Everything Cookbooks

Latest Episodes:

152: Following Your Culinary Curiosity with Emiko Davies Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

Molly and Kristin speak with Tuscany based cookbook author and wine bar owner Emiko Davies about her varied career and newest cookbook. Emiko shares her globetrotting journey to food writing and how her shifting interests over time show up in her work. She talks about including her passion for art, especially photography, in her work, how she got her initial book deals and how she works a consistent release schedule. She discusses the intersection of food and art in her work, why she wanted to demystify Japanese home cooking in her new book and what the recipe testing process was like. Emiko includes so much of her unique personality in her work and leaves us with some incredible words of advice.

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.

Emiko Davies

Torta della Nonna: A Collection of the Best Homemade Italian Sweets

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

The Japanese Pantry: From Sake to Soy by Emiko Davies
Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking: Memories and Stories from My Family's Kitchen by Emiko Davies
Florentine: The True Cuisine of Florence by Emiko Davies
Acquacotta: Recipes and Stories from Tuscany's Secret Silver Coast by Emiko Davies
Tortellini at Midnight: And Other Heirloom Family Recipes from Taranto to Turin to Tuscany by Emiko Davies
Cinnamon and Salt: Ciccheti in Venice: Small Bites From The Lagoon City by Emiko Davies

151: Capturing Family Heritage in a Cookbook with Polina Chesnakova Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

Molly and Kate speak with cookbook author Polina Chesnakova about her newest and most personal work yet, Chesnok. Polina talks about falling in love with her family's food which led her to writing, teaching and, eventually, a cookbook deal. While her first two books were less personal, this one is layered with family history, traditional recipes and tales from the diaspora and Polina unpacks the process behind its creation. She shares behind the scenes tidbits like the title selection, cover design and the sometimes maddening process behind nailing down the details of the recipes. She shares some of the apprehension she had while writing, where she spent time researching and why this was actually the easiest cookbook project she's ever worked on.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Polina Chesnakova

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

Chesnok by Polina Chesnakova
Hot Cheese by Polina Chesnakova
Everyday Cake by Polina Chesnakova
Carpathia by Irina Georgescu
Beyond the North Wind by Darra Goldstein

150: Entertaining Cookbooks Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

Molly, Kate, Kristin and Andrea get together to discuss the new trend towards entertaining cookbooks; what they are, what they need and what problem they can solve. The hosts discuss some standouts, how they personally use them and what they hope to see in future iterations. While this genre can tend towards the aspirational, there are a few on the market that highlight the more practical aspects of hosting and attending get-togethers. After asking what the confluence of these books means about us post-pandemic, they talk about sub-genres, the re-release of a classic and if they'd be interested in writing one of their own. Finally they share a few of the dishes they're planning to make for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

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Jenna Helwig Cookbook wrap up

Martha Stewart Transformed the Dinner Party. Was That a Good Thing? by Julia Moskin

The Surprising Endurance of Martha Stewart’s “Entertaining” by Hannah Goldfield

69: Writing a Menu Cookbook with Amy Thielen

36: Celebrating Colombia with Mariana Velásquez

Chelsea Fagan

Staff Meals from Chanterelle

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

Martha Stewart's Entertaining by Martha Stewart
Elvira's Cookbook from Hell by Cassandra Peterson
Company by Amy Thielen
Barefoot Contessa Parties by Ina Garten
Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman
What Can I Bring by Casey Elsass
Having People Over by Chelsea Fagan
The Picnic by by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson and Andrea Slonecker
The Campout Cookbook by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson
The Snowy Cabin by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson
Cooking for Good Times by Paul Kahan
Drinks and Dinks by Camille Wilson
Soju Party by Irene Yoo
Party People by Brie Larson
Colombiana by Mariana Velasquez

149: Soju Party with Irene Yoo Nov 19, 2025

Show notes

Kate and Molly speak with chef, food writer, recipe developer and bar owner Irene Yoo about her debut cookbook Soju Party. Irene talks about her varied media career, the bar pop-ups that led to her opening a bar and writing this book. She's explains why she never thought she'd write this type of book, how her photo directing experience helped with the shoot and design and the thinking behind the book's unique organization, recipe curation and voice. She shares how it evolved from proposal to finished project, where she spent time researching and what was the hardest part of working on it. Finally she tells us why it was personally so important to share Korean food and drink culture and what she hopes this book brings to the conversation.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

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Irene Yoo

Irene Yoo's Guide to Korean Drinking on Food 52

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

148: Heartland Masala with Jyoti Mukharji & Auyon Mukharji Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

Molly and Kate speak with mother and son duo, Auyon & Jyoti Mukharji, about their new cookbook Heartland Masala. Jyoti shares how her popular cooking classes inspired a book and Auyon describes how he got involved and how the project eventually took on a life of its own. They talk about working together (for better or for worse), what skills they each brought to the project and how it progressed from idea to fully realized book. They explain why traditional publishing wasn't going to work for this book, how the hybrid model resulted in the book of their dreams and what the recipe creation, writing, testing and photographing process was like. They talk about the book's illustrations, its art direction and cover and how they crafted the friendly, knowledgeable and funny tone that enhances this very special book.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

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Auyon Mukharji

Jyoti Mukharji - jmukharji -at- gmail.com

Heartland Masala HQ Substack : At Noon We Fight

Print Your Own Map from Heartland Masala HQ

The Collective Book Studio

Frances Baca book designer

Olivier Kugler illustrator

Wendy MacNaughton illustrator

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

Heartland Masala by Auyon Mukharji & Jyoti Mukharji
My Bombay Kitchen, by Niloufer Ichaporia King
Salt Fat Acid Heat, by Samin Nosrat

147: The Most Iconic Italian Cookbook Ever Written with Raquel Pelzel and Michael Szczerban Nov 05, 2025

Show notes

Kate and Kristin speak with Raquel Pelzel and Michael Szczerban about bringing an iconic Italian cookbook to America. The Talisman of Happiness was written in the 1920s by Ada Boni, "one of the most groundbreaking, pioneering women in food history." The book has influenced some of the most beloved pillars of Italian cuisine. Michael shares what drew him to this book and inspired his years-long quest to publish it in America while Raquel talks her process of editing over(!) 1600 recipes post-translation. They discuss editing by hand, recipe testing, translation, focusing on an American audience and the timeline they had to accomplish this massive undertaking. Finally, they share how the book changed their own cooking, why it is so special to the, and the types of books that Voracious publishes.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Voracious imprint

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

The Talisman of Happiness by Ada Boni

146: Cookbookery Collective with Jenna Helwig Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

Kristin and Kate welcome the food director of Real Simple, Jenna Helwig, to discuss her newsletter, The Cookbookery Collective, and her thoughts on the current cookbook landscape. Jenna shares her career path, why she fell in love with food and how she paired writing cookbooks with working as a private chef. She talks about covering food at Real Simple, the role magazines play in our current food media climate and her thoughts on building a social media presence and how that led to starting her newsletter. After talking about assembling the massive list of Fall 2025 titles she shares some thoughts on marketing copy, subtitles, influencer cookbooks and the upcoming trends she's excited (or not so excited) to see. Finally she extends some advice and reveals her level of interest in writing another book.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Jenna Helwig

Real Simple Magazine

Join The Local Palate Cookbook Club

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

Bare Minimum Dinners by Jenna Helwig
Baby-Led Feeding by Jenna Helwig
Baking and the Meaning of Life by Helen Goh
Dorie's Anytime Cakes by Dorie Greenspan
Six Seasons of Pasta by Josh McFadden
Recipes from the American South by Michael Twitty
Good Things by Samin Nosrat
Hot Date by Rawaan Alkhatib
Chesnok by Polina Chesnakova

145: Eva Kolenko on Photographing Cookbooks Oct 22, 2025

Show notes

Kate and Kristin get into all things food photography with Eva Kolenko, the photographer of over 50 cookbooks. Eva talks about her new studio setup, how she got her start as a photographer after a wandering path as an artist and how she made the jump to actually making a living with her talent. She shares what she wished she knew before starting this line of work, how she approaches each new project and the essential tools of the task that make it run smoothly. Finally she discusses what she'd like authors to know about the photography experience, what she wishes they would do and consider while on set and the advice (and pet peeves!) she has for aspiring photographers.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Eva Kolenko

Website
Substack: Inside the Food Studio

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106: Caroline Chambers on Building a Substack Platform

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

Yogurt by Janet Fletcher, photos by Eva Kolenko
Shaq's Family Style photos by Eva Kolenko
What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking by Caroline Chambers, photos by Eva Kolenko

144: The Author-Agent Relationship with Peter J. Kim and David Black Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

Kate and Molly speak with both an author and an agent about their collaboration process. We talk to Peter J. Kim about his debut cookbook, The Instant Ramen Kitchen, and to David Black about working as a literary agent and why this project caught his attention. David shares his thoughts about cookbook proposal revisions, speciality stores and what agents and publishers look for in a book while Peter shares why this particular food was so important to him, why he settled on 'recipe templates to show off ramen's potential, how his background in music and museum work influenced the end result and what he is working on next.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

The Local Palate Cookbook Club membership

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Peter J. Kim

David Black Literary Agency

Counterjam podcast

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

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

The Instant Ramen Kitchen by Peter J. Kim

143: Jacques Pépin Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

Molly and Kristin speak with the iconic Jacques Pépin about his latest book which includes recipes along with original artwork. Jacques, the writer of over 30 cookbooks since 1967, shares memories and inspirations behind his work, his take on recipe creation over the years and his thoughts on the similarities and differences between cooking and painting. He talks about the gradual inclusion of his art in his books, what his relationship with painting and cooking looks like today and shares information about his foundation and the current initiative to celebrate his upcoming 90th birthday. Finally he shares his view on food as a means of connection and some wise advice.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Jaques Pepin

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