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

• Blog
• Website
• Substack
• Instagram

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 Davies
• Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking: Memories and Stories from My Family's Kitchen by Emiko Davies
• Florentine: The True Cuisine of Florence by Emiko Davies
• Acquacotta: Recipes and Stories from Tuscany's Secret Silver Coast by Emiko Davies
• Tortellini at Midnight: And Other Heirloom Family Recipes from Taranto to Turin to Tuscany by Emiko Davies
• Cinnamon and Salt: Ciccheti in Venice: Small Bites From The Lagoon City by Emiko Davies

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

• Website
• Instagram
• Newsletter

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

• Chesnok by Polina Chesnakova
• Hot Cheese by Polina Chesnakova
• Everyday Cake by Polina Chesnakova
• Carpathia by Irina Georgescu
• Beyond the North Wind by Darra Goldstein

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 Stewart
• Elvira's Cookbook from Hell by Cassandra Peterson
• Company by Amy Thielen
• Barefoot Contessa Parties by Ina Garten
• Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman
• What Can I Bring by Casey Elsass
• Having People Over by Chelsea Fagan
• The Picnic by by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson and Andrea Slonecker
• The Campout Cookbook by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson
• The Snowy Cabin by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson
• Cooking for Good Times by Paul Kahan
• Drinks and Dinks by Camille Wilson
• Soju Party by Irene Yoo
• Party People by Brie Larson
• Colombiana by Mariana Velasquez

Kate and Molly speak with chef, food writer, recipe developer and bar owner Irene Yoo about her debut cookbook Soju Party. Irene talks about her varied media career, the bar pop-ups that led to her opening a bar and writing this book. She's explains why she never thought she'd write this type of book, how her photo directing experience helped with the shoot and design and the thinking behind the book's unique organization, recipe curation and voice. She shares how it evolved from proposal to finished project, where she spent time researching and what was the hardest part of working on it. Finally she tells us why it was personally so important to share Korean food and drink culture and what she hopes this book brings to the conversation.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Join The Local Palate Cookbook Club

Irene Yoo

• Website
• Orion Bar
• IG: @yooeating
• TikTok: @yooeating
• YouTube: @ka.ka.studio

Irene Yoo's Guide to Korean Drinking on Food 52

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

• Soju Party: How to Drink (and Eat) Like a Korean, by Irene You
• Nitethawk Cinema Presents Cookbook
• Anything's Pastable, by Dan Pashman
• Koji Alchemy
• First Generation, by Frankie Gaw
• Chili Crisp, by James Park

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 Mukharji
• My Bombay Kitchen, by Niloufer Ichaporia King
• Salt Fat Acid Heat, by Samin Nosrat

Kate and Kristin speak with Raquel Pelzel and Michael Szczerban about bringing an iconic Italian cookbook to America. The Talisman of Happiness was written in the 1920s by Ada Boni, "one of the most groundbreaking, pioneering women in food history." The book has influenced some of the most beloved pillars of Italian cuisine. Michael shares what drew him to this book and inspired his years-long quest to publish it in America while Raquel talks her process of editing over(!) 1600 recipes post-translation. They discuss editing by hand, recipe testing, translation, focusing on an American audience and the timeline they had to accomplish this massive undertaking. Finally, they share how the book changed their own cooking, why it is so special to the, and the types of books that Voracious publishes.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Voracious imprint

Join The Local Palate Cookbook Club

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

• The Talisman of Happiness by Ada Boni

Kristin and Kate welcome the food director of Real Simple, Jenna Helwig, to discuss her newsletter, The Cookbookery Collective, and her thoughts on the current cookbook landscape. Jenna shares her career path, why she fell in love with food and how she paired writing cookbooks with working as a private chef. She talks about covering food at Real Simple, the role magazines play in our current food media climate and her thoughts on building a social media presence and how that led to starting her newsletter. After talking about assembling the massive list of Fall 2025 titles she shares some thoughts on marketing copy, subtitles, influencer cookbooks and the upcoming trends she's excited (or not so excited) to see. Finally she extends some advice and reveals her level of interest in writing another book.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Jenna Helwig

• Website
• Cookbookery Collective Substack
• Fall 2025 Cookbook list

Real Simple Magazine

Join The Local Palate Cookbook Club

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

• Bare Minimum Dinners by Jenna Helwig
• Baby-Led Feeding by Jenna Helwig
• Baking and the Meaning of Life by Helen Goh
• Dorie's Anytime Cakes by Dorie Greenspan
• Six Seasons of Pasta by Josh McFadden
• Recipes from the American South by Michael Twitty
• Good Things by Samin Nosrat
• Hot Date by Rawaan Alkhatib
• Chesnok by Polina Chesnakova

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