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

Join The Local Palate Cookbook Club

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

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

Mentions

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

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

• Website
• Jacques Pépin Foundation
• 90 chefs/90 dinners
• How to host your own event
   

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

• The Art of Jacques Pépin by Jaques Pepin
• Fast Food My Way by Jaques Pepin
• Essential Pépin by Jaques Pepin

Kate, Kristin, Molly and Andrea meet up to launch Season 8 with a grab bag of topics, including free speech in the cookbook space, thoughts around using Chat GPT and AI as tools for writing and recipe creation, and checking in on 'Happy Robot Voice'. They discuss the need for friction in writing and the development of personal voice, taste and expertise before diving into thoughts around the current state of cookbook design. They share some ideas for social media growth, selling book projects, and what to keep in mind for an effective and empowered recipe testing process before teasing a few upcoming episodes for Season 8. Stay tuned!

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Everything Cookbooks Episode List

Everything Cookbooks: Cookbook Comp Titles: What They Are

Kristin's newsletter

Anthropic's Claude

Jane Black's article in the Wall Street Journal about AI-written recipes

The Deep Life podcast by Cal Newport

AI Episode

Happier podcast with Gretchen Rubin

When Your Comp Isn't a Book post by Neon Publishing

Kathleen Schmidt, Publishing Confidential

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

Originally aired on November 23, 2022

Andrea and Kristin talk with Eric Kim about his intensely personal and remarkable book, Korean American. He shares his inspirations and motivations for the essay format, how he wrote his family as characters and the potential and limits of memoir writing. He talks about the idea of authenticity in food, what goes into naming recipes and the unpredictability of a viral recipe.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Eric Kim

• Website
• Instagram
• New York Times Column
• "When I Came Out to My Parents, Kimchi Fried Rice Held Us Together" on Food52
• Food52 Recipes
   

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

• Korean American by Eric Kim
• Risotto with Nettles by Anna Del Conte

Originally aired on February 1, 2023

Molly and Kate dive deep into the journey and person that is chef/writer/artist/activist/culinary ambassador (and more), Toya Boudy. She shares how her talents as an artist and wordsmith, along with the interwoven nature of life, resulted in her latest cookbook, "Cooking for the Culture". She discusses her creation process, the unconventional schedule for the book and her family's contribution as she explains her mission to build community and empower the artist inside.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Toya Boudy

• Website
• YouTube Channel
• Podcast
• Instagram
• Her first book "Cook Like a New Orleanian"

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

• Cooking for the Culture by Toya Boudy
• Bress 'n' Nyams by Matthew Raiford

Originally aired on July 19, 2023

Kate and Kristin talk with writer David Lebovitz about his career and life in France. He discusses how he went from pastry chef to food writer, how blogging strengthened his writing voice and why he pivoted to video during the pandemic. He shares his decision to write "the hardest book he ever wrote", the advice he gives to aspiring writers and his choice to move his writing to Substack. Finally, he tells us how decides what stories to tell and reveals a glimpse into a few new potential projects.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly

Editor: Abby Cerquitella
 

Mentions

David Lebovitz

• Website
• Instagram
• Substack
• Podcast

The Idle Hour
 

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

• Drinking French by David Lebovitz
• L’Appart by David Lebovitz
• My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz
• The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
• Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz
• The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz
• The Great Book of Chocolate by David Lebovitz
• The Lost Kitchen by Erin French

Originally aired on January 18, 2023

Molly and Andrea talk with Kenji López-Alt, author and Chief Culinary Advisor for Serious Eats, about creating and maintaining a voice of authority. He shares his career path, where his interest in food got started and the work that has influenced his own. He describes the relationship he has with his followers, how (or if) to curb enthusiasm while doing topic deep dives and a glimpse inside the creation of his best-selling books.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella
 

Mentions
Kenji López-Alt

• Website
• Instagram
• You Tube channel

Cookwise & Bakewise by Shirley Corriher

Complete Techniques by Jacques Pépin

Mr Wizard's World
 

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

• The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by Kenji López-Alt
• The Wok: Recipes and Techniques by Kenji López-Alt
• Every Night is Pizza Night by Kenji López-Alt
   

Originally aired on November 16, 2022

Kate and Molly chat with cookbook teacher, author and editor Tori Ritchie about her career trajectory and how she developed her personal writing voice after years of working on branded cookbooks. She shares insights and tips about developing a voice and the bad habits to avoid in writing before revealing a few of the writers she assigns to her students. Finally everyone shares the three words that best describe their own singular writing style.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Tori Ritchie

Instagram

Website

How to Write a Cookbook Course

Books

Vibration Cooking by Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor

Michael Twitty

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Osso Buco by Billy Collins

I Wrote a Good Omelet by Nikki Giovanni

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

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

• Life Is What You Bake It by Vallery Lomas
• Six California Kitchens by Sally Schmitt

Originally aired on September 28, 2022

Kristin starts out today's episode asking Molly, Kate and Andrea about the books that inspired them to follow this career path and how they'd define the idea of "voice" in writing. They discuss the difference between tone and voice, the tools they've use to craft their own and how to inject it into recipe writing. They reveal some writing exercises and advice on how to find and improve voice in your own writing.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Johnny Apple / R.W. Apple Jr.

The Key to Chinese Cooking by Irene Kuo

The Way to Cook by Julia Child

The American Baker by Jim Dodge

Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl

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

• James Beard's American Cookery
• On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee
• Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
• Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark
• The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
• Will Write for Food by Dianne Jacob