The whole team, Kate, Kristin, Molly and Andrea, recap a few of their favorite episodes from this past season and answer listener questions. They chat about their mixed feelings for copy editors, the discussions they had about a recent Instagram story about recipe writing rigor and call out what they learned from a few recent interviews. The hosts then open up the mail bag and give their answers on recipe adaption and attribution, the idea of 'picking brains', including previously published dishes in a book and share how they add some flourish to their own book signings. Before signing off they shout-out an upcoming virtual event and share a note about what listeners can expect during our summer hiatus. See you in September for Season 10!

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up.

174: On Being a Copyeditor with Melissa Haskin

170: Becoming a Food Photographer While Writing a Debut Cookbook with Saeng Douangdara

121: The Burnout Episode

172: Blurbs: Do They Actually Matter?

177: Collective Book Studio with Angela Engel and Amy Treadwell

Ali Slagle Post

Sally Ekus

IACP Talk with Kate Leahy and Abby Cerquitella on August 19, 2026

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

• The Lost Kitchen by Erin French
• Ammazza! by Hillary Sterling
• The Perfect Loaf by Maurizio Leo
• 100 Cookies by Sarah Keiffer

Molly and Kate speak with Sarah Becan about her illustrator origin story. She explains her early love for sequential storytelling, the book that inspired her to create her own work and what drew her to food as a topic. She shares her love for the medium, how she got into the cookbook sphere by first partnering with a local restaurant and why she eventually decided to work solo. An avid lover and participant in the comic community, Sarah takes us step by step through her creative process; selecting the right recipes to illustrate and all of the considerations involved, the decision to drawing digitally or by hand along with all of the specs, editing, timeline, tools and workflow that happen behind the scenes. She discusses the pros and cons of writing solo or with a partner, why she developed her own typeface and leaves us with some advice for aspiring illustrators and comic artists.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Sara Becan

• Website
• I Think You're Saucesome
• Instagram

Toronto Comic Art Festival

Studio Ghibli Food

A Brief History of Graphic Cookbooks, by Charlotte Druckman in the Washington Post

Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up.

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

• The Adventures of Fat Rice by Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo
• Let's Make Ramen! by Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan
• Let's Make Dumplings! by Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan
• Let's Make Bread! by Ken Forkish and Sarah Becan
• Let's Make Cocktails! by Sarah Becan
• Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
• Dirt Candy by Amanda Cohen
• Cook Korean! by Robin Ha
• The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman
• Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

Molly and Kate go behind the scenes of a partnership publishing house as they speak about the Cookbook Collective with its founder, Angela Engel, and its editorial director, Amy Treadwell. Angela shares a bit of her background and her impetus for creating a more collaborative publishing model before walking us through some industry terms as she banishes stigma and describes the differences in her approach. Amy tells us how she got involved with the collective, what she tackles on the editorial side and how this changes her working relationship with authors. They both speak about the partnership and custom avenues, how they differ from traditional publishing and give us a broad overview of the process of expenses, distribution, submissions, acquisitions, design and drive before leaving us with a thought on the special, unique story that a physical cookbook can communicate.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

The Collective Book Studio

Episode 02: Do You Need a Cookbook Agent?

Episode 148: Heartland Masala with Jyoti Mukharji & Auyon Mukharji

Episode 56: Hybrid Publishing with Vasudha Viswanath

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

• Heartland Masala, by Joyti and Auyon Muhkarji
• Vegetarian Reset, by Vasudha Viswanath
• 52 Shabbats, by Faith Kramer
• 20 Amici, 40 Ricette, by John Bersani
• Modern Hippie, by Lauren Thomas
• Nosh, by Micah Siva
• Aebleskiver, by Pim Pauline Overgaard

Kate and Molly speak with author Alana Kysar and her editor Kelly Snowden about their professional relationship after working on two cookbooks together. Alana shares why she initially didn't think she had a second book in her and what she hopes this new vegetable focused book adds to the Hawaiian food conversation. Kelly talks about first connecting with Alana's proposal, the elements she brought to the project and the timeline of the process. Both of them discuss the lessons learned from book one and how they helped in the sequel's creation, how they worked together and some best practices for a strong, continuing working relationship. Alana talks about the recipe selection and testing, the design and structural decisions and the approachability of her photography while Kelly explains her thoughts on option clauses, comp titles and what she sees as her mission while working on a book.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Alana Kysar

• Website
• Instagram

Ten Speed Press

4 Color Books

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

• Aloha Veggies, by Alana Kysar
• Aloha Kitchen, by Alana Kysar
• Kimi's Kitchen, by Kimi Werner
• Whole Food Cooking Every Day, by Amy Chaplin

Kristin and Molly speak with writer Ella Quittner about her new book, Obsessed with the Best, and the work and intent behind it. They get right into the nitty gritty details of the book; its origins, proposal, the research and testing involved and its unorthodox release date and promotional experience. Ella talks about blending personal stories and journalistic research, the vast testing process and how it was organized and a peek at her cookbook collection and its own organization. She takes listeners through the photography and design choices, the editing and formatting decisions and finally leaves us with how the experience of commodifying herself has led her to a more thoughtful, intentional approach to future projects.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Ella Quittner

• Website
• Instagram

Taste podcast interview with Ella Quittner

Cherry Bombe Radio interview with Ella Quittner

Milk Street Radio interview with Ella Quittner

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

• Obsessed with the Best, by Ella Quittner
• More than Cake by Natasha Pickowicz

Molly and Kristin invite our very first copy editor to the show, Melissa Haskin. Melissa talks about getting started in the editing profession, her love of food writing and how her experience working with magazines like Cooking Light informs her work now. The hosts share some of their personal experiences and thoughts about copy editing and Melissa shares her own process and approach— the tiny details she looks for, the red flags she knows to avoid and the programs she uses to work. She discusses what it takes to be a good editor, what she's learned running her own freelance business and the projects she does, and does not, take on. Finally she tells us her favorite parts of the job and what led her to create an entire course on recipe editing.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Melissa Haskin

• Website
• Recipe Editing 101, 6-week course

Reedsy

PerfectIt

Susan McWilliams

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

• Single Thread, by Kyle and Katina Connaughton

Go to our Substack to find two downloads from Melissa: 1) A recipe editing reading list and 2) A self-editing checklist for cookbook authors.

POSTSCRIPT: During our interview, Melissa mispoke and cited a Susan Williams as her mentor at Cooking Light. It was Susan McWilliams. Melissa also misheard Kristin’s question about professional editor groups. She is part of many such groups, but none that specialize in cookbooks. In characteristic copyeditor fashion, Melissa sent us these corrections immediately upon hearing the episode.

Molly and Kate speak with Tanya Bush, the author of Will This Make You Happy, about her cookbook/memoir mashup and how the pandemic contributed to her decision to marry a personal story and a technical text. Tanya shares some the life experiences behind the book, her impetus to create and the themes she wanted to explore as well as the process of getting an agent, earning an MFA and how the project shifted since its origins. We get into her thoughts on why she wanted to write this particular blend of genres, how the recipes, the book's design and her real life experiences fit in and how important critical distance and play are to her voice. Finally she hits on her hopes for the work, the audio version and potential adaptations and a few thoughts on her print magazine, Cake Zine.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Food Friends Podcast Newsletter

Episode 162: The one in which we issue an apology and answer listener questions

Tanya Bush

• Website
• Instagram
• Cake Zine
• The Little Egg Restaurant

Why We Can't Stop Reading — and Writing — Food Diaries, Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker

Clare Mao, agent

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

• Will This Make You Happy by Tanya Bush

Kristin speaks with hosts Molly, Andrea and Kate about blurbs; the good, the bad and the questionable. The hosts define the term and share their first blurbing experiences before chatting about the purpose and goal behind these endorsements. They talk about a blurb's swaying power, what makes a good one, how to know if it is trustworthy and the etiquette and process of soliciting, editing and including them in the finished product. They each discuss their experiences on both sides of the request, their thoughts on how a blurb affects sales and the role they see the author, editor and PR team playing before getting into some of the practical procedures and personal relationships involved when creating a list of hopeful 'blurbists'.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

"Blurb Your Enthusiasm" by Sally Ekus

"We Need to Talk About Blurbs" by Kathleen Schmidt

"Are Publishers Dropping Blurbs?" by Lisa Tener

"Here's How Social Media Is Changing Book Blurbs" (NPR, May 2025)

"Author Blurbs: Do They Matter?" by Alessandra Torre Ink

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

• A Bird in the Hand by Diana Henry