Everything Cookbooks

Hosted by Andrea Nguyen, Molly Stevens, Kate Leahy, Kristin Donnelly

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Episodes

192

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

A podcast for curious writers, readers, and cooks. Episodes provide behind-the-scenes information and stories about how cookbooks get made.

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60 recent

June 10, 202646 min

172: Blurbs: Do They Actually Matter?

Kristin speaks with hosts Molly, Andrea and Kate about blurbs; the good, the bad and the questionable. The hosts define the term and share their first blurbing experiences before chatting about the purpose and goal behind these endorsements. They talk about a blurb's swaying power, what makes a good one, how to know if it is trustworthy and the etiquette and process of soliciting, editing and including them in the finished product. They each discuss their experiences on both sides of the request, their thoughts on how a blurb affects sales and the role they see the author, editor and PR team playing before getting into some of the practical procedures and personal relationships involved when creating a list of hopeful 'blurbists'. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions "Blurb Your Enthusiasm" by Sally Ekus "We Need to Talk About Blurbs" by Kathleen Schmidt "Are Publishers Dropping Blurbs?" by Lisa Tener "Here's How Social Media Is Changing Book Blurbs" (NPR, May 2025) "Author Blurbs: Do They Matter?" by Alessandra Torre Ink Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show A Bird in the Hand by Diana Henry

June 3, 202642 min

171: Crowdfunding Your Cookbook with Nandita Godbole

Kate and Kristin speak all about crowdfunding with Nandita Godbole, who has fully funded seven books (and counting) through Kickstarter. Nandita shares how it all began, from her wildly successful supper club to funding her first book in just a few days and takes us through the details, ups and downs and pros and cons of going this route. She speaks about finding her audience, why she decided to self-publish, how she learned the technical specs and what the driving mission behind her projects is. This approach takes an immense amount of work for quality control, design choices and even hands-on mailing, and Nandita's persistence and perseverance has gotten her through stolen laptops, co-opted ideas and immense challenges. She leaves us with lovely and sage advice for others curious about crowdfunding and gives us a little peek into what's next. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions Nandita Godbole Website Books Instagram Food Friends Podcast Newsletter Kitchen Arts & Letters (Matt Sartwell) Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

May 27, 202645 min

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

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

May 20, 202648 min

169: Kathy Gunst on What It Takes to Host a Food Writing Retreat

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

May 13, 202650 min

168: Domenica Marchetti on Italian Cookies

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

May 6, 202647 min

167: Ifrah F. Ahmed on the Making of Soomaaliya

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

April 29, 202649 min

166: Natasha Pickowicz on Writing the Second Book

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

April 22, 202658 min

165: Inside the Alison Roman and Britt Cobb Design Universe

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

April 15, 202640 min

164: Being a Cookbook Editor with Rachel Brown of Appetite

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

April 8, 202646 min

163: Before the Recipes: Cookbook Introductions and Front Matter

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