular customer Sheldon, mentioned its significance. He often bought boxes of our brownies to take back to Chicago and casually noted that we shared a connection with the hotel — the original home of the brownie.
That conversation sparked a dream.
Before we left Brisbane, Bien called The Palmer House on a whim. We explained who we were — a small Australian handmade brownie company — and asked if it might be possible to meet someone from the kitchen during our visit.
We imagined they’d say no.
But they didn’t.
They connected us with Ken Price, who personally welcomed us when we arrived. The kitchen team seemed genuinely touched that we’d travelled across the world to honour the dessert’s origin. We swapped brownies — theirs and ours — and stood together in the kitchen that started it all.
It was a quiet, generous exchange between two sets of makers — connected by care, tradition, and taste.
Brownies swapped across cultures. A moment of shared pride in doing things the handmade way.
In 1893, Bertha Palmer, a savvy and forward-thinking businesswoman, commissioned a dessert that would be elegant, portable, and indulgent. She wanted something suitable for the women attending Chicago’s Columbian Exposition.
What resulted was the original brownie: a dense, rich chocolate square layered with walnuts and a glazed apricot topping. It was small, refined, and luxurious — created with a specific purpose in mind.
Bertha wasn’t following a trend. She was asking for something thoughtful. That’s where small batch baking begins — with intention, care, and meaning.
Back in Brisbane, our journey was a different kind of quiet. I’d bake at night, after our daughters were tucked into bed, testing batch after batch. I shared them at school mums’ groups and after-school activities — watching for natural, unfiltered reactions.
Then one day, I took a tray to a friend’s yoga birthday lunch. After dessert, one woman stood up at the long table and said, “Who made these? They’re delicious.”
Everyone agreed.
And in that moment, I knew.
This was the recipe.
We’ve never changed it.
When Bertha Palmer’s pastry chef created the original brownie, he didn’t mass-produce it. He made it with precision. For taste. For people.
At Dello Mano, that’s how we still approach baking.
We scale only when quality stays intact.
We use technology when it helps — but the human hand leads every batch.
To us, small batch means:
Real people at the heart of every product
Never compromising flavour or texture for efficiency
Trusting the sensory feel of food, not just a timer or scale
Machines can make food. But they can’t make feeling.
And that feeling — of care, of soul — is what makes a brownie truly luxurious.
👉 Discover the secret behind our small batch handmade brownies
When we started Dello Mano, we didn’t know where the brownie came from — we just knew how it should taste. Our handmade journey began with midnight bakes, market stalls, and the belief that luxury is something you can taste when care is involved.
Visiting The Palmer House reminded us that the original brownie was never about shortcuts — it was about craft, quality, and delight. That legacy lives on in every brownie we make today. Lovedfortheirrichtextureandflavour,thesearethechocolatebrowniesAustralianslove—indulgent,elegant,andunforgettable.
If you believe in real chocolate, real ingredients, and food that carries a story —
try the brownie that continues the tradition, small batch and handmade, just as it began.
👉 Explore the Classic Luxury Brownie
OrdiscoverthechocolatebrownieAustraliansfellinlovewith —theonethatsparkedamovementandstillsetsthebartoday.
Our heartfelt thanks to the team at The Palmer House Hotel in Chicago for their incredible hospitality and generosity. From the moment Bien first called from Brisbane, we were met with warmth, openness, and a spirit of shared appreciation.
We especially honour the late Ken Price, who personally welcomed us to the hotel and made our visit unforgettable. His generosity and sincerity left a lasting impression — and we’re deeply grateful for the time he shared with us.
To the Palmer House kitchen team, thank you for the beautiful exchange of brownies and stories. You reminded us why food — when made with care — can connect us across cultures and generations.
The Palmer House is more than the birthplace of the brownie — it is a living symbol of elegance, history, and hospitality.
👉 Explore The Palmer House Hotel
We visited The Palmer House in Chicago because it’s where the first brownie was created in 1893. As a handmade brownie company, it felt like a pilgrimage — a way to honour the origins of the dessert we’ve spent years perfecting.
Yes, you can still enjoy the original brownie recipe at the Palmer House Hotel. It features walnuts and an apricot glaze — a unique, historic take on the classic dessert.
Our Classic Luxury Brownie was born from months of recipe testing and feedback from local community groups in Brisbane. Although we didn’t know about the Palmer House when we started, our approach mirrored theirs: small batch, high quality, and made with purpose.
We scale only in ways that preserve our process. We use tech when it helps — but never at the expense of taste or human care. Every brownie is still handmade, wrapped, and packed with the same hands-on approach we started with.
Our brownie journey didn’t begin with the Palmer House — in fact, we didn’t know about it until a regular client, Sheldon, mentioned it. Sheldon travelled monthly from Chicago to Brisbane and would take our brownies home each trip as gifts for his family and friends. One day, he told us about the Palmer House Hotel and its historical role in the origin of the brownie. That’s when we began researching the story — and eventually made the trip ourselves.
The original Palmer House brownie is topped with walnuts and coated in an apricot glaze — rich, dense, and elegant in its own unique way.
At Dello Mano, our Classic Luxury Brownie has a fudgier texture, uses Belgian chocolate, and is crafted with a different flavour and finish. It’s not glazed, and we present each one individually wrapped for modern gifting and luxury moments — all handmade in small batch, just like great food should be.
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From express delivery to Melbourne since 2006 to rich, fudgy brownies handmade in Brisbane — this is why Dello Mano has become Melbourne’s trusted name in luxury brownie gifting.
From market stalls to national delivery, Dello Mano’s story is rooted in the slow of handmade food — a life philosophy and a calm rebellion in a rushed world.
Since 2006, Dello Mano has delivered Luxury Brownies™ across Melbourne — from VIP events to heartfelt gifts. Discover why our handmade treats are a Melbourne favourite.
