Molly and Kate speak with Betty Liu about the process of creating her second cookbook which she photographed while juggling a demanding day job. She shares how she ventured into the cookbook sphere from her career in wedding photography, blogging and surgical residency as well as where the idea for her first book came from. She talks about why she wanted to showcase Shanghainese food, why she focuses on cooking authentic, not traditional, food and how she incorporates medical school's "see one do one teach one" approach into her books. With her skilled eye for design she was deeply involved in the visual aspects of the book, photographing it all herself, and she talks about the importance of the linguistic and illustration elements to make this the exact book she wanted to write.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Betty Liu

• Website
• Instagram

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

• The Chinese Way by Betty Liu
• My Shanghai by Betty Liu

Molly and Kate speak with Lara Hamilton, the owner of Book Larder Seattle's community cookbook store. Lara shares the motivations behind opening the store, why Seattle was the perfect base and how she sees the connection between food and books. We learn the origins behind the name, location and design of the store as well as some behind the scenes insights into ordering, event planning and curating its unique selection. Lara talks about her thoughts on trends, author platforms and building a space that is a must stop on author tour before revealing her most anticipated Fall titles.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Book Larder

• Website
• Instagram
• Podcast
• YouTube Channel

Book Larder Podcast: Molly Stevens

Book Larder Podcast: Kate Leahy

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

• Bodega Bakes by Paola Velez
• Easy Wins by Anna Jones
• What Goes with What by Julia Turshen
• A Splash of Soy by Lara Lee
• Chinese Enough by Kristina Cho
• Sift by Nicola Lamb
• Bake with Benoit Blin by Benoit Blin
• My Life in France by Julia Child
• Butter by Asako Yuzuki and translated by Polly Barton

We're back and starting off Season 6 with grab bag of topics with all our hosts. Kristin, Molly, Kate and Andrea discuss the pros and cons of the (potentially overfull) Fall cookbook season and how to emotionally prepare but keep expectations realistic on pub day while prioritizing celebration. We share our insights and experiences on contracts, printed errors, correction pages and wade into some existential territory as we discuss optional ingredients in recipe writing before diving back into one of our favorite topics, platform. Finally, we talk about the the current cookbook trends we're loving, upcoming releases we're looking forward to and court some potential controversy with our thoughts on pumpkin spice.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Monique of Hardcover Cooks

The Bojon Gourmet Pumpkin Spice Mix

Cookbook Chronicles: The Science and Art and of Recipe Development, by Martin Sorge

If Desired, by Joy Manning

The Truth About Platform, by Kathleen Schmidt

Kristin Donnelly's Newsletter

52: Matt Sartwell of Kitchen Arts and Letters

100: Advice from Our Listeners and Season 5 Wrap-Up

42: How to Write Recipe Titles

93: The Secret of Cooking with Bee Wilson

69: Writing a Menu Cookbook with Amy Thielen

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

• Hungry Authors: The Indispensable Guide to Planning, Writing, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book by Liz Morrow and Ariel Curry
• Banjan: 60 Korean American Recipes for Delicious, Shareable Sides by Caroline Choe
• The Chinese Way by Betty Liu