Everything Cookbooks

Latest Episodes:

45: Dorie Greenspan on Being Dorie Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

Molly and Kristin talk with prolific cookbook author Dorie Greenspan about her career, process and longtime creative partnerships. She explains her abundance mentality, how parameters can beget creativity and the struggles, benefits and lessons she experienced writing multiple cookbooks and working as a co-author. Finally, Dorie shares how vital editing is and her advice for aspiring writers.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Dorie Greenspan

Keep Calm and Cook On Podcast with Julia Turshen

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

Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan
Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan
Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan
Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty, Simple by Dorie Greenspan
Gateau by Aleksandra Crapanzano

44: Cookbooks and Money, Part II Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

Picking up where last week's episode left off, Kate gets more in depth about the money side of the business with Kristin, Andrea and Molly. They share past mistakes and how they each tackle budgets, groceries, receipt management, expenses and more. They also discuss outside costs, tax know-hows and the exposure economy along with advice on how side hustles, anchor gigs and outside food work can help build a sustainable career.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

The Anatomy of a Cookbook Deal on Kristin's website

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

43: Cookbooks and Money, Part I Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

Kate discusses the money side of cookbooks with Molly, Andrea and Kristin. They each share what they wish they knew before starting out, lessons learned from past projects and what makes them choose to work on a book or not. They share insights on opportunity costs, cash flow timing, working with or without an agent and the difference between an auction and a preempt.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

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

Ever-Green Vietnamese by Andrea Nguyen

42: How to Write Recipe Titles Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

Kate talks with Molly, Andrea and Kristin all about recipe titles. They share what makes one stand out, what is an immediate veto and how these have evolved over the years. They discuss the importance of indexing, the challenge of translation and how grammar, structure and formatting are used in titling along with some of their own that they'd like to revisit.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

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

41: Writing a Bestselling Cookbook in Your 80s with Emily Meggett and Kayla Stewart Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

Kristin and Andrea chat with Emily Meggett, the matriarch of Edisto Island, and her co-author Kayla Stewart about their book Gullah Geechee Home Cooking. Ms. Emily shares her love for Edisto Island, the long journey to create the book and the mentors that inspired her along the way. Kayla describes the particular challenges of writing this book and recording the recipes along with advice for others who choose to work on similar projects. Finally, Ms Emily tells us how she wants the book to tell the story of food and flavor in America.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

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

The Gullah Geechee Cookbook by Emily Meggett and Kayla Stewart

40: Snackable Bakes with Jessie Sheehan Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

Kate and Molly talk with Jessie Sheehan, "the self-proclaimed queen of easy-peasy sweets", about her varied career path, how she got into baking and what entices her about a recipe. She shares how the pandemic and social media contributed to creating her unique voice, her advice for writing with a co-author and how to avoid the dreaded "happy robot voice". She describes how she worked on an abbreviated timeline for this book and teases a future one.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Jessie Sheehan

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

39: Toya Boudy on Storytelling Through Recipes Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

Molly and Kate dive deep into the journey and person that is chef/writer/artist/activist/culinary ambassador (and more), Toya Boudy. She shares how her talents as an artist and wordsmith, along with the interwoven nature of life, resulted in her latest cookbook, "Cooking for the Culture". She discusses her creation process, the unconventional schedule for the book and her family's contribution as she explains her mission to build community and empower the artist inside.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Toya Boudy

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

38: Finding Your People with Carla Lalli Music Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

Molly and Andrea talk with author and former Food Director at Bon Appétit, Carla Lalli Music, all about the voice in the void and finding an audience. She discusses her career path, performing as herself and her thoughts on social media along with the advice she received that helped create her unique writing voice. She shares some insights on economy in recipe writing, style sheets and self-editing and how to fill up the inspiration bank.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Carla Lalli Music

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

37: Managing a Voice of Authority with Kenji López-Alt Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

Molly and Andrea talk with Kenji López-Alt, author and Chief Culinary Advisor for Serious Eats, about creating and maintaining a voice of authority. He shares his career path, where his interest in food got started and the work that has influenced his own. He describes the relationship he has with his followers, how (or if) to curb enthusiasm while doing topic deep dives and a glimpse inside the creation of his best-selling books.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Kenji López-Alt
- Website
- Instagram
- You Tube channel
Cookwise & Bakewise by Shirly Corriher
Complete Techniques by Jacque Pepin
Mr Wizard's World
Sho Spaeth on Serious Eats

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

36: Celebrating Colombia with Mariana Velásquez Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

Kate and Molly chat with food stylist extraordinaire, Mariana Velásquez about their past working together, her career path and how she finally felt prepared to write her debut book, Colombiana. She describes the process of choosing the best agent for the project, how the pandemic altered the end result and where she starts the development of her recipes. She talks about some unique formatting choices, "maximalism" and the beauty of collaboration before sharing advice for others embarking on a similar journeys.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Mariana Velásquez

Gentl and Hyers

Cartagena de Indias en la Olla by Teresita Ronan De Zurek

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