Everything Cookbooks

Kate 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

Andrea 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

Molly 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

To 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

Originally 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