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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 NewsletterInstagram  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 Blue Star Press Stained Page News What Makes a Cookbook Cover Successful? Don't Sleep on the TOC Bay Area Women in Publishing Mentorship   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 Wine Simple by Aldo Sohm and Christine MuhlkeTasting Rome by Katie Parla and Kristina GillCookbooking: a Fan's Guide by Debbie BerneThe 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 Guide by Debbie BerneThe 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 Plan with 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 PodcastSalt & Spine SubstackInstagram  Cookbook Week Episode 65: Podcasting about Cookbooks with Brian Hogan Stewart Episode 145: Eva Kolenko on Photographing Cookbooks 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 My Egypt by Michael Mina with Kate LeahyHand Taste by Esther ChoiFeed your People by Leslie JonathElvira's Cookbook from Hell by Cassandra PetersenFull Belly Farm & Kitchen by Jenna Muller and Amon MullerCookbooking by Debbie BerneThe 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   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 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 Blin by 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.