Kristin and Kate get the inside scoop on all things marketing and publicity as they speak to the 'dream team' who worked on Kristin's recent book Turtle Island. Brianne Sperber and Felix Cruz — associate director of marketing for Clarkson Potter and Ten Speed Press and publicist for the same— discuss their specific roles and approaches to cookbook promotion. They touch on the differences between marketing and publicity, the role events have in promoting a book and share a peek behind the curtain at the decisions, meetings, timeline and teams that go into a project. They share invaluable insights into their thought process, what authors can contribute to a campaign and how they hope to work with them throughout the long game and moment to moment demands of a media blitz. They speak about tailoring messaging to an audience, the cheerleading role they often play and how they approach a collaborative relationship with all the moving parts involved in a book's life span.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Sean Sherman on Daily Show

Episode 36: Celebrating Colombia with Mariana Velásquez

Link in Bio substack

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

• Turtle Island, by Sean Sherman. Kate Nelson & Kristin Donnelly
• The SalviSoul Cookbook by Karla Tatiana Vasquez
• Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson
• Bread of Angels by Patti Smith
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
• Revel by Mariana Velásquez

Andrea and Kate speak with Helen Goh about her thirty years of working in the food and hospitality industry and why she chose now to write her first solo book. She speaks about her time working with the Ottolenghi brand, her hesitation at embarking on a solo venture and the pros and cons of working alone or partnered. She's had many evolutions in the personal and professional spheres and talks about finding freedom in her work and her thoughts behind this book; its title, organization and how her psychology background informed its creation. She ends by sharing what baking means to her— its role in rituals and traditions— and ends with her experience juggling both of her careers, the cerebral and the tangible.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Helen Goh

• Guardian Column
• Instagram
  

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

• Baking and the Meaning of Life with Helen Goh
• Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh

Molly and Andrea speak with the iconic culinary historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris about her career and newest work, Braided Heritage. After discussing the 'more' than recipes that make a cookbook a cookbook, Dr. Harris also shares why this book is important at this point and what interested her about this topic and format. She speaks about the backbeat that motivated the entire project, how she went about commissioning stories and recipes from other people and why each genre she writes in requires her to wear a different hat. She talks about the long process of the book's creation, how her experience in academia informed it, the advice she has for future generations and her thoughts on being labeled an 'activist'.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Jessica Harris

• Instagram

High on the Hog Netflix Show

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

• Braided Heritage by Jessica Harris
• High on the Hog by Jessica Harris
• A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook by Jessica Harris
• Iron Pots & Wooden Spoons by Jessica Harris
• more Jessica Harris titles here

Kate and Molly speak with author and photographer Aran Goyoaga about her new, groundbreaking book The Art of Gluten Free Bread. Aran talks about her experience as a pastry chef, where her gluten free journey began and starting her blog Cannelle et Vanille. She discusses the inspiration behind this new book, the research & development process and how her inexperience with bread was actually an advantage. With the wide variance of gluten free flours on the market, Aran talks about the importance of beginning the book with a guide with the hopes that readers will eventually riff on her recipes and why she insisted on metric measurements. She gets into the photography process, how she arranged the photo schedule around rigorous testing and why it could get lonely at times. Finally she shares some hopes she has for the book, where she wants to see it on the shelf and what she plans for the future.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Join The Local Palate Cookbook Club

Aran Goyoaga

• Website
• Instagram
• Cannelle et Vanille

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

• The Art of Gluten Free Bread by Aran Goyoaga
• Cannelle et Vanille by Aran Goyoaga
• Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple by Aran Goyoaga

Kristin, Molly, Andrea and Kate look back at the cookbook media landscape of 2025 and discuss the Anthropic settlement, their thoughts about AI in the food media sphere and share their inclinations about its usage. Each of the hosts share some wins they had this year with Kristin speaking about working on the Turtle Island book and Andrea joining in to share her thoughts on finding balance in collaboration projects. With a dash of astrology and numerology each host reveals what keeps them following this creative path and what they've let go of over the years along with the role persistence and perseverance plays in this journey. Finally they end the episode by sharing some of the books, people and ideas they are excited to follow into 2026.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Join The Local Palate Cookbook Club

Anthropic Settlement

AI Duped My Cookbook and Made a Mess, by Adam Erace

Kristin Donnelly on Co-Writing One of the Year's Biggest Books from Cookbookery Collective

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

• Turtle Island, by Sean Sherman. Kate Nelson & Kristin Donnelly
• Heart Shaped Tin, by Bee Wilson
• Feast on Your Life, by Tamar Adler
• On Eating, by Alicia Kennedy
• The Last Sweet Bite by Michael Shaikh

Andrea and Kate speak with Maureen Abood about her new cookbook Lebanese Baking. She speaks about her Lebanese American heritage and why this project allowed her to know, cherish and preserve that identity for herself and future generations. She shares why she went niche, how long the selling process was, what it was like working with her editorial team and why she decided to put her own spin on the Dubai Chocolate craze. She shares her thoughts on the photoshoot experience, marketing tactics, glossary inclusion and why she seeks to remove barriers and limit intimidation to bakers as well as why this cuisine deserves its heyday.

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.

Maureen Abood

• Website
• Instagram
• Online Shop
  

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

• Lebanese Baking by Maureen Abood
• Rose Water and Orange Blossoms by Maureen Abood

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