148: Heartland Masala with Jyoti Mukharji & Auyon Mukharji
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 NguyenEditor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions Join The Local Palate Cookbook ClubAuyon MukharjiJyoti Mukharji - jmukharji -at- gmail.comHeartland Masala HQ Substack : At Noon We FightPrint Your Own Map from Heartland Masala HQThe Collective Book StudioFrances Baca book designerOlivier Kugler illustratorWendy MacNaughton illustrator Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the showHeartland Masala by Auyon Mukharji & Jyoti MukharjiMy Bombay Kitchen, by Niloufer Ichaporia KingSalt Fat Acid Heat, by Samin NosratÂ
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147: The Most Iconic Italian Cookbook Ever Written with Raquel Pelzel and Michael Szczerban
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 NguyenEditor: Abby Cerquitella MentionsVoracious imprintJoin The Local Palate Cookbook Club Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the showThe Talisman of Happiness by Ada Boni
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146: Cookbookery Collective with Jenna Helwig
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 NguyenEditor: Abby Cerquitella MentionsJenna HelwigWebsiteCookbookery Collective SubstackFall 2025 Cookbook list Real Simple MagazineJoin The Local Palate Cookbook Club Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the showBare Minimum Dinners by Jenna HelwigBaby-Led Feeding by Jenna HelwigBaking and the Meaning of Life by Helen GohDorie's Anytime Cakes by Dorie GreenspanSix Seasons of Pasta by Josh McFaddenRecipes from the American South by Michael TwittyGood Things by Samin NosratHot Date by Rawaan Alkhatib Chesnok by Polina Chesnakova
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145: Eva Kolenko on Photographing Cookbooks
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 NguyenEditor: Abby Cerquitella MentionsEva KolenkoWebsiteSubstack: Inside the Food StudioJoin The Local Palate Cookbook Club106: Caroline Chambers on Building a Substack Platform Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the showYogurt by Janet Fletcher, photos by Eva KolenkoShaq's Family Style photos by Eva KolenkoWhat to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking by Caroline Chambers, photos by Eva Kolenko
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144: The Author-Agent Relationship with Peter J. Kim and David Black
Kate and Molly speak with both an author and an agent about their collaboration process. We talk to Peter J. Kim about his debut cookbook, The Instant Ramen Kitchen, and to David Black about working as a literary agent and why this project caught his attention. David shares his thoughts about cookbook proposal revisions, speciality stores and what agents and publishers look for in a book while Peter shares why this particular food was so important to him, why he settled on 'recipe templates to show off ramen's potential, how his background in music and museum work influenced the end result and what he is working on next.Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea NguyenEditor: Abby CerquitellaThe Local Palate Cookbook Club membershipMentionsPeter J. KimDavid Black Literary AgencyCounterjam podcast137: Being a Cookbook Editor with Sarah Billingsley of Chronicle Books Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the showThe Instant Ramen Kitchen by Peter J. Kim
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