Podcast Summary: Melissa Niffick — A Casual Culinary Chat About Recipe Writing

The Joy of Cooking Podcast
Released: September 3, 2025
Hosts: Megan Scott, Jon Becker, Shannon Larson
Guest: Melissa Niffick (Freelance Food Editor and Recipe Developer)

Overview

This episode dives into the joys and challenges of recipe writing, home cooking, global food inspiration, and the world of cookbook development. Culinary editor and writer Melissa Niffick joins the table to discuss her latest projects, from developing a recipe for each country on the globe to co-authoring the National Parks Cookbook. The team swaps stories of kitchen victories and misadventures, summer produce abundance, and practical advice for aspiring food writers.

Meet the Hosts & Guest

• Megan Scott: Joy of Cooking co-author, food editor; loves blue cheese, hates doing dishes
• Jon Becker: Fourth-generation Joy of Cooking co-author and steward
• Shannon Larson: Home cook, tomato-growing enthusiast, regular co-host
• Melissa Niffick: Freelance food editor, recipe developer, cookbook contributor

Kitchen Chat: Misadventures & Summer Bounty

[00:29 - 05:33]

• Jon & Megan’s Caesar Salad Disaster:
  • Attempted a simple kale chicken Caesar. The Vitamix blended the dressing at too high a speed, causing it to break. Both admit to being “not with it” in the kitchen.
  • “Sometimes a Vitamix just runs too high—and then it breaks. The sauce breaks. Oh. So we had to start over... It just felt demoralizing” — Megan [01:58]
• Shannon’s Tomato Glut:
  • Overrun with cherry tomatoes from her garden during Portland’s heatwave. Tips on freezing extras.
  • Avocado toast with tomatoes is her go-to summer meal: “I can have it for dinner, breakfast, lunch, I don’t care. I just think it’s really delicious.” — Shannon [04:16]

Recipe Talk: Recent Cooking

[04:33 - 06:58]

• Megan’s Pizza Night:
  • Inspired by Lovely’s 50/50 in Portland: corn, peaches, Taleggio, and roasted potatoes with pesto.
  • “Potatoes on pizza are like an unsung hero. Carb on carb, almost always a good idea!” — Megan [05:33]
• Joy Scouts Recipe of the Week: Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
  • Warm, sharable, easily customizable. Found on page 770 of Joy of Cooking.

Spotlight Guest: Melissa Niffick

[06:58 - 12:33]

Cookbook Projects

• Jessica Nabongo's Global Cookbook:

  • Developing and testing a recipe from every country in the world (based on Nabongo’s travels).
  • Dishes are inspired by authentic memories, not just national classics.
  • “The dish isn’t like… the national dish. It’s like, okay, this is what I ate in this country at this grandma’s house.” — Melissa [08:16]
  • Standout recipes: a Georgian marinated green tomato salad, plantains simmered in coconut milk.

• National Parks Cookbook (Coming Feb 2026):

  • Co-authored with Nina Elder; 100 recipes inspired by all 63 national parks in the US.
  • Not a camping-specific cookbook — covers diverse regional history and ingredients.
  • “This book is historical, it’s cumulative. It covers so many different parts of the US, so many different climates and people.” — Melissa [11:48]
  • Mix of contributed and developed recipes; many inspired by local cooks and foodways.
  • Sample highlights: Adventure cookies, gluten-free seed/nut bread, “Almost There” poutine (North Cascades), Marionberry grilled cheese (Crater Lake).
  • Recipe adaptability: e.g., Spruce tip-cured salmon offers dill as a replacement for hard-to-find ingredients.

• Personal Connection:

  • Closest park: Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio. Unique for its inclusion of working farms, which inspired simple, farm-centric recipes (e.g. spatchcocked roast chicken, coriander-roasted carrots).

Recipe Testing Insights & Home Life

[16:56 - 19:41]

• Travel Limitations:
  • Despite the research, couldn’t visit every national park; aims to travel more with her family.
• Home Cooking Style:
  • “Clean out the fridge” meals turn into salads and pasta.
  • Kids are adventurous eaters — happy to eat salads, which is good during heavy holiday recipe testing.

Seasonal Food Loves

[19:49 - 21:14]

• Melissa loves summer fruit, especially stone fruits from her New Jersey home.
• Incorporates fruit into savory dishes — salads, pizza.
• Berries from her garden, though hit hard by summer heat.

Cookbook Inspirations

[21:14 - 22:26]

• Fascination with Georgian cuisine. (Book: Taste of Georgia)
• Inspired by both the recipes and cultural aspects (like Georgian winemaking).

Recipe Writing and Testing: Advice & Anecdotes

[24:26 - 27:31]

• Recipe Testing Can Be Overwhelming:

  • Megan: Testing the “meat” chapter for Joy of Cooking led to burnout.
  • Melissa: Testing a BBQ meat cookbook required constant grilling with her Big Green Egg.

• Barbecue Mishaps:

  • Jon’s “eyebrow-burning” incident with a too-hot grill and the lesson to “burp” the grill before opening.
    • “All I gotta say is that if the temperature gauge is so far that it’s like past the top reading... use a pair of long tongs when you open the lid.” — Jon [27:31]
  • Melissa: Importance of grill temperature management. Not a Big Green Egg spokesperson but praises its performance across climates.

The Joy of Cooking’s Legacy: Melissa’s Relationship

[30:01 - 31:17]

• Melissa inherited her Joy of Cooking from her mom (a wedding gift). It remains front and center in her cookbook collection and is a family tradition.
  • “It just crosses all generations and cooking skills.” — Melissa [31:05]

Writing Tips for Aspiring Food Writers

[32:17 - 40:20]
Listener Question from MacKenzie in Stuttgart: How do I get into food/recipe writing?

Megan’s Editorial Tips

• Build a writing portfolio (strongest samples).
• Pitch widely but not aggressively (don’t spam).
• Tailor pitches to publication style/beat; research what each outlet publishes.
• Stick to pitch guides if available.
• Know and emphasize your unique expertise or cultural angle.
• Editors appreciate follow-ups and may offer helpful feedback.

Jon’s Writing Workflow

• Build a sustainable, personal routine: “I would work in the morning with my coffee, have breakfast, work more, and then go on a nice hike… have time to process what I was doing.” — Jon [35:07]
• Use tools (Evernote, note apps) to collect and organize thoughts.
• Take creative walks — movement aids thinking.
• Block off time for related tasks to improve focus.

Megan’s Practice Advice

• Daily “morning pages” (from The Artist’s Way) — write stream-of-consciousness to clear mental clutter.

Melissa’s Industry Experience

• Don’t get discouraged by silence; follow up after pitches.
• Once accepted, become a “known quantity” to editors; relationships matter.
• Stay curious and keep reading — menus can be as inspiring as prose.
  • “Sometimes I’ll come up with a story idea during an interview with somebody... This could be another story.” — Melissa [38:02]

Old Cookbooks and Historical Research

[40:20 - 41:44]

• Jon: Recommends browsing NYPL’s digital menu archive for inspiration and context.
• Melissa: Used old presidential cookbooks while researching the National Parks book.

Recipe of the Week: Shaved Fennel and White Bean Salad

[41:45 - 44:30]

• Found on Joy of Cooking page 129 — a fresh, adaptable, “no-cook” summer meal.
• Garlic- and herb-infused olive oil tossed with beans and shaved fennel, lemon juice, and optional parmesan.
  • Shannon: Adds tomatoes or capers; serves with sourdough.
  • Melissa: Compares it to a Sicilian tuna/fennel/citrus salad idea.

What’s Cooking? Hosts & Guest Share Plans

[44:49 - 48:50]

• Shannon:
  • Experimenting with a new Blackstone flat top grill (pancakes, hash browns).
  • CSA box meal planning (kohlrabi salad recipe from Megan).
• Megan:
  • Tuna canning party — buying albacore direct from the dock, preserving as a group.
  • Fall greens garden planting.
• Melissa:
  • Recipe testing for global cookbook: tackling dishes from Burkina Faso, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Romania.
  • Visiting family in Ohio for home-cooked meals; hoping for simple comfort food.

Where to Follow Melissa Niffick

[48:50 - 49:12]

• Instagram: @melissaniffick
• Website: melissaniffick.com
• National Parks Cookbook available for preorder (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Hudson Booksellers)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Potatoes on pizza are like an unsung hero. Carb on carb, almost always a good idea!” — Megan Scott [05:33]
• “This book is historical, it’s cumulative. It covers so many different parts of the US, so many different climates and people.” — Melissa Niffick [11:48]
• “I think anything can become a salad...if you try hard enough.” — Melissa Niffick [23:03]
• “I do love that so many people got it as a wedding gift...that there was a bridal edition of the book that had its own special little box. Very cute.” — Megan Scott [31:17]
• “Reading is probably 90% of writing—seeing what’s out there.” — Jon Becker [39:20]
• “Menus have deep stories, you know, about the venue or the chef or whatever.” — Melissa Niffick [39:35]

Key Timestamps

• 00:29–05:33: Kitchen mishaps and summer food discussion
• 06:58–12:33: Melissa’s current cookbook projects
• 19:49–22:26: Melissa on summer produce and Georgian cuisine
• 24:26–27:31: Recipe testing challenges and barbecue anecdotes
• 32:17–40:20: Aspiring food writing tips segment
• 41:45–44:30: Recipe of the week: Shaved fennel and white bean salad
• 44:49–48:50: What are you cooking? Host and guest weekly plans
• 48:50–49:12: Where to find Melissa online

For next week: The hosts will tackle no-churn ice cream tips and recipes.

Connect: Listeners are invited to share stories, questions, or seek advice via voicemail or text at 503-395-8858.

Stay tuned, make the shaved fennel and white bean salad, and share your creations online!