Kristin and Molly speak with writer Ella Quittner about her new book, Obsessed with the Best, and the work and intent behind it. They get right into the nitty gritty details of the book; its origins, proposal, the research and testing involved and its unorthodox release date and promotional experience. Ella talks about blending personal stories and journalistic research, the vast testing process and how it was organized and a peek at her cookbook collection and its own organization. She takes listeners through the photography and design choices, the editing and formatting decisions and finally leaves us with how the experience of commodifying herself has led her to a more thoughtful, intentional approach to future projects.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Ella Quittner

• Website
• Instagram

Taste podcast interview with Ella Quittner

Cherry Bombe Radio interview with Ella Quittner

Milk Street Radio interview with Ella Quittner

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

• Obsessed with the Best, by Ella Quittner
• More than Cake by Natasha Pickowicz

Molly and Kristin invite our very first copy editor to the show, Melissa Haskin. Melissa talks about getting started in the editing profession, her love of food writing and how her experience working with magazines like Cooking Light informs her work now. The hosts share some of their personal experiences and thoughts about copy editing and Melissa shares her own process and approach— the tiny details she looks for, the red flags she knows to avoid and the programs she uses to work. She discusses what it takes to be a good editor, what she's learned running her own freelance business and the projects she does, and does not, take on. Finally she tells us her favorite parts of the job and what led her to create an entire course on recipe editing.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Melissa Haskin

• Website
• Recipe Editing 101, 6-week course

Reedsy

PerfectIt

Susan McWilliams

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

• Single Thread, by Kyle and Katina Connaughton

Molly and Kate speak with Tanya Bush, the author of Will This Make You Happy, about her cookbook/memoir mashup and how the pandemic contributed to her decision to marry a personal story and a technical text. Tanya shares some the life experiences behind the book, her impetus to create and the themes she wanted to explore as well as the process of getting an agent, earning an MFA and how the project shifted since its origins. We get into her thoughts on why she wanted to write this particular blend of genres, how the recipes, the book's design and her real life experiences fit in and how important critical distance and play are to her voice. Finally she hits on her hopes for the work, the audio version and potential adaptations and a few thoughts on her print magazine, Cake Zine.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Food Friends Podcast Newsletter

Episode 162: The one in which we issue an apology and answer listener questions

Tanya Bush

• Website
• Instagram
• Cake Zine
• The Little Egg Restaurant

Why We Can't Stop Reading — and Writing — Food Diaries, Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker

Clare Mao, agent

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

• Will This Make You Happy by Tanya Bush

Kristin speaks with hosts Molly, Andrea and Kate about blurbs; the good, the bad and the questionable. The hosts define the term and share their first blurbing experiences before chatting about the purpose and goal behind these endorsements. They talk about a blurb's swaying power, what makes a good one, how to know if it is trustworthy and the etiquette and process of soliciting, editing and including them in the finished product. They each discuss their experiences on both sides of the request, their thoughts on how a blurb affects sales and the role they see the author, editor and PR team playing before getting into some of the practical procedures and personal relationships involved when creating a list of hopeful 'blurbists'.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

"Blurb Your Enthusiasm" by Sally Ekus

"We Need to Talk About Blurbs" by Kathleen Schmidt

"Are Publishers Dropping Blurbs?" by Lisa Tener

"Here's How Social Media Is Changing Book Blurbs" (NPR, May 2025)

"Author Blurbs: Do They Matter?" by Alessandra Torre Ink

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

• A Bird in the Hand by Diana Henry

Kate and Kristin speak all about crowdfunding with Nandita Godbole, who has fully funded seven books (and counting) through Kickstarter. Nandita shares how it all began, from her wildly successful supper club to funding her first book in just a few days and takes us through the details, ups and downs and pros and cons of going this route. She speaks about finding her audience, why she decided to self-publish, how she learned the technical specs and what the driving mission behind her projects is. This approach takes an immense amount of work for quality control, design choices and even hands-on mailing, and Nandita's persistence and perseverance has gotten her through stolen laptops, co-opted ideas and immense challenges. She leaves us with lovely and sage advice for others curious about crowdfunding and gives us a little peek into what's next.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Nandita Godbole

• Website
• Books
• Instagram

Food Friends Podcast Newsletter

Kitchen Arts & Letters (Matt Sartwell)

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

Molly and Kristin speak with Saeng Douangdara, a personal chef and academic counselor turned online content creator and now, cookbook author and food photographer. Saeng shares what motivated him ten years ago to get into the online food space, why he wanted to show off Lao cuisine and how he's built up an audience and community during that time. His refreshing approach means he doesn't dilute or censor his interests and instead continues to challenge himself to learn and grow. This mindset came into play when he 'manifested' his cookbook, took on the daunting prospect of learning professional food photography on the job and collaborated with the writing and typography elements of the book. Saeng discusses why he wanted to create a book that acts as a Lao food primer and a way to share personal stories along with the recipes and leaves us with some sage advice and a look at how this book accomplishes some of his earliest goals.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Saeng Douangdara

• Website
• Food Tour
• Newsletter
• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok

Fig & Light

Lao Foodie Tour 2026

Food Friends Podcast Newsletter

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

• The Lao Kitchen: Lao Flavors & Stories Told Through Family Recipes, by Saeng Douangdara

Kristin and Molly speak with Kathy Gunst, a prolific cookbook author, teacher and now leader of food writing retreats, about her varied career and new project. Kathy shares how she got started in the food world by attending London's Le Cordon Bleu, what it is like being the resident chef for NPR's Here & Now and how she deals with creative burnout. She explains the ins and outs of running a writers retreat; the logistics, planning, travel and teaching that goes on behind the scenes and how much she's taken to this new venture. She gives us insights about how the retreat is set up, the way students respond, learn and grow their confidence and the types of writing she likes to foster. She leaves us with advice and a call for writers to invest in themselves, their talent and their future.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Kathy Gunst

• Website
• Instagram
• Tours
• NPR's Here & Now
• Hewnoaks Artist Residency

Food Friends Podcast Newsletter

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

• Rage Baking by Katherine Alford and Kathy Gunst

Kate and Molly speak with Domenica Marchetti about her newest book and finding a niche in the crowded Italian cookbook category. Domenica shares how she got her start as a food writer, bringing her journalistic background and other interests and experiences together in a unique way, and then talks about the personal importance of some of her early work. She gets into how a cookie captured her imagination, inspiring this new cookbook all about the history, stories and bakeries that create singular Italian cookies. We discuss her research, recipe development and writing process as well as the adventure of baking all of the cookies for the photoshoot (!). And we conclude with a discussion about how her newsletter figures into her professional life.

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

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

Domenica Marchetti

• Website
• Buona Domenica Substack
• Instagram

Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy, by Domenica Marchetti

Food Friends Podcast Newsletter

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

• Italian Cookies, by Domenica Marchetti
• Preserving Italy, by Domenica Marchetti
• Ciao Biscotti, by Domenica Marchetti
• The Glorious Pasta of Italy, by Domenica Marchetti
• Everyday Italian Cookbook, by Domenica Marchetti
• The Italian Baker, by Carol Field