Kate, Kristin, Molly and Andrea meet up to launch Season 8 with a grab bag of topics, including free speech in the cookbook space, thoughts around using Chat GPT and AI as tools for writing and recipe creation, and checking in on 'Happy Robot Voice'. They discuss the need for friction in writing and the development of personal voice, taste and expertise before diving into thoughts around the current state of cookbook design. They share some ideas for social media growth, selling book projects, and what to keep in mind for an effective and empowered recipe testing process before teasing a few upcoming episodes for Season 8. Stay tuned!

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Everything Cookbooks Episode List

Everything Cookbooks: Cookbook Comp Titles: What They Are

Kristin's newsletter

Anthropic's Claude

Jane Black's article in the Wall Street Journal about AI-written recipes

The Deep Life podcast by Cal Newport

AI Episode

Happier podcast with Gretchen Rubin

When Your Comp Isn't a Book post by Neon Publishing

Kathleen Schmidt, Publishing Confidential

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

Originally aired on November 23, 2022

Andrea and Kristin talk with Eric Kim about his intensely personal and remarkable book, Korean American. He shares his inspirations and motivations for the essay format, how he wrote his family as characters and the potential and limits of memoir writing. He talks about the idea of authenticity in food, what goes into naming recipes and the unpredictability of a viral recipe.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Eric Kim

• Website
• Instagram
• New York Times Column
• "When I Came Out to My Parents, Kimchi Fried Rice Held Us Together" on Food52
• Food52 Recipes
  

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

• Korean American by Eric Kim
• Risotto with Nettles by Anna Del Conte

Originally aired on February 1, 2023

Molly and Kate dive deep into the journey and person that is chef/writer/artist/activist/culinary ambassador (and more), Toya Boudy. She shares how her talents as an artist and wordsmith, along with the interwoven nature of life, resulted in her latest cookbook, "Cooking for the Culture". She discusses her creation process, the unconventional schedule for the book and her family's contribution as she explains her mission to build community and empower the artist inside.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Toya Boudy

• Website
• YouTube Channel
• Podcast
• Instagram
• Her first book "Cook Like a New Orleanian"

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

• Cooking for the Culture by Toya Boudy
• Bress 'n' Nyams by Matthew Raiford