Everything Cookbooks

Latest Episodes:

138: Writing a Cookbook Based Around Her Ice Cream Brand with Pooja Bavishi Jul 23, 2025

Show notes

Kristin and Kate speak with Pooja Bavishi, the founder of Malai Ice Cream, about her debut cookbook. They ask Pooja about her company's history from stand to scoop shop, why she wanted to revolutionize ice cream by highlighting South Asian flavors and why now was the right time to write a book—even when many publishing professionals told her to wait a year or two. She takes us through the expectations vs. the realities that came up while writing, how she got connected to her agent and why the photoshoot was wildly different from what she expected. Finally she shares her thoughts behind the formatting and the advice she has for other business owners who are interested in writing their own cookbook.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Pooja Bavishi

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Malai Ice Cream by Pooja Bavishi

137: Being a Cookbook Editor with Sarah Billingsley of Chronicle Books Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

Molly and Kate speak with Sarah Billingsley, the publishing director of food and lifestyle at Chronicle Books, about moving up the ranks as an editor and her experience on the other side as an author of her own cookbooks. She talks about how her role has shifted over the years, the first book she acquired and what makes something a "Chronicle Book". We get a glimpse at what goes on during a typical publishing house meeting and learn her thoughts on the state of cookbooks today before she divulges what she's looking for in a book and no, its not just platform! Finally she shares her thoughts on what moves the needle sales wise and what she wants authors to know about the editorial process.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Chronicle Books

Chronicle Books Submissions

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Tartine Bread, by Chad Robertson
Humphry Slocum Ice Cream Book
Whoopie Pies, by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell
Handheld Pies, by Sarah Billingsley and Rachel Wharton
Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson
Coastal by Betsy Andrews
Lavash by Ara Zada and Kate Leahy
Baking Yesteryear by B. Dylan Hollis
Six California Kitchens, by Sally Schmitt
Instant Ramen, by Peter Kim
Dobre Dobre, Baking from Poland and Beyond, by Laurie Kratochvila

136: Cooking the Food of Nigeria with Ozoz Sokoh Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

Kristin and Molly discuss how Ozoz Sokoh, an Ontario-based professor of food tourism and culinary anthropologist, went about creating her new book that explores the vastness that is Nigerian food. Ozoz shares her thoughts on Nigerian cuisine, why she loves it and where the inspiration for making this book a 'bridge' came from along with the trepidation she had for writing the proposal and the challenges of writing a project of this scope. We ask her about her audience, publishing in multiple markets and how she landed on the format and the language for the recipe titles and she speaks on how she changed over the course of the book's creation, the photography process and what she hopes to work on next.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Ozoz Sokoh

James Ransom photography

Anne McBride

Enid Blyton, British children's author

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

Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria, by Ozoz Sokoh
Mallory Towers, by Enid Blyton

135: The Manuscript is In. Now What? with Martin Sorge Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

Molly, Kate and Kristin speak with Martin Sorge, the winner of The Great American Baking Show, about his debut cookbook while he is still in the thick of creating it. Martin talks about getting started on his baking journey, the role the show played in his career and what he's taken away from the experience before diving into the process of developing, pitching, testing and writing his cookbook. He shares specific pain points of the process, his approach and then turns the tables onto the hosts as he asks them for advice and insights as he begins this new venture.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Martin Sorge

Sally Ekus

Dianne Jacob, writing coach, author and teacher

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

The Secrets of Cooking by Bee Wilson
Green City Market Cookbook
Preservation Kitchen, by Paul Virant and Kate Leahy

134: Cookbooks as a Career with Maria Zizka Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

Kate and Kristin speak with cookbook author Maria Zizka about writing her solo projects as well as the more than forty collaborations she's worked on so far in her career. They chat about the challenges inherent in collaborations, how Maria got her start in the food world and the role letter writing played in getting her incredible internship—recipe testing alongside Suzanne Goin. Maria shares how she balances collaborations and solo projects, the lessons, systems and habits she's established because of her range of experiences, and the projects she will and won't take on. She talks about the process of switching agents, why she celebrates even the little milestones and the advice she has for aspiring authors.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Maria Zizka

University of Gastronomic Sciences

Episode 32: Co-Authoring Cookbooks with JJ Goode

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The Newlywed Table by Maria Zizka
Boards, Platters, Plates by Maria Zizka
One-Bowl Meals by Maria Zizka
Cook Color by Maria Zizka
The Hostess Handbook by Maria Zizka
Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin
I Love You: Recipes from the Heart by Pamela Anderson

133: Why Comp Titles Matter Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

This episode Molly, Kate, Kristin and Andrea chat all things comp titles, but first they talk about a recent plagiarism controversy that is rocking the cookbook world. They share their thoughts on copyrighting recipes, including attribution and having respect for 'the canon' of cookbooks. Then they move on to the subject of comp titles: what they are, what they are used for, how to identify them, some dos and don'ts and why publishers may come up with a list of their own. The hosts share some examples from their own projects, list a few potential resources to help authors find them and share how the role of comp titles is more important than ever in publishing.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Nagi's statement: When you see your recipes in a $4 million book

Edelweiss

Circana Book Scan

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132: Adam Roberts on being a Food Person Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

Kate and Molly welcome our first repeat guest, blogger and new novelist Adam Roberts, to discuss his foray into fiction. Adam shares what made him turn to fiction, why his first attempt didn't work and his own experience working as a ghostwriter as he shares the process of getting this book out into the world. He explains where the original idea came from, what parts of himself he infused into his characters and why creating the cookbook within the book was vital to the plot. Finally he shares some advice for aspiring novelists and a few sneak peaks into what he is working on next.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Adam Roberts

Website
Instagram
Substack Newsletter: The Amateur Gourmet

Episode 26: Blogs, Books and Broadway with Adam Roberts, the Amateur Gourmet

Casey Elsass

Archestratus Books

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Food Person, by Adam Roberts
Give My Swiss Chards to Broadway, by Adam Roberts
A Swim in the Pond in the Rain, by George Saunders
Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant, by Jenni Ferrari-Adler
After Taste, by Daria Lavelle
What Can I Bring, by Casey Elsass

131: Delicious Tangents with Victoria Granof Jun 04, 2025

Show notes

Molly and Kate speak with the self described 'OG Food Creative' Victoria Granof about her vast and varied career in food media. With decades of experience cooking, catering, food styling, writing and directing she is filled with insights, stories and, like her newsletter, delicious tangents as she talks about what she loves about her work, lessons she's learned and a few wild celebrity encounters. She shares what her work looks like today, the origin stories behind both her Sicily books and the writing, research and art direction behind the new book's creation.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Victoria Granof

Smashbox Studios, LA

Sweet Sicily, by Victoria Granof

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Sicily, My Sweet, by Victoria Granof
The Ultimate College Cookbook, by Victoria Granof

130: Nature’s Candy with Camilla Wynne May 28, 2025

Show notes

Kate and Molly speak with Camilla Wynne, a Toronto-based pastry chef, writer and teacher, about her new cookbook Nature's Candy. Camilla shares her unique career trajectory, the book's origin story and why she wanted to write about the niche technique of candying fruit. She explains the challenges and approach to its writing, design, photoshoot, research and recipe testing, along with how she pitched such a specific title to publishers. She talks about why creating an elegant yet approachable, stylish yet whimsical book was important to her and her hopes for this rigorous work to stay evergreen for candy enthusiasts. She leaves us with some wise advice and a sneak peek into her next project.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Camilla Wynne

Nicola Lamb’s Kitchen Projects

Verlet Chocolate

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

129: Cookbook Dreams Fulfilled with Rick Martínez May 21, 2025

Show notes

Kristin and Andrea speak with Rick Martínez about his new book, Salsa Daddy, and his thoughts on the state of Mexican cooking and cookbooks in America today. Rick shares why he wanted to write this specific book, how it changed him as a cook and what he hopes to convey with his work. He reveals a few key editorial differences between working on this and his first book, why he is inspired by other cuisines and what the process was like working with his passionate and skilled collaborators and leaves us with a tease for book 3.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Rick Martínez

Taste podcast episode

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