Everything Cookbooks

Latest Episodes:

162: The one in which we issue an apology and answer listener questions Feb 25, 2026

Show notes

Kate, Molly, Andrea and Kristin begin the episode with an apology about a technical snafu that plagued our website's Contact page and some corrections. They go through some listener questions and discuss copyeditors and the other roles editors can play, share advice, ideas, theories and encouragements about a range of topics, share insights on how to survive the submission process and thoughts on genre mash-ups. This episode closes out Season 8 but we'll be back very soon with Season 9! Thank you for listening and participating!

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Kristin Donnelly's Cookbook Coaching Services

Will This Make You Happy, by Tanya Bush

KitchenBookshelf on Instagram

CultFlave on YouTube

The Marketing Hustle Podcast Episode 70: Building a Global Brand Without Paid Media: The CMO behind Ottolenghi’s Growth Strategy

Publishers Marketplace

Sally Ekus' Substack

Jenna Helwig's Substack

Episode 122: Start With Who

Episode 137: Being a Cookbook Editor with Sarah Billingsley of Chronicle Books

Episode 158: Cookbook Marketing and Publicity with Brianne Sperber and Felix Cruz

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

Dirt Candy by Amanda Cohen
Heartland Masala by Jyoti Mukharji and Auyon Mukharji
Will This Make You Happy, by Tanya Bush

161: A Journalist's Approach to Cookbook Collaboration with Korsha Wilson Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

Kristin and Molly speak with journalist and cookbook co-author Korsha Wilson about her experiences in the world of food media. Korsha shares the magazine that sparked her initial interest, her educational approach and a behind the scenes look at some of her projects. She talks about her evolving views on recipes, what her hopes are for her work and how she approaches the research portion of a project. She discusses weaving together the design and content portions of a book, the process of mimicking voices in a collaboration along with establishing her own before sharing some freelancing insights and a peek into her upcoming project, ending the episode with advice she has for aspiring food writers.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Korsha Wilson

What a Food Trip to Ghana Taught Me About My Black American Identity, by Korsha Wilson

Honeysuckle

Episode 108: Live at Cookbook Fest: Toriano Gordon and Anna Voloshnya

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

Ghana to the World, by Eric Adjepong with Korsha Wilson
Vegan Mob, by Toriano Gordon with Korsha Wilson

160: A Mindful Cookbook Born from Burnout with Nicki Sizemore Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

Molly and Kristin speak about merging the physical act of cooking with emotional and spiritual intentionality with Nicki Sizemore, the author of Mind, Body, Spirit, Food. Nicki shares her personal journey and the life changing process she went through that eventually led to this new focus. Battling creative burnout and the uninspired work of writing for the algorithm, Nicki learned to tune into her body, prioritize pleasure and get creative which eventually transformed her blog into a newsletter, podcast and this book. She talks about the thought behind its specific release date, the innovative recipe variations, mindful intentions, design and photography process and her aversion to the word 'wellness'. She then discusses her thoughts on audience outreach, promotion, the power of intentionality and the ripple effect of nourishment before leaving us with some advice.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Nicki Sizemore

Storey Publishing

These Cookbooks Explore the Link Between Mindful Cooking and Self-Care by Jamie Feldmar

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

Mind, Body, Spirit, Food, by Nicki Sizemore
Build-A-Bowl, by Nicki Sizemore
Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker, by Nicki Sizemore

159: Silk Roads with Anna Ansari Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

Molly and Kate speak with Anna Ansari, a London based Iranian American writer, about her new book Silk Roads and the major career shift that brought it about. A former customs attorney, Anna takes us from her childhood in Michigan to a stint in Beijing where she discovered Uyghur cuisine and how a move to the UK precipitated an interest in cooking and food writing. She shares how she got interested in this particular topic and geographic location, what the research process was like and what went into crafting her writing voice. She explains the thought behind the pitch and proposal, the process of recipe curation and research and why she decided to package the book the way it is before touching on the marketing and promotion strategy and what she is working on next.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Anna Ansari

Bibliography for Silk Roads (scroll to the bottom)

MiGrateful organization

Silk Roads: A Flavor Odyssey with Recipes from Baku to Beijing, by Anna Ansari

Home Food, Olia Hercules

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

Silk Roads: A Flavor Odyssey with Recipes from Baku to Beijing by Anna Ansari
Home Food by Olia Hercules

158: Cookbook Marketing and Publicity with Brianne Sperber and Felix Cruz Jan 28, 2026

Show notes

Kristin and Kate get the inside scoop on all things marketing and publicity as they speak to the 'dream team' who worked on Kristin's recent book Turtle Island. Brianne Sperber and Felix Cruz — associate director of marketing for Clarkson Potter and Ten Speed Press and publicist for the same— discuss their specific roles and approaches to cookbook promotion. They touch on the differences between marketing and publicity, the role events have in promoting a book and share a peek behind the curtain at the decisions, meetings, timeline and teams that go into a project. They share invaluable insights into their thought process, what authors can contribute to a campaign and how they hope to work with them throughout the long game and moment to moment demands of a media blitz. They speak about tailoring messaging to an audience, the cheerleading role they often play and how they approach a collaborative relationship with all the moving parts involved in a book's life span.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Sean Sherman on Daily Show

Episode 36: Celebrating Colombia with Mariana Velásquez

Link in Bio substack

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

Turtle Island, by Sean Sherman. Kate Nelson & Kristin Donnelly
The SalviSoul Cookbook by Karla Tatiana Vasquez
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts byCrystal Wilkinson
Bread of Angels by Patti Smith
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Revel by Mariana Velásquez

157: Helen Goh on Baking and the Meaning of Life Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

Andrea and Kate speak with Helen Goh about her thirty years of working in the food and hospitality industry and why she chose now to write her first solo book. She speaks about her time working with the Ottolenghi brand, her hesitation at embarking on a solo venture and the pros and cons of working alone or partnered. She's had many evolutions in the personal and professional spheres and talks about finding freedom in her work and her thoughts behind this book; its title, organization and how her psychology background informed its creation. She ends by sharing what baking means to her— its role in rituals and traditions— and ends with her experience juggling both of her careers, the cerebral and the tangible.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Helen Goh

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

Baking and the Meaning of Life with Helen Goh
Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh

156: Writing History Through Recipes with Jessica B. Harris Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

Molly and Andrea speak with the iconic culinary historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris about her career and newest work, Braided Heritage. After discussing the 'more' than recipes that make a cookbook a cookbook, Dr. Harris also shares why this book is important at this point and what interested her about this topic and format. She speaks about the backbeat that motivated the entire project, how she went about commissioning stories and recipes from other people and why each genre she writes in requires her to wear a different hat. She talks about the long process of the book's creation, how her experience in academia informed it, the advice she has for future generations and her thoughts on being labeled an 'activist'.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Jessica Harris

Instagram

High on the Hog Netflix Show

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

Braided Heritage by Jessica Harris
High on the Hog by Jessica Harris
A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook by Jessica Harris
Iron Pots & Wooden Spoons by Jessica Harris
more Jessica Harris titles here

155: Aran Goyoaga on the Art of Gluten-Free Bread Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

Kate and Molly speak with author and photographer Aran Goyoaga about her new, groundbreaking book The Art of Gluten Free Bread. Aran talks about her experience as a pastry chef, where her gluten free journey began and starting her blog Cannelle et Vanille. She discusses the inspiration behind this new book, the research & development process and how her inexperience with bread was actually an advantage. With the wide variance of gluten free flours on the market, Aran talks about the importance of beginning the book with a guide with the hopes that readers will eventually riff on her recipes and why she insisted on metric measurements. She gets into the photography process, how she arranged the photo schedule around rigorous testing and why it could get lonely at times. Finally she shares some hopes she has for the book, where she wants to see it on the shelf and what she plans for the future.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Join The Local Palate Cookbook Club

Aran Goyoaga

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

The Art of Gluten Free Bread by Aran Goyoaga
Cannelle et Vanille by Aran Goyoaga
Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple by Aran Goyoaga

154: Cookbook Writing is a Long Game Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

Kristin, Molly, Andrea and Kate look back at the cookbook media landscape of 2025 and discuss the Anthropic settlement, their thoughts about AI in the food media sphere and share their inclinations about its usage. Each of the hosts share some wins they had this year with Kristin speaking about working on the Turtle Island book and Andrea joining in to share her thoughts on finding balance in collaboration projects. With a dash of astrology and numerology each host reveals what keeps them following this creative path and what they've let go of over the years along with the role persistence and perseverance plays in this journey. Finally they end the episode by sharing some of the books, people and ideas they are excited to follow into 2026.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Join The Local Palate Cookbook Club

Anthropic Settlement

AI Duped My Cookbook and Made a Mess, by Adam Erace

Kristin Donnelly on Co-Writing One of the Year's Biggest Books from Cookbookery Collective

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

153: Making a Niche Baking Book with Maureen Abood Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

Andrea and Kate speak with Maureen Abood about her new cookbook Lebanese Baking. She speaks about her Lebanese American heritage and why this project allowed her to know, cherish and preserve that identity for herself and future generations. She shares why she went niche, how long the selling process was, what it was like working with her editorial team and why she decided to put her own spin on the Dubai Chocolate craze. She shares her thoughts on the photoshoot experience, marketing tactics, glossary inclusion and why she seeks to remove barriers and limit intimidation to bakers as well as why this cuisine deserves its heyday.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Special Holiday Offer for Everything Cookbook listeners from The Local Palate Cookbook Club: Enjoy 15% off any membership, which includes curated newsletters, marketplace discounts, event invitations, and chances to win cookbooks and kitchen swag. Click the link to sign up: https://thelocalpalate.com/cookbookclub/ and use promotional code EVERYTHING. This special offer expires on 12/25.

Maureen Abood

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

Lebanese Baking by Maureen Abood
Rose Water and Orange Blossoms by Maureen Abood

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