Podcast
Everything Cookbooks
Hosted by Andrea Nguyen, Molly Stevens, Kate Leahy, Kristin Donnelly · EN
A podcast for curious writers, readers, and cooks. Episodes provide behind-the-scenes information and stories about how cookbooks get made.
31episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
168: Domenica Marchetti on Italian Cookies
2d ago00:50:19Tap to summarizeKate and Molly speak with Domenica Marchetti about her newest book and finding a niche in the crowded Italian cookbook category. Domenica shares how she got her start as a food writer, bringing her journalistic background and other interests and experiences together in a unique way, and then talks about the personal importance of some of her early work. She gets into how a cookie captured her imagination, inspiring this new cookbook all about the history, stories and bakeries that create singular Italian cookies. We discuss her research, recipe development and writing process as well as the adventure of baking all of the cookies for the photoshoot (!). And we conclude with a discussion about how her newsletter figures into her professional life. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions Domenica Marchetti Website Buona Domenica Substack Instagram Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy, by Domenica Marchetti Food Friends Podcast Newsletter Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Italian Cookies, by Domenica Marchetti Preserving Italy, by Domenica Marchetti Ciao Biscotti, by Domenica Marchetti The Glorious Pasta of Italy, by Domenica Marchetti Everyday Italian Cookbook, by Domenica Marchetti The Italian Baker, by Carol Field
Transcribe →167: Ifrah F. Ahmed on the Making of Soomaaliya
1w ago00:47:07Tap to summarizeKate and Kristin speak with Ifrah F. Ahmed about how the culmination of her expertise in a culture and a cuisine led to her debut cookbook, Soomaaliya. Ifrah shares how a trip to Somalia inspired her to leave law school, create a magazine dedicated to Somali women and start a wildly successful pop-up before turning her attention towards a book. She takes us through her deeply intentional cookbook process from coming up with the idea, getting an agent, writing the proposal, the drama of a publisher auction to the writing, recipe development, photography and design process. She talks about her goal, her primary audience and their reactions as well as how she decided to weave together history, interviews, personal essays with the recipes. Finally she touches on her decision of how much of herself to include in the book and the very special interactions she's had while writing it. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions Food Friends Podcast Newsletter Ifrah F. Ahmed Website Instagram Milk & Myrrh pop up This Is TASTE 728: A Delicious Deep Dive Into Somali Food with Ifrah F. Ahmed Somali Cuisine by Barlin Ali Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Soomaaliya by Ifrah F. Ahmed
Transcribe →166: Natasha Pickowicz on Writing the Second Book
2w ago00:49:04Tap to summarizeKate and Andrea speak with cookbook author Natasha Pickowicz about her second book, how it differed from her first and what she learned during the process. Natasha takes us on her journey from the kitchen to the keyboard as she talks about how her first book came to be, the false starts it went through and the role the pandemic played in its evolution. She then shares some behind the scenes on her second book; how publishers reacted to her topic shift, its structure, the historical inclusions and its single subject concentration. We learn about working with her parents on the book, how it deepened their connection and what they each brought to the project. Natasha gets into the challenges of the photoshoot, how she created recipes for a 'recipe-less' meal and what she's learned this time around before leaving us with some advice for other writers embarking on their sophomore books. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions Episode 150: Entertaining Cookbooks Natasha Pickowicz Website Instagram Substack Bake Sales Food Friends Newsletter Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show More than Cake by Natasha Pickowicz Everyone Hot Pot by Natasha Pickowicz
Transcribe →165: Inside the Alison Roman and Britt Cobb Design Universe
3w ago00:58:58Tap to summarizeAndrea and Molly speak with Alison Roman and Britt Cobb, the designer of her new book, Something from Nothing about their collaboration. Alison speaks about her unique approach to her work, how she leans into personhood instead of branding and why this new book is different than her previous works. Alison and Britt describe how they connected and then get into the nitty gritty of working together; from the idea phase to the process of choosing everything from font styles, cover color, pairing illustrations with photography to trim size, prop selection and paper texture. They each share their views on the longevity and tactile nature of book creation and some insights on their design choices, tastes and ideas. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions How Not To Write a Cookbook, by Brooks Headley in Bon Appétit Alison Roman Website YouTube Newsletter Britt Cobb, Cobbco Design Chris Bernabeo, photographer Rosie McGuinness, illustrator The Skinny Font Taking Over Tech Companies and the White House - The Wall Street Journal Food Friends Newsletter Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Something From Nothing, by Alison Roman Sweet Enough, by Alison Roman Nothing Fancy, by Alison Roman Dining In, by Alison Roman
Transcribe →164: Being a Cookbook Editor with Rachel Brown of Appetite
Apr 1500:40:36Tap to summarizeMolly and Kate speak with Rachel Brown, acquisitions editor at Appetite, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada, about her career journey and insights into the Canadian cookbook landscape. Rachel talks about her education and early editing experience before taking us behind the scenes about Appetite titles specifically. She shares what types of books they publish, how the team works, what they are looking for in a proposal and how Canadian readers love to support local authors. She talks about working with other countries' markets, the upcoming books she is excited about and the themes she'd like to see more of before leaving us with a few words of advice for those who aspire to work in the editing sphere. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions Appetite by Random House Mary Berg 136: Cooking the Food of Nigeria with Ozoz Sokoh Jason Hudson Food Friends Newsletter Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show My Cypriot Table, by Irene Matys
Transcribe →163: Before the Recipes: Cookbook Introductions and Front Matter
Apr 800:46:35Tap to summarizeTo kick off Season 9 Molly, Andrea, Kate and Kristin discuss e-cookbooks vs physical editions before diving into front matter; all of the sections of a cookbook that come before the recipes. They talk about the purpose, process and planning that goes into the preface, prologue, forward, introduction and pantry section and ask whether these are even necessary. Each of them talk about their own experiences and approach to front matter as well as the unique ways other books have utilized these sections. They speak about the differences between the sections, their frustrations and rejections, how front matter has evolved and the importance of being creative and (sometimes) going rogue to keep readers interested and not intimidated to dive into the rest of the book. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions Why the Cookbook Endures by Shaan Merchant in Taste Episode 28: All About Recipe Headnotes Food Friends Newsletter Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Classic Indian Cooking, by Julie Sahni Rice is Life, by Caryl Levine, Ken Lee, Kristin Donnelly Down South + East by Ron Hsu Something from Nothing by Alison Roman Chop Chop by Ozoz All About Roasting by Molly Stevens All About Braising by Molly Stevens Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin Ghana to the World by Eric Adjepong, Korsha Wilson
Transcribe →95: Recipe Writing with Real Cooks in Mind [re-release]
Apr 100:52:27Tap to summarizeOriginally aired on June 19, 2024 Kate, Kristin and Molly venture back into the user experience arena as they discuss recipe presentation in cookbooks. They highlight the need for this section to delight not distract and prioritize form over function as well as the need to write with a specific audience in mind. They discuss their thoughts as a consumer and developer on elements like: ingredients, equipment, serving size, prep time, method, sub-recipes, headnotes and bursts. Finally, they share their advice for recipe developers on things to think through and ways to research to bring clarity and individuality to their own work. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions Episode 91: The UX of Cookbook Design Episode 28: All About Headnotes Episode 42: How to Write Recipe Titles Episode 24: Genius Recipes with Kristin Miglore Episode 59: Lerato Umah-Shaylor on Africana Episode 33: Becoming the Writer You Want to Be with Andy Baraghani Episode 93: The Secret of Cooking with Bee Wilson Episode 88: On Being a First-Time Cookbook Author with Michelle Braxton Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Genius Recipes by Kristin Miglore Brooks Headley's Fancy Desserts by Brooks Headley
Transcribe →28: All About Recipe Headnotes [re-release]
Mar 2500:42:02Tap to summarizeOriginally aired on November 9, 2022 Today, Andrea tackles the topic of the ever elusive headnote with Molly, Kate and Kristin. They discuss what a headnote is, how they go about writing them and the pitfalls to avoid while composing. They bring examples of some favorites and also their pet peeves as they chat about the format, design and variety that goes into these important cookbook ingredients. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly Editor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions Kristin's newsletter - Mission Dinner Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show All About Braising by Molly Stevens All About Dinner by Molly Stevens Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan Ever-Green Vietnamese by Andrea Nguyen Greenfeast by Nigel Slater Rice Is Life by Kristin Donnelly Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert Small Victories by Julie Turshen The Chef’s Garden by Farmer Lee Jones and Kristin Donnelly The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis Wine Style by Kate Leahy
Transcribe →42: How to Write Recipe Titles [re-release]
Mar 1800:45:57Tap to summarizeOriginally aired on February 22, 2023 Kate talks with Molly, Andrea and Kristin all about recipe titles. They share what makes one stand out, what is an immediate veto and how these have evolved over the years. They discuss the importance of indexing, the challenge of translation and how grammar, structure and formatting are used in titling along with some of their own that they'd like to revisit. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly Editor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions Gourmet Cookbook Boston Cooking School / Fanny Farmer Series Cook it in a Casserole Cooking Bold and Fearless Recipes from Sunset Chefs of the West The Book of Yogurt Secret Ingredients Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Change of Appetite by Diana Henry Nigel Slater Vietnamese Food Any Day by Andrea Nguyen Ever-Green Vietnamese by Andrea Nguyen Mi Cocina by Rick Martinez The Woks of Life by Sarah Leung, Bill Leung Rice is Life by Caryl Levine, Ken Lee, Kristin Donnelly
Transcribe →06: Getting Your Recipes in Shape with Tina Ujlaki [re-release]
Mar 1100:26:09Tap to summarizeOriginally aired on April 20, 2022 Kristin gets into the fundamentals of recipe writing as she chats with Tina Ujlaki, her mentor and the former executive editor at Food & Wine magazine. Tina explains her recipe writing philosophy, how testing can be the antithesis to cooking and the what bothers her about the format's evolution. She shares her thoughts on voice, headnotes, titles and the top 3 things to do before sharing recipes with the world. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Andrea Nguyen + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly Editor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions Tina Ujlaki Nigella Lawson Nigel Slater David Lebovitz Dorie Greenspan Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show
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