Everything Cookbooks

Molly and Kristin speak with Saeng Douangdara, a personal chef and academic counselor turned online content creator and now, cookbook author and food photographer. Saeng shares what motivated him ten years ago to get into the online food space, why he wanted to show off Lao cuisine and how he's built up an audience and community during that time. His refreshing approach means he doesn't dilute or censor his interests and instead continues to challenge himself to learn and grow. This mindset came into play when he 'manifested' his cookbook, took on the daunting prospect of learning professional food photography on the job and collaborated with the writing and typography elements of the book. Saeng discusses why he wanted to create a book that acts as a Lao food primer and a way to share personal stories along with the recipes and leaves us with some sage advice and a look at how this book accomplishes some of his earliest goals.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

 

Mentions

Saeng Douangdara

Website

Food Tour

Newsletter

YouTube

Instagram

TikTok

 

Fig & Light

Lao Foodie Tour 2026

Food Friends Podcast Newsletter

 

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

The Lao Kitchen: Lao Flavors & Stories Told Through Family Recipes, by Saeng Douangdara

Kristin and Molly speak with Kathy Gunst, a prolific cookbook author, teacher and now leader of food writing retreats, about her varied career and new project. Kathy shares how she got started in the food world by attending London's Le Cordon Bleu, what it is like being the resident chef for NPR's Here & Now and how she deals with creative burnout. She explains the ins and outs of running a writers retreat; the logistics, planning, travel and teaching that goes on behind the scenes and how much she's taken to this new venture. She gives us insights about how the retreat is set up, the way students respond, learn and grow their confidence and the types of writing she likes to foster. She leaves us with advice and a call for writers to invest in themselves, their talent and their future.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

 

Mentions

Kathy Gunst

Website

Instagram

Tours

NPR's Here & Now

Hewnoaks Artist Residency

 

Food Friends Podcast Newsletter

 

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

Rage Baking by Katherine Alford and Kathy Gunst

Kate 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

Kate 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

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