Tell us about you and what you do.
I am a writer and cookbook author, and I also develop recipes for clients. I used to cook in restaurants, and my first cookbook collaboration, A16 Food + Wine, was also a restaurant I used to work in.
How did the Everything Cookbooks podcast come about?
Cookbook-writer friends of mine had been meeting for years on Google Meet (way back before we had heard of Zoom!) as a way to help each other understand the cookbook creation process and the publishing world. It can be nearly impossible to figure things out on your own, and over the years we’ve all helped each other navigate the industry and its highs and lows.
What do you think is the biggest takeaway for people who listen to it?
We’re real. We tell people what we know without hiding behind any details or sugarcoating facts. We share numbers, like how much money it costs to make a cookbook and how much it costs to test a single recipe. We also have guests who are equally transparent. Andy Barighani talked about why he changed his title while writing the book. Jessie Sheehan talked about the influence of her recipe tester, and how challenging it was to write a cookbook of 100 recipes in a handful of months.
What’s your favorite podcast episode or guest and why?
It’s hard to say, since I like so many of them for different reasons. Our most popular episode is our first, and it holds up simply because it’s true to its title: Should You Write a Cookbook? A lot of people tune in because they’re asking themselves that question. An episode that also resonated with me was with Toya Boudy simply because she’s all about getting inspired to create something new. Any time I need a lift, I can go back and listen to that episode (39) and get inspired to get the work done.
What’s been the most surprising thing that has come out of the podcast?
The feedback. The number of people who ask us questions about what we say and share their opinions on how we’ve helped or how their experience was different than ours. We thought we’d appeal to people starting out in cookbooks, but we have some listeners who we admire who tune in and chime in. It’s become a little podcast community.
You’ve traveled a lot when writing your books. Tell us about one of your favorite experiences from your travels.
Hands down it was traveling in Armenia. I’ve never been to a country filled with cooks who were so willing to share their knowledge just because I asked. Sometimes when I think back on our travels through the country, I shake my head. We’d literally show up in a town where someone had called someone, and everyone would have us for lunch and tell us anything we wanted to know. Plus, eating fresh lavash from a tonir (the terracotta oven they put in the ground) is really special. I am also very proud of the baklava recipe in the cookbook we created after our travels. It’s called Lavash. We watched the recipe being made in a small Soviet-era apartment in a town near the border of what is now an active conflict zone. Everything was measured to Soviet baking pans and ovens, but I converted everything to work in an American 9- by 13-inch baking pan. I also had a friend who grew up in Armenia make it to see if it hit the mark. Once I got her approval, I knew it was good to go.
What has been your most memorable meals and where?
Parts of southern Italy remind me of Armenia, especially the importance of family and feeding people. I spent a couple of nights with the Di Meo family of La Sibilla, a winery outside of Naples on the water. We walked up the hill and pulled out fresh San Marzano tomatoes from the sandy soil and then ate it that night under their pergola. it was simple food, but that’s really the best food.
I also had the privilege of experiencing a pit roast in Egypt. It’s a bedouin tradition where they dig a pit, then put in a rack layered with lamb, turkey, chicken, and squab, if I remember correctly. it’s buried and cooked for hours while we sipped green tea with marjoram. You eat everything with your hands when it’s ready, and everything is served with baladi bread, Egypt’s daily bread, which is essentially whole-wheat pita. Also, Egypt has amazing mangos. I didn’t even know they grew there.
Where do you think people are most excited about cooking right now?
That is such a good question. I think people can’t get enough of chili crisp, and that seems to go on everything. Miso is also everywhere, So maybe we’ve entered a moment where condiments are getting their time in the sun.
What do you think is the most underrated ingredient right now and why?
Dried fruit doesn’t get as much attention as it should. But I also think that there are more people now willing to seek out new ingredients than before that maybe I’ll be proven wrong,
What are you making in your kitchen this week?
I had to test a boneless rib roast for a client, so I’m finding ways to use up the leftovers so none of it goes to waste!
What’s next for you?
I’d like to do more non-food writing. My dream is to finish the novel I started. And this fall I’m excited for the release of Italian Wine, a book about Italian wine that goes through the country alphabetically region by region. We just learned it will be turned into an audio book by Penguin Random House, and I couldn’t be more excited to hear how it sounds in that format.
If someone is interested in the process or wants to get into cookbook writing, where should they start first?
Listen to the first 5 episodes of Everything Cookbooks. It walks you through the basics of the process.
What’s the best way to get in touch?
For questions on the podcast, the best way is to send a message through the form at Everythingcookbooks.com