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Kristin and Molly speak with Afia Amoako about her debut cookbook, Eat with Afia. With a PhD in Epidemiology, Afia blends her scholarly instincts with her love and interest in Ghanian cuisine as she explores it through a plant based lens. She talks about balancing her various projects, the inspiration behind the book and some of the behind the scenes processes of creating it. Afia shares her approach to recipe testing and categorization and ingredient substitutions and why she doesn't claim the title of 'expert' as she works to preserve Ghanian food traditions. She speaks about traveling to Ghana for research, photographing a portion of the book and why it was important for her to work with a sensitivity editor. Finally she talks about the innovative way she connected her academic background with book promotion by creating an online course, The Foundations of Ghanian Cuisine, and leaves us with a few final words of advice. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella     Mentions Afia Amoako Online courseInstagramWebsiteYouTube  136: Cooking the Food of Nigeria with Ozoz Sokoh   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 Eat with Afia, by Afia Amoaka

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 RantsPublishing models blog 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 Salt by Mark KurlanskyThe World Atlas of Fermented Foods and Drinks, by Ken AlbalaBeans, 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 KitchenInstagramWorkshop 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 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 Small Batch Breads by 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 WebsiteInstagramSweethearts NewsletterPim Techamuanvivit InstagramAndrea Nguyen WebsiteNewsletterInstagram  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 Pim Techamuanvivit with Andrea Nguyen Dishoom by Kavi Thakrar, Naved Nasir, and Shamil ThakrarKitchen Remix by Charlotte DruckmanLove in the Afternoon by Charlotte DruckmanCooking 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 InstagramBake Sum Bakery  Soleil Ho WebsiteRacist Sandwich 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 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 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 Sasquatch Books 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