Salt & Spine

Danielle Renov is the author of Peas Love & Carrots, her first cookbook. She is well known for her food blog and Instagram of the same name. She joins us this week to #TalkCookbooks.

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This week, we're excited to welcome Hawa Hassan to Salt + Spine, the podcast on stories behind cookbooks.

Hawa is the founder and CEO of Basbaas Sauce, a selection of condiments that are inspired by Somalia, the country where she was born. Hawa left Somalia with her family in the midst of the country’s civil war: first to a refugee camp and then to the U.S. She built a life in America, including a modeling career, and 15 years later, she reunited with her family for the first time. Through it all was food — the family foods she remembers from her childhood, the 7/11 snacks she’d pick up in Seattle, the dinner parties she’d host in New York City.

And now, her first cookbook. Hawa joined us to talk about her first cookbook, In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean. Co-authored with Salt + Spine friend Julia Turshen, the book introduces us to bibis (grandmother in Swahili) up and down the East African coast — from Somalia to Kenya to Mozambique to Madagascar. You’ll find heartwarming interviews with bibis from these eight countries and learn about the culinary histories of their families and their countries. And of course, recipes: 75 dishes that are both enticing and full of meaning. Hawa writes, “This isn’t just any old book with fun ideas of what to make for dinner (though you should make the recipes—they’re great!). It’s also a collection of stories about war, loss, migration, refuge, and sanctuary. It’s a book about families and their connections to home.”

There are few cookbooks by major publishers today that focus on African cuisine — a glaring hole in the industry we discuss in this episode — and it’s powerful and inspiring to see these stories and recipes captured in In Bibi’s Kitchen. Hawa joined us remotely to talk about her life and career, creating this new book, and more. And of course, we’re playing a culinary game with Hawa — and we have featured recipes from In Bibi’s Kitchen for you to try at home. 

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Carolyn Federman is the author of New Favorites for New Cooks and the creator of the Charlie Cart Project.

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Kristina Gill is the co-author of Tasting Rome: Fresh Flavors and Forgotten Recipes from an Ancient City. A native of Nashville, Kristina relocated to Rome in 1999. Kristina joined us remotely from, of course, Rome, to talk about the role food has played in her life, how she approaches her work, and where she turns for inspiration. Plus, of course, we’re playing a game and putting Kristina to the culinary test.

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In the final installment of our Food Media Awakening Series—and the beginning of our fall 2020 season—we're talking with teenage food professionals about what drew them to food and food writing and what they see for the food media and restaurant industries as their generation enters the workforce. Oakland-based Rahanna Bisseret Martinez shares her perspective on restaurant kitchens, New York City's Food and Finance High School student Michael Stanton discusses their junior class project and telling the stories of trailblazing people of color in food, and cookbook author and activist Haile Thomas talks about what drew her to wellness, a vegan diet, and advocacy.

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In Part 3 of our Food Media Awakening Series, we're talking all about food media: specifically, food media that is not owned or led by white people. With power and editorial control largely in the hands of white people at "mainstream" food media outlets, we're talking with editors, publishers, and writers about the importance of having and investing in Black- and POC-led food media. Food writer and cookbook author Klancy Miller joins to discuss her forthcoming magazine, For The Culture, which tells the stories of Black women in food and wine by Black female writers, photographers, and illustrators. Editors Sheree Williams of Cuisine Noir and Rochelle Oliver of Island & Spice discuss their work and editorial processes. And we hear analysis from Jamila Robinson, food editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer and chair of the James Beard Awards' journalism committee, and food writer Osayi Endolyn.

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We're stepping away from our normal one-on-one author interviews this month to hold space for deeper conversations around equity and representation in food media and the cookbook industry. Stay tuned as we talk with cookbook authors, food writers, editors, podcast hosts, and the generation of young cooks and food writers.

In the second episode of our Food Media Awakening series, we're taking a closer look at the cookbook industry. What issues around representation exist in cookbook publishing? How have authors and others working in the field navigated these challenges? What needs to change – and what would a more equitable cookbook industry look like?

We called up several guests to discuss these topics: cookbook author and photographer Kristina Gill (co-author of Tasting Rome), literary agents Rica Allannic and Sally Ekus, cookbook editor Cristina Garces of Chronicle Books, and food writers Osayi Endolyn and Illyanna Maisonet.

Additional Reading and Resources:

• How Food Media Fails BIPOC, by Leah Bhabha [Grub Street]
• A (food media) resignation letter, by Osayi Endolyn [Twitter]
• Between Friends: Your Stories About Race and Friendship, Podcast [NPR Code Switch / Death, Sex & Money]
• To Change Racial Disparity in Food, Let’s Start With Cookbooks, by Julia Turshen [Eater]‍

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltandspine.substack.com/subscribe

We're stepping away from our normal one-on-one author interviews this month to hold space for deeper conversations around equity and representation in food media and the cookbook industry. Stay tuned as we talk with cookbook authors, food writers, editors, podcast hosts, and the generation of young cooks and food writers.

In today's episode, we're starting by taking a look at the reckoning that's taking place at Bon Appetit and other food media outlets. We're joined by food writer Tammie Teclemariam, Bon Appetit's research director Joey Hernandez, and podcast host Cathy Erway.

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Sonoko Sakai is a writer and teacher based in California. Over the course of her career, she’s developed recipes, taught cooking classes, and written articles and cookbooks to promote Japanese food and culture. Her first cookbook—The Poetical Pursuit of Food: Japanese Recipes for American Cooks—was published in 1986, and her most recent, Japanese Home Cooking, features 100 recipes that get to the heart of accessible Japanese cuisine. 

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