Everything Cookbooks

Andrea Nguyen, Molly Stevens, Kate Leahy, Kristin Donnelly

A podcast for curious writers, readers, and cooks. Episodes provide behind-the-scenes information and stories about how cookbooks get made.

  1. 12/10/2025

    152: Following Your Culinary Curiosity with Emiko Davies

    Molly and Kristin speak with Tuscany based cookbook author and wine bar owner Emiko Davies about her varied career and newest cookbook. Emiko shares her globetrotting journey to food writing and how her shifting interests over time show up in her work. She talks about including her passion for art, especially photography, in her work, how she got her initial book deals and how she works a consistent release schedule. She discusses the intersection of food and art in her work, why she wanted to demystify Japanese home cooking in her new book and what the recipe testing process was like. Emiko includes so much of her unique personality in her work and leaves us with some incredible words of advice. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella   Mentions Special Holiday Offer for Everything Cookbook listeners from The Local Palate Cookbook Club: Enjoy 15% off any membership, which includes curated newsletters, marketplace discounts, event invitations, and chances to win cookbooks and kitchen swag. Click the link to sign up: https://thelocalpalate.com/cookbookclub/ and use promotional code EVERYTHING. This special offer expires on 12/25.    Emiko Davies BlogWebsiteSubstackInstagram  Torta della Nonna: A Collection of the Best Homemade Italian Sweets   Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show The Japanese Pantry: From Sake to Soy by Emiko DaviesGohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking: Memories and Stories from My Family's Kitchen by Emiko DaviesFlorentine: The True Cuisine of Florence  by Emiko DaviesAcquacotta: Recipes and Stories from Tuscany's Secret Silver Coast by Emiko DaviesTortellini at Midnight: And Other Heirloom Family Recipes from Taranto to Turin to Tuscany by Emiko DaviesCinnamon and Salt: Ciccheti in Venice: Small Bites From The Lagoon City by Emiko Davies

    48 min
  2. 12/03/2025

    151: Capturing Family Heritage in a Cookbook with Polina Chesnakova

    Molly and Kate speak with cookbook author Polina Chesnakova about her newest and most personal work yet, Chesnok. Polina talks about falling in love with her family's food which led her to writing, teaching and, eventually, a cookbook deal. While her first two books were less personal, this one is layered with family history, traditional recipes and tales from the diaspora and Polina unpacks the process behind its creation. She shares behind the scenes tidbits like the title selection, cover design and the sometimes maddening process behind nailing down the details of the recipes. She shares some of the apprehension she had while writing, where she spent time researching and why this was actually the easiest cookbook project she's ever worked on. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella   Mentions   Special Holiday Offer for Everything Cookbook listeners from The Local Palate Cookbook Club: Enjoy 15% off any membership, which includes curated newsletters, marketplace discounts, event invitations, and chances to win cookbooks and kitchen swag. Click the link to sign up: https://thelocalpalate.com/cookbookclub/ and use promotional code EVERYTHING. This special offer expires on 12/25.    Polina Chesnakova WebsiteInstagramNewsletter  Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Chesnok by Polina ChesnakovaHot Cheese by Polina ChesnakovaEveryday Cake by Polina ChesnakovaCarpathia by Irina GeorgescuBeyond the North Wind by Darra Goldstein

    51 min
  3. 11/26/2025

    150: Entertaining Cookbooks

    Molly, Kate, Kristin and Andrea get together to discuss the new trend towards entertaining cookbooks; what they are, what they need and what problem they can solve. The hosts discuss some standouts, how they personally use them and what they hope to see in future iterations. While this genre can tend towards the aspirational, there are a few on the market that highlight the more practical aspects of hosting and attending get-togethers. After asking what the confluence of these books means about us post-pandemic, they talk about sub-genres, the re-release of a classic and if they'd be interested in writing one of their own. Finally they share a few of the dishes they're planning to make for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella   Mentions   Join The Local Palate Cookbook Club Jenna Helwig Cookbook wrap up Martha Stewart Transformed the Dinner Party. Was That a Good Thing? by Julia Moskin The Surprising Endurance of Martha Stewart’s “Entertaining” by Hannah Goldfield 69: Writing a Menu Cookbook with Amy Thielen 36: Celebrating Colombia with Mariana Velásquez Chelsea Fagan Staff Meals from Chanterelle   Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Martha Stewart's Entertaining by Martha StewartElvira's Cookbook from Hell by Cassandra PetersonCompany by Amy ThielenBarefoot Contessa Parties by Ina GartenNothing Fancy by Alison RomanWhat Can I Bring by Casey ElsassHaving People Over by Chelsea FaganThe Picnic by by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson and Andrea SloneckerThe Campout Cookbook by Marnie Hanel and Jen StevensonThe Snowy Cabin by Marnie Hanel and Jen StevensonCooking for Good Times by Paul KahanDrinks and Dinks by Camille WilsonSoju Party by Irene YooParty People by Brie LarsonColombiana by Mariana Velasquez

    40 min
  4. 11/12/2025

    148: Heartland Masala with Jyoti Mukharji & Auyon Mukharji

    Molly and Kate speak with mother and son duo, Auyon & Jyoti Mukharji, about their new cookbook Heartland Masala. Jyoti shares how her popular cooking classes inspired a book and Auyon describes how he got involved and how the project eventually took on a life of its own. They talk about working together (for better or for worse), what skills they each brought to the project and how it progressed from idea to fully realized book. They explain why traditional publishing wasn't going to work for this book, how the hybrid model resulted in the book of their dreams and what the recipe creation, writing, testing and photographing process was like. They talk about the book's illustrations, its art direction and cover and how they crafted the friendly, knowledgeable and funny tone that enhances this very special book. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquitella   Mentions   Join The Local Palate Cookbook Club Auyon Mukharji Jyoti Mukharji - jmukharji -at- gmail.com Heartland Masala HQ Substack : At Noon We Fight Print Your Own Map from Heartland Masala HQ The Collective Book Studio Frances Baca book designer Olivier Kugler illustrator Wendy MacNaughton illustrator   Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show Heartland Masala by Auyon Mukharji & Jyoti MukharjiMy Bombay Kitchen, by Niloufer Ichaporia KingSalt Fat Acid Heat, by Samin Nosrat

    51 min
5
out of 5
105 Ratings

About

A podcast for curious writers, readers, and cooks. Episodes provide behind-the-scenes information and stories about how cookbooks get made.

You Might Also Like