Kate and Molly speak with Bonnie Benwick, journalist and former deputy editor of the Washington Post food section, about the changes she's seen over her career in food media. Bonnie talks about her time at the Post, her views on recipe testing/testers and what she thinks is lacking in cookbook reviewing today. She shares what elements make up a good cookbook, her thoughts on recipe writing, design, sidebars, sub-recipes and much more.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Bonnie Benwick

• Website
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Her Magnolia Table review
• Washington Post archive

Kim O'Donnel

Paula Forbes

Publisher's Weekly

The Ekus Group

And for Mains by Gareth Smith, Rick Higgins and Nicola Brady

The Pleasures of Cooking for One: A Cookbook by Judith Jones

Episode 19: Do Cookbook Awards Matter? | Charlotte Druckman

Episode 18: Pro Tips from Cookbook Critic Paula Forbes

Episode 28: All About Recipe Headnotes

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

• Washington Post Cookbook by Bonnie Benwick
• Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome's Jewish Kitchen by Leah Koenig
• Flavors of the Maghreb & Southern Italy: Recipes from the Land of the Setting Sun
• What Einstein Told His Cook by Robert Wolke
• Africana: More than 100 Recipes and Flavors Inspired by a Rich Continent by Lerato Umah-Shaylor 
• Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin
• Bagels, Schmears, and a Nice Piece of Fish by Cathy Barrow