Cookbook Love Podcast

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today, I have an interview with Tue Nguyen. Tue is a Vietnamese chef and one of the fastest-rising stars in the culinary space. Since graduating from culinary school and beginning her content creation journey, Tue has showcased her skills through social media as well as sold-out pop-ups, which led her to partnering with the h.wood Group to open her restaurant DiDi in Los Angeles. In our conversation today Tue and I talked all about her new cookbook Di An, The Salty, Sour, Sweet and Spicy Flavors of Vietnamese Cooking and how she got started on her food journey. For her cookbook project she discusses her love for nostalgia, her passion about her Vietnamese food heritage, and the joy of creating a community of food enthusiasts all around Vietnamese cooking. Tue also shares her tips for you getting started with Vietnamese cooking with a discussion of the ingredients to stock in your pantry and we discuss recipes from her book - some that are classics, some that are  internet famous, and some from her pop-up cooking locations in real life.

Things We Mention In This Episode

Connect with TwayDeBae online

Di An - The Salty, Sour, Sweet and Spicy Flavors of Vietnamese Cooking

Appetites by Anthony Bourdain

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today, I have an interview with Anne Byrn. Anne is a New York Times bestselling food writer and author. Her books include the ever-popular Cake Mix Doctor, A New Take on Cake, Skillet Love and her newest book Baking in the American South. In this beautiful book Anne shares the stories and recipes from bakers all over the South - past and present, near and far, seen and unseen, all to answer the question, what makes southern baking so special? During our conversation today Anne and I talk all about the land, people, and history of the south, her idea for the book, along with her process for collecting stories and testing recipes.  Anne also shares the complicated role of sugar in Southern baking and the age-old question of how if you don’t live in the South, you can bake like a Southerner? Incidentally, if you’re not a cook or baker, but love to read cookbooks, this is a book you will want to add to your collection as it is filled with stories, history, memories, and snapshots of southern ingredients, equipment and baked goods all as an ode to Baking in the American South.

Things We Mention In This Episode

Anne Byrn

Baking in the American South

Bill Neal’s Southern Cooking

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today, I have an interview with Gerry Romano and Katelin Maidment. Gerry and Katelin are self-published cookbook authors, and graduates of the spring 2024 session of Cookbooks on KDP. Gerry is a retired magazine editor and the author of More Means Merrier: The Romano-Altman Family Cookbook and Katelin is a Registered Dietitian and author of Recipes for Longevity: Over 70 Recipes and a 4-Week Longevity Meal Plan Designed to Slow Cognitive Decline. During our conversation Gerry, Katelin, and I talked all about their decision to publish a cookbook, what they learned about formatting and publishing their own books inside Cookbooks on KDP, and how they feel now that they have accomplished their goal of publishing a book on Amazon. 

If you have recipes, photos, and stories you want to publish in a book for your family, friends, customers, or clients, the door for our fall cohort of Cookbooks on KDP are open. Cookbooks on KDP is a LIVE 12-week group program where I teach you step-by-step exactly how to publish your book - everything from formatting the interior, designing the cover, to setting up your Amazon account for your book. The doors are open now, and they close on Sunday, September 8th at 12:00 MIDNIGHT EDT.  Classes start next week. 

Things We Mention In This Episode

Enroll in fall cohort Cookbooks on KDP

More Means Merrier by Gerry Romano

Recipes for Longevity by Katelin Maidment

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today, I have an interview with cookbook author and food writer Yasmin Fahr. Yasmin is a recipe contributor to New York Times Cooking, Food 52, and the Kitchn and is the author of three cookbooks. Her newest book, Cook Simply, Live Fully, is an ode to flexible, flavorful recipes for any mood. During our episode, Yasmin shares her philosophy and recipes for cooking and feeding ourselves well through real life's inevitable ups and downs as well as some unique features of the book. 

Things We Mention In This Episode

Join the waitlist for Cookbooks on KDP Yasmin Fahr

Cook Simply, Live Fully

Science in Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today, I have an interview with LeAnna Smith. LeAnna is the owner and executive creative director at Weller Smith Design. She has over 22 years of experience in design and publishing. At Weller Smith, LeAnna helps her clients with branding, publishing, and custom products like websites and cookbooks. During the interview, LeAnna and I discussed the main paths to cookbook publishing, her work in custom cookbook publishing, the benefits of custom publishing, and how to know if custom publishing is for you. 

Things We Mention In This Episode

Cookbook Love Podcast Episode 306 Interview with Julie Evink

Cookbook Love Podcast Episode 280 Interview with Lil’ Luna’s Kristen Merkley

Join the waitlist for Cookbooks on KDP

Weller Smith Design

The Ultimate Cookie Handbook

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today, I have an interview with John Kanell. John is a former middle school math and science teacher with a knack for breaking down complicated problems. In 2015 he turned his attention to the kitchen and began creating content that empowers and inspires home cooks with his founding of Preppy Kitchen. Preppy Kitchen is now a nationally known cooking and baking destination where John used his decades of homegrown experience to provide knowledge and resources to create memorable recipes. For our interview today, John and I talk about his new book Preppy Kitchen Super Easy, which features his way of making simple everyday dishes that feel special. In the book, John reveals many riffs, swaps, variations, and make-ahead tips, all designed for busy families who want to have meals with a touch of elegance. 

Things We Mention In This Episode

Preppy Kitchen Website

Preppy Kitchen Super Easy

Cooking with Bon Appetit Set

Join the waitlist for Cookbooks on KDP

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. But before we get started, I want to talk for a minute for those of you who have recipes that you have collected or written that you want to publish in a book. Did you know that with a few simple tools, you can easily format and publish your book in about 3 months? This is exactly what I teach in my course Cookbooks on KDP. I help food bloggers and recipe collectors learn how to format and publish their recipes in a book using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform. So if you have recipes ready to publish and want to publish them in a book before Christmas, we will start our next cohort in September. Get on the waitlist, and I will email you more information.

 Today, on the podcast, I have an interview with Ben Tish. Ben Tish is the Chef Director of Cubitt House, a hospitality group in London, England where he oversees the food offerings across a number of London’s best pubs and eateries. With an undying love of Mediterranean food and history, Ben is passionate about recreating the flavors and dishes of his travels to the Mediterranean in his own home, cookbooks,  and restaurants. He is the author of five cookbooks, and today we’re here to talk about his newest book Mediterra: Recipes from the islands and shores of the Mediterranean. Enjoy this episode as Ben and I take a deep dive into the Mediterranean basin, which includes 18 distinctive countries and a discussion of some ingredients and cooking techniques you might not expect in Mediterranean cooking. Ben shares his philosophy for recipe development and ingredient procurement for his cookbooks, his writing routine when he’s actively working on a cookbook project, as well as a discussion of Ben’s unique and favorite recipes from each section of the book based on the Northern, Eastern, and Southern Shores, and Islands in the Mediterranean.

 Things We Mention In This Episode

Do you have Recipes Ready to Publish? Join the waitlist for Cookbooks on KDP

Chef Ben Tish

Mediterra: Recipes from the Islands and Shores of the Mediterranean

Crazy Water and Pickled Lemon Diana Henry

Moro The Cookbook Samuel and Samantha Clark

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today, on the podcast, I have an interview with Renato Poliafito. Renato is a James Beard-nominated pastry chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, designer, and entrepreneur living in Brooklyn, NY. After a career in graphic design and advertising, Renato traded in his laptop for an apron. In 2005, he opened the Red Hook flagship location of Baked, kicking off a culinary renaissance in the waterfront neighborhood and leading the wave of the new Brooklyn food movement. After more than a decade, Renato left Baked to get in touch with his roots. In 2019, he opened the doors of Ciao, Gloria in Prospect Heights. Renato was born to Sicilian immigrants in Queens and sees the restaurant as the ultimate expression of his Italian and American dual identities. His fifth cookbook, Dolci! American Baking with an Italian Accent is the book we talk about today. We discuss Renato's memories of his Italian/American heritage, his early love-hate relationship with Italy, favorite Italian and American sweet treats, skill at creating mash-up recipes, the inspiration for Dolci!, and his tips for home bakers who want to achieve delicious and successful baked goods and sweet treats in their kitchen. 

Things We Mention In This Episode

Ciao Gloria and Renato Poliafito

Dolci: American Baking with an Italian Accent

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat

The Complete Cook’s Country Cookbook

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today is part 2 of Shine Up Your Recipes. I started last week with questions about development, writing, testing, confidence about your recipes being yours and not just repeats, and the number of recipes to include in a book or cookbook submission. Today, I will answer more questions about organizing recipes, photos, and anecdotes, gathering recipes and deciding on a theme for a book, developing a practice for recipe development and writing, and discussing portion sizes. 

Things We Mention In This Episode

Sign up for a complimentary Recipe Refine and Shine Audit

Enroll in Recipe Week a 5-part training all about recipe writing

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. For the next two episodes, I am going to help you shine up your recipes by answering your most common questions about recipes: development, writing, testing, confidence about your recipes being yours and not just repeats, and the number of recipes to include in a book or cookbook submission. 

Things We Mention In This Episode

Sign up for a complimentary Recipe Refine and Shine Audit