Everything Cookbooks

Kate and Molly speak with historian and professor Ken Albala about his varied publishing experiences and newest book, The World Atlas of Fermented Food and Drinks. Ken, the author of 30 books, bridges scholarship and food within geographic, historical and cultural contexts. He tells us how he balances teaching, writing, research and hobbies, the classes and programs he's run and how the publishing landscape has shifted in recent years. He takes us behind the scenes of some of his books and shares his experiences with different publishing models— popular and academic—including why one works over the other for specific projects. Finally he reveals of few of the more unconventional dishes he's created and leaves us with his dream book topic.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Salt TikTok

Ken Albala

• Ken's Food Rants
• Publishing models blog post

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Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Salt by Mark Kurlansky
• The World Atlas of Fermented Foods and Drinks, by Ken Albala
• Beans, by Ken Albala

Kristin and Molly speak with previous Insider Series guest, Rebecca Eisenberg, about her evolution from blogger to author. After working in media for years, she eventually decided to write for herself and talks about turning The Practical Kitchen blog into a business and all that entailed. Ever practical and operating under the mantra 'do it messy, clean it later', she learned on the job and shares what her day to day looks like now, how she addressed going viral and the work it takes to keep up with the ever shifting demands of SEO, the algorithm and AI. Rebecca discusses her decision to write a book based on only a subset of her blog topics and the behind the scenes experience of crafting a proposal, getting an agent, going to auction, selecting a publisher and then the work of recipe testing, writing and photographing. Finally, she talks about her innovative and interactive marketing campaign and the lessons learned from her first cookbook experience.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Rebecca Eisenberg

• The Practical Kitchen
• Instagram
• Workshop with Rebecca about Growing a Platform with Short Form Video

6 Tips for Feeding and Discarding Sourdough Starter

Purchase a recording of Rebecca's Insider Series here

Kristin's Cookbook Courses

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Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Small Batch Breadsby Rebecca Eisenberg

We're turning the hosting reins over to Charlotte Druckman today to learn about Andrea Nguyen and Pim Techamuanvivit's experience collaborating on their new 'instant classic' cookbook, Cooking Thai. Pim shares her original idea for the book, how it evolved and the mission statement she settled on while Andrea explains why she felt drawn to work on her first collaboration with this project. They speak about recipe testing, the writing process and how they worked together, speaking on task division, communication styles and working through tension to create a product they're immensely proud of. Pim and Andrea each share what they learned from the other, how they challenged each other, the books they were inspired by and how they landed on an approachable yet educational tone before leaving us with some advice and a sneak peak.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Charlotte Druckman

• Website
• Instagram
• Sweethearts Newsletter

Pim Techamuanvivit

• Instagram

Andrea Nguyen

• Website
• Newsletter
• Instagram

Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up.

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Cooking Thai by Andrea Nguyen and Pim Techamuanvivit
• Dishoom by Kavi Thakrar, Naved Nasir, and Shamil Thakrar
• Kitchen Remix by Charlotte Druckman
• Love in the Afternoon by Charlotte Druckman
• Cooking without Borders by Anita Lo with Charlotte Druckman

Kate and Andrea speak with cookbook collaborators Joyce Tang and Soleil Ho about their new cookbook, Bake Sum. Joyce shares her journey from project manager to bakery owner to cookbook writer and why she wanted to write this book at this time. She describes how she got connected to Soleil who speaks about how working on cookbooks tends to be a relaxing break from running a media company. They share how they divvied up the work, the decision to include stories and histories in the project and insights behind the cover image. Joyce describes the recipe testing process and the challenge to 'smallerize' recipes while Soleil talks about the book's unique organization before they each share their thoughts on working through an 'Asian Americana' lens. Finally they share the audience they hope the book reaches and the lessons they each learned along the way.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Joyce Tang

• Instagram
• Bake Sum Bakery

Soleil Ho

• Website
• Racist Sandwich Podcast

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Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Bake Sum by Joyce Tang and Soleil Ho

Kate and Kristin speak with Frances Abrantes Baca about her wide ranging design experience in the food media space. The founding design director of the award winning magazine Gastronimica, Frances shares her thoughts about the design elements that go into a cookbook—color, contrast, titles, page numbers, typeface, layout, covers, spines and, don't forget the table of contents. She discusses what catches her eye, what the differences in specific design roles are and where she finds inspiration before revealing what design choices draw her in and which drive her nuts. She talks about her newsletter, her process and leaves us with a few ideas and tips for authors and aspiring designers both.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Frances Abrantes Baca

• Newsletter
• Instagram

Episode 18: Pro Tips from Cookbook Critic Paula Forbes

Episode 11: Understanding Cookbook Design with Alice Chau

Episode 91: The UX of Cookbook Design

The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst

Sasquatch Books

Stained Page News

What Makes a Cookbook Cover Successful?

Don't Sleep on the TOC

Bay Area Women in Publishing Mentorship

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Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Wine Simple by Aldo Sohm and Christine Muhlke
• Tasting Rome by Katie Parla and Kristina Gill
• Cookbooking: a Fan's Guideby Debbie Berne
• The Design of Books by Debbie Berne

This episode is quite special. In fall 2025, Kristin and Kate spoke with longtime book designer Debbie Berne about her work in progress, Cookbooking: A Fan's Guide. She told us about the book in 2024, and we knew back then that it was a book for us. Author Michael Chabon called it a “theme-park ride through Cookbookland" — and he's right: the book is crammed with stories about food fads, hippy cooking, books for dudes, cooking "bibles," and so much more.

While Debbie was writing Cookbooking, she was also grappling with a form of incurable brain cancer. We recorded this interview when we did so she could tell us about the book in her own words. She passed away in December 2025, but her indomitable spirt and humor lives on in the pages of Cookbooking.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Debbie Berne

• Website

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Cookbooking: a Fan's Guideby Debbie Berne
• The Design of Books by Debbie Berne

Welcome to Season 10! Kate, Kristin, Andrea and Molly discuss the upcoming fall cookbook season and some of their thoughts about the current publishing landscape. They talk about price hikes and cookbook sales, AI recipes and their appreciation for the human touch and some of the obstacles that publishing is currently encountering. They share their thoughts and musings about what they see as the ups and downs in the wider world of books, and within the niche corner of cookbooks, before getting celebrating their new releases and upcoming projects.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Episode 144: The Author-Agent Relationship with Peter J. Kim and David Black

Episode 62: Single Subject Cookbooks with Martha Holmberg

Episode 178: Comic Book Cookbooks with Sarah Becan

Episode 135: The Manuscript is In. Now What? with Martin Sorge

Read it and Eat

Not so Secret Agent with Sally Ekus

Headnotes with Frances Baca

Cookbookery Collective with Jenna Helwig

Dianne Jacob's Newsletter

The Dinner Planwith Maggie Hoffman

Has the Restaurant Cookbook Boom Gone Bust?

Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up.

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Cooking Thai by Andrea Nguyen and Pim Techamuanvivit
• Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan
• Simply Tomato by Martha Holmberg
• Hand Taste by Esther Choi
• Great Bakes by Martin Sorge

This is a live conversation recorded in April 2026 during the first Cookbook Week in San Francisco, a city-wide event co-founded by Brian Hogan Stewart (of the Salt + Spine podcast), Jodi Liano, and Leslie Jonath. Here, Leslie leads the conversation with Jenny Wapner, publisher of Hardie Grant North America, and Kate Leahy, an author, to discuss all things cookbooks. Jenny and Kate share how they got their start, what their day to day tasks look like and the recent projects that have most resonated with them. They all speak about the frantic, trend-focused nature of publishing, how the current political climate can affect a book and those glorious instances of unexpected success that keep them excited about the industry. The panelists highlight a few of their recent favorite projects and end by taking a few questions from the audience.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Brian Hogan Stewart

• Salt & Spine Podcast
• Salt & Spine Substack
• Instagram

Cookbook Week

Episode 65: Podcasting about Cookbooks with Brian Hogan Stewart

Episode 145: Eva Kolenko on Photographing Cookbooks

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Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• My Egyptby Michael Mina with Kate Leahy
• Hand Taste by Esther Choi
• Feed your People by Leslie Jonath
• Elvira's Cookbook from Hellby Cassandra Petersen
• Full Belly Farm & Kitchen by Jenna Muller and Amon Muller
• Cookbooking by Debbie Berne
• The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

Happy New Year! Molly, Kristin, Kate and Andrea take a look at the past year in cookbooks and share their thoughts on the trends they predict for 2025. They discuss how the pandemic affected the cookbook market, how they see production costs and finances changing and share some insights from editors and agents about what publishers are looking for in 2025 (hint: platform!). They talk about speciality markets, single subject expertise, branded and restaurant books before sharing a few teasers of our upcoming season. [Originally aired 1/1/2025]

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

110: Sarah Fennel on bringing an online platform to the page

Attention Economy Substack

The Dinner Plan Podcast

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Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Champagne by Peter Liem
• The Bean Book
• King Arthur Baking Company
• The Red Boat Fish Sauce Cookbook
• The Cake Bible
• Africali
• Islas
• Kalaya's Southern Thai Kitchen: A Cookbook
• The French Laundry Cookbook
• Coastal

Molly and Kate speak with Lara Hamilton, the owner of Book Larder Seattle's community cookbook store. Lara shares the motivations behind opening the store, why Seattle was the perfect base and how she sees the connection between food and books. We learn the origins behind the name, location and design of the store as well as some behind the scenes insights into ordering, event planning and curating its unique selection. Lara talks about her thoughts on trends, author platforms and building a space that is a must stop on author tour before revealing her most anticipated Fall titles. [Originally aired 9/25/2024]

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Book Larder

• Website
• Instagram
• Podcast
• YouTube Channel

Book Larder Podcast: Molly Stevens

Book Larder Podcast: Kate Leahy

Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up.

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Bodega Bakes by Paola Velez
• Easy Wins by Anna Jones
• What Goes with What by Julia Turshen
• A Splash of Soy by Lara Lee
• Chinese Enough by Kristina Cho
• Sift by Nicola Lamb
• Bake with Benoit Blinby Benoit Blin
• My Life in France by Julia Child
• Butter by Asako Yuzuki and translated by Polly Barton

We're back and starting off Season 6 with grab bag of topics with all our hosts. Kristin, Molly, Kate and Andrea discuss the pros and cons of the (potentially overfull) Fall cookbook season and how to emotionally prepare but keep expectations realistic on pub day while prioritizing celebration. We share our insights and experiences on contracts, printed errors, correction pages and wade into some existential territory as we discuss optional ingredients in recipe writing before diving back into one of our favorite topics, platform. Finally, we talk about the the current cookbook trends we're loving, upcoming releases we're looking forward to and court some potential controversy with our thoughts on pumpkin spice. [Originally aired 9/18/2024]

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Monique of Hardcover Cooks

The Bojon Gourmet Pumpkin Spice Mix

Cookbook Chronicles: The Science and Art and of Recipe Development, by Martin Sorge

If Desired, by Joy Manning

The Truth About Platform, by Kathleen Schmidt

Kristin Donnelly's Newsletter

52: Matt Sartwell of Kitchen Arts and Letters

100: Advice from Our Listeners and Season 5 Wrap-Up

42: How to Write Recipe Titles

93: The Secret of Cooking with Bee Wilson

69: Writing a Menu Cookbook with Amy Thielen

Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up.

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Hungry Authors: The Indispensable Guide to Planning, Writing, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book by Liz Morrow and Ariel Curry
• Banjan: 60 Korean American Recipes for Delicious, Shareable Sides by Caroline Choe
• The Chinese Way by Betty Liu

Molly and Kristin speak with Sarah Kwak, a senior editor at Harvest an imprint of Harper Collins, to find out what the editing process is like. Sarah shares how she ended up at her current role, the focus Harvest has for cookbooks and what authors should keep mind regarding their proposal assembly before submission. She discusses her thoughts on comp titles, overcoming past book sales, multifaceted ways to grow a platform and what compels her to spend over two years working on a specific project. Finally, she talks about trends in the food world, the changes in the economy of publishing and her advice along with the books she is excited to release this year. [Originally aired 5/8/2024]

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Sarah Kwak

Harvest an imprint of Harper Collins

Episode 09: Cookbook Editing Tips from Jennifer Sit

Episode 48: Abi Balingit on Learning as You Go

Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Mayumu by Abi Balingit
• The Book on Pie by Erin McDowell
• Jacques Pépin Art of the Chicken by Jacques Pépin
• Hot Sheet by Olga Massov and Sanaë Lemoine

In our last episode of 2023, Kate, Kristin and Molly discuss food trends and how they apply to the cookbook world. Whether it's butter boards, nacho tables, "girl dinner" or baked potato bars these stunt foods can loom large yet die quickly in the public consciousness. They discuss ideas on identifying trends, how to capitalize on them and the importance of keeping a variety of demographics in mind when working on "trendy" topics. Finally, we list some things we're looking forward to in 2024. [Originally aired 12/27/2023]

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Kristin Donnelly's Cookbook Proposal Class

Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Beautiful Boards by Maegan Brown
• Everyday Snack Board by Largeman-Roth Rdn Frances
• Koreatown by Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard

The whole team, Kate, Kristin, Molly and Andrea, recap a few of their favorite episodes from this past season and answer listener questions. They chat about their mixed feelings for copy editors, the discussions they had about a recent Instagram story about recipe writing rigor and call out what they learned from a few recent interviews. The hosts then open up the mail bag and give their answers on recipe adaption and attribution, the idea of 'picking brains', including previously published dishes in a book and share how they add some flourish to their own book signings. Before signing off they shout-out an upcoming virtual event and share a note about what listeners can expect during our summer hiatus. See you in September for Season 10!

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up.

174: On Being a Copyeditor with Melissa Haskin

170: Becoming a Food Photographer While Writing a Debut Cookbook with Saeng Douangdara

121: The Burnout Episode

172: Blurbs: Do They Actually Matter?

177: Collective Book Studio with Angela Engel and Amy Treadwell

Ali Slagle Post

Sally Ekus

IACP Talk with Kate Leahy and Abby Cerquitella on August 19, 2026

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• The Lost Kitchen by Erin French
• Ammazza! by Hillary Sterling
• The Perfect Loaf by Maurizio Leo
• 100 Cookies by Sarah Keiffer

Molly and Kate speak with Sarah Becan about her illustrator origin story. She explains her early love for sequential storytelling, the book that inspired her to create her own work and what drew her to food as a topic. She shares her love for the medium, how she got into the cookbook sphere by first partnering with a local restaurant and why she eventually decided to work solo. An avid lover and participant in the comic community, Sarah takes us step by step through her creative process; selecting the right recipes to illustrate and all of the considerations involved, the decision to drawing digitally or by hand along with all of the specs, editing, timeline, tools and workflow that happen behind the scenes. She discusses the pros and cons of writing solo or with a partner, why she developed her own typeface and leaves us with some advice for aspiring illustrators and comic artists.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Sara Becan

• Website
• I Think You're Saucesome
• Instagram

Toronto Comic Art Festival

Studio Ghibli Food

A Brief History of Graphic Cookbooks, by Charlotte Druckman in the Washington Post

Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up.

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• The Adventures of Fat Rice by Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo
• Let's Make Ramen! by Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan
• Let's Make Dumplings! by Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan
• Let's Make Bread! by Ken Forkish and Sarah Becan
• Let's Make Cocktails! by Sarah Becan
• Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
• Dirt Candy by Amanda Cohen
• Cook Korean! by Robin Ha
• The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman
• Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

Molly and Kate go behind the scenes of a partnership publishing house as they speak about the Cookbook Collective with its founder, Angela Engel, and its editorial director, Amy Treadwell. Angela shares a bit of her background and her impetus for creating a more collaborative publishing model before walking us through some industry terms as she banishes stigma and describes the differences in her approach. Amy tells us how she got involved with the collective, what she tackles on the editorial side and how this changes her working relationship with authors. They both speak about the partnership and custom avenues, how they differ from traditional publishing and give us a broad overview of the process of expenses, distribution, submissions, acquisitions, design and drive before leaving us with a thought on the special, unique story that a physical cookbook can communicate.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

The Collective Book Studio

Episode 02: Do You Need a Cookbook Agent?

Episode 148: Heartland Masala with Jyoti Mukharji & Auyon Mukharji

Episode 56: Hybrid Publishing with Vasudha Viswanath

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Heartland Masala, by Joyti and Auyon Muhkarji
• Vegetarian Reset, by Vasudha Viswanath
• 52 Shabbats, by Faith Kramer
• 20 Amici, 40 Ricette, by John Bersani
• Modern Hippie, by Lauren Thomas
• Nosh, by Micah Siva
• Aebleskiver, by Pim Pauline Overgaard

Kate and Molly speak with author Alana Kysar and her editor Kelly Snowden about their professional relationship after working on two cookbooks together. Alana shares why she initially didn't think she had a second book in her and what she hopes this new vegetable focused book adds to the Hawaiian food conversation. Kelly talks about first connecting with Alana's proposal, the elements she brought to the project and the timeline of the process. Both of them discuss the lessons learned from book one and how they helped in the sequel's creation, how they worked together and some best practices for a strong, continuing working relationship. Alana talks about the recipe selection and testing, the design and structural decisions and the approachability of her photography while Kelly explains her thoughts on option clauses, comp titles and what she sees as her mission while working on a book.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Alana Kysar

• Website
• Instagram

Ten Speed Press

4 Color Books

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Aloha Veggies, by Alana Kysar
• Aloha Kitchen, by Alana Kysar
• Kimi's Kitchen, by Kimi Werner
• Whole Food Cooking Every Day, by Amy Chaplin

Kristin and Molly speak with writer Ella Quittner about her new book, Obsessed with the Best, and the work and intent behind it. They get right into the nitty gritty details of the book; its origins, proposal, the research and testing involved and its unorthodox release date and promotional experience. Ella talks about blending personal stories and journalistic research, the vast testing process and how it was organized and a peek at her cookbook collection and its own organization. She takes listeners through the photography and design choices, the editing and formatting decisions and finally leaves us with how the experience of commodifying herself has led her to a more thoughtful, intentional approach to future projects.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Ella Quittner

• Website
• Instagram

Taste podcast interview with Ella Quittner

Cherry Bombe Radio interview with Ella Quittner

Milk Street Radio interview with Ella Quittner

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Obsessed with the Best, by Ella Quittner
• More than Cake by Natasha Pickowicz

Molly and Kristin invite our very first copy editor to the show, Melissa Haskin. Melissa talks about getting started in the editing profession, her love of food writing and how her experience working with magazines like Cooking Light informs her work now. The hosts share some of their personal experiences and thoughts about copy editing and Melissa shares her own process and approach— the tiny details she looks for, the red flags she knows to avoid and the programs she uses to work. She discusses what it takes to be a good editor, what she's learned running her own freelance business and the projects she does, and does not, take on. Finally she tells us her favorite parts of the job and what led her to create an entire course on recipe editing.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Melissa Haskin

• Website
• Recipe Editing 101, 6-week course

Reedsy

PerfectIt

Susan McWilliams

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Single Thread, by Kyle and Katina Connaughton

Go to our Substack to find two downloads from Melissa: 1) A recipe editing reading list and 2) A self-editing checklist for cookbook authors.

POSTSCRIPT: During our interview, Melissa mispoke and cited a Susan Williams as her mentor at Cooking Light. It was Susan McWilliams. Melissa also misheard Kristin’s question about professional editor groups. She is part of many such groups, but none that specialize in cookbooks. In characteristic copyeditor fashion, Melissa sent us these corrections immediately upon hearing the episode.

Molly and Kate speak with Tanya Bush, the author of Will This Make You Happy, about her cookbook/memoir mashup and how the pandemic contributed to her decision to marry a personal story and a technical text. Tanya shares some the life experiences behind the book, her impetus to create and the themes she wanted to explore as well as the process of getting an agent, earning an MFA and how the project shifted since its origins. We get into her thoughts on why she wanted to write this particular blend of genres, how the recipes, the book's design and her real life experiences fit in and how important critical distance and play are to her voice. Finally she hits on her hopes for the work, the audio version and potential adaptations and a few thoughts on her print magazine, Cake Zine.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens+ Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Food Friends Podcast Newsletter

Episode 162: The one in which we issue an apology and answer listener questions

Tanya Bush

• Website
• Instagram
• Cake Zine
• The Little Egg Restaurant

Why We Can't Stop Reading — and Writing — Food Diaries, Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker

Clare Mao, agent

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Will This Make You Happy by Tanya Bush