Everything Cookbooks

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

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212

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Oct 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

November 4, 202654 min

187: Growing a Platform Around Your Niche with Afia Amoako

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 course Instagram Website YouTube 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

October 28, 202645 min

186: A Different Way to Publish with Ken Albala

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 Rants Publishing 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 Kurlansky T he World Atlas of Fermented Foods and Drinks , by Ken Albala Beans , by Ken Albala

October 21, 202647 min

185: Food Blog to Bestselling Cookbook with Rebecca Eisenberg

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 Kitchen Instagram Workshop 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

October 14, 202650 min

184: When Friends Make a Cookbook with Andrea Nguyen and Pim Techamuanvivit

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 Website Instagram Sweethearts Newsletter Pim Techamuanvivit Instagram Andrea Nguyen Website Newsletter Instagram 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 Thakrar Kitchen Remix by Charlotte Druckman Love in the Afternoon by Charlotte Druckman Cooking without Borders by Anita Lo with Charlotte Druckman

October 7, 202635 min

183: Culture Bending Cookbook Making with Joyce Tang and Soleil Ho

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 Instagram Bake Sum Bakery Soleil Ho Website Racist 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

September 30, 202642 min

182: Cookbook Design with Frances Abrantes Baca

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 Newsletter Instagram 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 Muhlke Tasting Rome by Katie Parla and Kristina Gill Cookbooking: a Fan's Guide by Debbie Berne The Design of Books by Debbie Berne

September 23, 202644 min

181: Debbie Berne on Cookbooking: A Fan's Guide

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 Berne The Design of Books by Debbie Berne

September 16, 202642 min

180: What's the Deal with Cookbook Publishing?

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

September 9, 202645 min

Live from Cookbook Week

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 Podcast Salt & Spine Substack Instagram 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 Leahy Hand Taste by Esther Choi Feed your People by Leslie Jonath Elvira's Cookbook from Hell by Cassandra Petersen Full Belly Farm & Kitchen by Jenna Muller and Amon Muller Cookbooking by Debbie Berne The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

September 2, 202636 min

115: Cookbook Trends [re-release]

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