Best Kristin Donnelly Podcasts (2024)

1
99: Eat Your Books 41:31

39m ago41:31

41:31

Molly and Kate speak with two members of the cookbook indexing website Eat Your Books team; Jane Kelly, co-founder and CEO and Jenny Hartin, Director of Publicity. Jane shares where she got the idea to create the website, the way it works and how its grown since its inception with now over 2.5 million recipes indexed. We learn how vital the communi…

1
98: Writing Regional Recipes for a Global Audience with Chris Tan 51:42

2h ago51:42

51:42

Kate and Andrea chat with Singapore based cookbook author Chris Tan about his new book, Nerd Baker 2 and his publishing process. He shares why he wanted to revisit the world of Nerd Baker, how he keeps international readers in mind while writing and how his experience as a cooking instructor informs his work. He talks about the climate obstacles he…

1
97: Teamwork=Dreamwork with Hot Sheet Authors Olga Massov and Sanaë Lemoine 45:52

3d ago45:52

45:52

Kate and Kristin tackle the topic of cookbook collaboration as they chat with Olga Massov and Sanaë Lemoine about their new book, Hot Sheet. Olga and Sanaë share a bit about their career paths, where the inspiration for this book came from and why partnering on it was the best way to go. They speak about the strengths and expertise each brought to …

1
96: Ken and Michelle from Now Serving Bookstore 42:00

18d ago42:00

42:00

Molly and Kate speak with the owners of Los Angeles based cookbook store Now Serving, Ken Concepcion and Michelle Mungcal, about the crucial role that niche independent bookstores play in the marketplace. Ken shares how his chef background informed his love of cookbooks and led to opening the store and Michelle talks about curating their space to c…

1
95: Recipe Writing with Real Cooks in Mind 51:52

24d ago51:52

51:52

Kate, Kristin and Molly venture back into the user experience arena as they discuss recipe presentation in cookbooks. They highlight the need for this section to delight not distract and prioritize form over function as well as the need to write with a specific audience in mind. They discuss their thoughts as a consumer and developer on elements li…

1
94: Insights from Literary Agent Lori Galvin 40:56

1M ago40:56

40:56

Kate, Kristin and Molly speak with agent Lori Galvin about her long career in the food media space. She shares what spurred her decision to move on from editorial work and how agenting required on the job learning and an entrepreneurial approach. She talks about learning to trust in her own taste, why she enjoys working with both fiction and non-fi…

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93: The Secret of Cooking with Bee Wilson 51:52

1M ago51:52

51:52

Molly and Kate talk with prolific writer Bee Wilson about her new cookbook, The Secret of Cooking. Bee explains how she uses her past experience as an academic in her food writing to showcase its breadth beyond restaurants and recipes and what inspired her to write this cookbook. She shares why she settled on a thematic structure for the book, the …

1
92: Ruth Reichl on Writing 49:43

2M ago49:43

49:43

Kate and Molly speak with Ruth Reichl, an icon and authority in the food media world, about her breadth of writing experience - restaurant reviews, cookbooks, memoirs, articles and even tweets- and her new book, The Paris Novel. Ruth shares why food is a universal framework, her inspirations for this novel and the process of working with a new edit…

1
91: The UX of Cookbook Design 39:10

2M ago39:10

39:10

Kristin, Molly and Kate tackle cookbook design from a usability perspective. They point out design decisions that authors should consider: packaging and cover design, typeface and font legibility, photographs on matte vs gloss paper and much more. They share their own opinions, experiences and preferences on the elements that enhance or detract fro…

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90: When a Health Issue Impacts Your Food Writing with Phoebe Lapine 54:25

3M ago54:25

54:25

Kristin and Molly speak with cookbook author Phoebe Lapine about finding pleasure in restrictive diets and her new cookbook, Carbivore. Phoebe shares what led her down a food focused career path, how she learned while blogging and how a health diagnosis pulled her down a different path than originally planned. She talks about writing recipes that k…

1
89: Insights From Cookbook Editor Sarah Kwak of Harvest 35:18

3M ago35:18

35:18

Molly and Kristin speak with Sarah Kwak, a senior editor at Harvest an imprint of Harper Collins, to find out what the editing process is like. Sarah shares how she ended up at her current role, the focus Harvest has for cookbooks and what authors should keep mind regarding their proposal assembly before submission. She discusses her thoughts on co…

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88: On Being a First-Time Cookbook Author with Michelle Braxton 40:44

3M ago40:44

40:44

Kristin and Kate discuss author Michelle Braxton's turbulent publishing journey for her new book, Supper with Love. She shares the story behind the "organic" growth of her food career, how she balances social media creation, blogging and book writing with a separate full time career and how the book idea came about. She talks about committing firml…

1
87: Publishing Confidential with Kathleen Schmidt 47:06

3M ago47:06

47:06

Kate and Kristin speak with Kathleen Schmidt, an industry veteran with years of experience in editing, publishing, marketing and public relations and now author of the newsletter Publishing Confidential. Kathleen shares her extensive career path, what her focus is as a freelancer and the origins of her newsletter along with what keeps her writing. …

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86: Culinary Activism and Cookbooks with Lelani Lewis 38:00

3M ago38:00

38:00

Kate and Molly speak with Lelani Lewis, a London born food stylist and culinary activist of Grenadian and Irish heritage now based in Amsterdam. Lelani shares how homesickness spurred her into a culinary career through pop-ups, where the idea for her debut cookbook came from as well as why she chose this title. She speaks about her desire to share …

1
85: A Juneteenth Cookbook for Kids with Alliah Agostini and Taffy Elrod 38:26

4M ago38:26

38:26

Molly and Kristin dive into the territory of kid-lit in this talk with Alliah Agostini and Taffy Elrod, authors of The Juneteenth Cookbook. Alliah and Taffy discuss how they both got involved with the project, how they worked together and the goal they had of bringing the celebration of Juneteenth to life with food, history and family activities. T…

1
84: Do We Need Cookbook Reviews? 38:33

4M ago38:33

38:33

Molly, Kristin, Andrea and Kate tackle the topic of cookbook criticism, spurred on by recent online conversations. They discuss what it could look like, its importance and what the lack of rigorous criticism means for cookbook publishing. They talk about the unique obstacles to reviewing cookbooks, the elements reviews should highlight and why we n…

1
83: A Niche Cookbook That Sold 350K+ Copies with Shelly Worcel 43:11

4M ago43:11

43:11

Kristin and Molly speak with author and blogger Shelly Worcel about breaking into speciality markets and writing niche, single subject cookbooks. Shelly speaks about growing her skills while blogging, how she was tapped to write her highly successful second book, and how her open mindset allowed a natural escalation of her brand and career. She sha…

1
82: Craft Books for Cookbook Writers 42:55

4M ago42:55

42:55

Kate talks with Kristin, Molly and Andrea about the challenges faced when beginning a writing career and the resources they use to help improve their writing skills. They discuss which interest came first, the writing or the food, how reading with a critical eye can help one move beyond the basics and why it is vital to always keep the reader at th…

1
BONUS Re-release: 01: Should You Write a Cookbook? 39:14

5M ago39:14

39:14

To mark our 2 year anniversary, we're re-releasing our very first episode! Kate leads today's discussion on the most important question to ask before you sit down to write your cookbook: Should you write a cookbook? Molly, Andrea and Kristin share their individual journeys as authors and provide some insights into what goes on behind the decision t…

1
81: “Do we really test all the recipes?” Season 4 Wrap-Up 32:35

6M ago32:35

32:35

Andrea, Molly, Kristin and Kate sit down to wrap up another incredible season of the show: taking listener questions, highlighting our top takeaways and hinting at the upcoming Season 5. They discuss how they individually approach recipe testing, what they learned about community this season and take time to celebrate the recent World Central Kitch…

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80: From Co-Author to Bestselling Solo Author with Adeena Sussman 54:02

6M ago54:02

54:02

Kristin and Kate speak with cookbook author Adeena Sussman about her career, her new book and what its like working with Chrissy Teigen. A self described "late bloomer" Adeena shares her experience collaborating on over a dozen books, how she got her start and what she learned on the job as she hustled her way into food media. She talks about how s…

1
79: Collaborating with Family on a Cookbook with the Wang Sisters 40:48

6M ago40:48

40:48

Molly and Kristin speak with the Wang sisters, Stéphanie, Patricia Ho-Yi and Caroline, about their new cookbook, Asian Vegetables and its recently released English edition. They discuss how the idea for the book came about and how they decided to tackle it as a team using their various skill sets as a gardener, dietician and musician. They share th…

1
78: Co-Authoring a Cookbook Series with Darra Goldstein 47:20

6M ago47:20

47:20

Molly and Kate discuss serialized cookbooks with author and professor, Darra Goldstein. Darra explains how the idea for the series came about, how the writing team was assembled and the inspirations behind the project. She shares the obstacles that arose as they released two books at once, as well as the relentless schedule this involved. Finally, …

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77: Politics, Food and Cooking with Clarissa Wei 50:36

7M ago50:36

50:36

Andrea and Molly talk with Taipei-based journalist and author, Clarissa Wei about her debut cookbook, Made in Taiwan and the inclusion of politics in food writing. Clarissa speaks about her career's origins and how her frustration with the outdated coverage of Taiwanese food in media compelled her to write this book. She shares how her journalistic…

1
76: Totally Achievable Zero Waste Cooking with Irene and Mei Li 47:48

7M ago47:48

47:48

Kate and Kristin speak with sisters Margaret and Irene Li about their new book, Perfectly Good Food, and the concepts of shopping your kitchen and foraging your fridge. They discuss the idea behind the book, how they approached its unique structure and landed on its fun, friendly tone and created its flexible recipes. They share how they divided th…

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75: Food Trends: Do They Matter When You Write a Cookbook? 37:35

7M ago37:35

37:35

In our last episode of 2023, Kate, Kristin and Molly discuss food trends and how they apply to the cookbook world. Whether it's butter boards, nacho tables, "girl dinner" or baked potato bars these stunt foods can loom large yet die quickly in the public consciousness. They discuss ideas on identifying trends, how to capitalize on them and the impo…

1
74: Crafting a Drinks Book with Danny Childs 43:35

7M ago43:35

43:35

Kristin and Molly speak with Danny Childs about his new beverage book, Slow Drinks; its origination, proposal stages and how the pandemic affected its creation. Danny shares his background in ethnobotany, how he altered his writing voice from academic to narrative and the process of making these recipes adaptable to non-local foraging readers. He t…

1
73: Writing For the Culture with Klancy Miller 52:06

8M ago52:06

52:06

Kate and Kristin speak with Klancy Miller about her magazine and upcoming book: For the Culture: Phenomenal Black Women and Femmes in Food. She speaks about writing the book she wanted to read when she was younger, how the idea came about and how events in 2020 influenced it. She shares how it evolved from proposal to book, why she included recipes…

1
72: Nichole Accettola and Malena Watrous on Co-Authoring Scandinavian From Scratch 50:41

8M ago50:41

50:41

Kate and Molly get into the nitty gritty of collaborations with Nichole Accettola and Malena Watrous as they discuss their new book, Scandinavian From Scratch. They share how the book came about, how they began to work together and the process they followed so each could bring their own strengths to the project. They talk about the book's unique or…

1
71: Building Your Instagram Following with Ara Zada 55:01

8M ago55:01

55:01

Kate and Kristin speak with Ara Zada all about content creation and becoming a social media influencer. Ara shares his decision to pursue a large following and grow his platform as well as how a health scare motivated this choice. He describes a day in his life and the full time requirements of this work as well as the mental toll it can take due t…

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70: Native California Recipes and Stories with Sara Calvosa Olson 43:18

8M ago43:18

43:18

Kristin and Molly speak with Sara Calvosa Olsen about her new cookbook, Chími Nu’am and its inspiration, creation and message. Sara shares her food writing journey, thoughts on the title and cover and how the pandemic altered the book's approach and voice. She discusses why she calls it "an inconvenient cookbook" and what it was like working with h…

1
69: Writing a Menu Cookbook with Amy Thielen 51:45

9M ago51:45

51:45

Molly and Kate speak with writer Amy Thielen about her new cookbook, Company; its menu format, its inspiration and how its voice differs from her earlier works. She describes confronting her own created persona, why she feels it is important to highlight the bittersweetness in life, and who she writes for. She also discusses the delays with this bo…

1
68: A Cookbook from the Tuscan Countryside with Giulia Scarpaleggia 38:29

9M ago38:29

38:29

Molly and Kristin talk with Tuscany based blogger, teacher and cookbook author Giulia Scarpaleggia about the concept of cucina povera and creating a community in two languages. She shares her career journey, the differences in publishing in Italy versus the U.S. and how her passion for writing and cooking developed hand in hand. She speaks on the r…

1
67: Latinísimo by Sandra Gutierrez 47:51

9M ago47:51

47:51

Kristin and Kate speak with food columnist and author, Sandra Gutierrez, about her career path and her newest cookbook Latinísimo, an almost 600 page tome about the cuisines of 21 Latin American countries. She shares her love of challenges, what its like working with a university press and why she wanted to write this specific book. She discusses b…

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66: Becoming Your Own Publisher with Katie Parla 47:38

9M ago47:38

47:38

Kate and Molly discuss all things self-publishing with writer, tour guide and (new) publisher, Katie Parla. She shares what motivated her to do some data investigation into her previous cookbooks and ultimately how she decided to start her own publishing company for her newest cookbook, Food of the Italian Islands. She talks about lessons learned, …

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65: Podcasting about Cookbooks with Brian Hogan Stewart 48:13

10M ago48:13

48:13

Kate, Molly and Kristin speak with fellow podcaster Brian Hogan Stewart, of the Salt & Spine podcast. They chat about his career path, the origins of the show and how it has evolved since it began. Brian shares how his journalistic background and love of cookbooks led him to podcasting, how he learned the technical side of things and how he fits it…

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64: 'Do Only the Cool Kids Get Book Deals' and Other Community Questions 48:35

10M ago48:35

48:35

We are kicking off Season 4 with an episode dedicated to listener questions. Molly, Kate, Andrea and Kristin share their insights on everything from time management, "the cool kids club", design planning, building brand awareness and their love for librarians. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen Editor: Abby Cerquit…

1
63: On Rejection and Recovery 43:16

11M ago43:16

43:16

Today all four hosts sit down to discuss the realities of rejection. They share their own experiences with being turned down along with advice and tips on how to turn that into a learning strategy. They talk about what to keep in mind while waiting for responses, the pain of silent rejections and how they deal with negative comments and bad reviews…

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62: Single Subject Cookbooks with Martha Holmberg 55:06

12M ago55:06

55:06

Molly and Kate talk with Martha Holmberg, author and former publisher and food editor, about writing single subject cookbooks. She describes her career journey, how she decided to write her first cookbook and what the greatest job of her life was. She shares how her voice and style has evolved, how to make a deep dive into a subject feel complete a…

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61: Writing a Second Edition with Lukas Volger 48:10

12M ago48:10

48:10

Kate and Molly talk with cookbook author Lukas Volger about his career, writing journey and the process of creating a second edition. Lukas shares how he got his start in the food writing world, his experience in publishing industry and the easter eggs he includes in each of his books. He describes where the idea for a second edition of Veggie Burg…

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60: Hetty McKinnon on Writing for an International Audience 55:26

12M ago55:26

55:26

Andrea and Kristin chat with writer and recipe developer Hetty McKinnon about her career, books and inspirations. Hetty discusses how her background informs her food as well as the trajectory of her career from providing a salad delivery service in Australia to writing cookbooks in Brooklyn. She explains her thoughts on headnotes, how she stays org…

1
59: Lerato Umah-Shaylor on Africana 53:24

1y ago53:24

53:24

Molly and Kate talk with Lerato Umah-Shaylor, a UK based chef, food writer and cooking teacher, about her debut cookbook Africana. Lerato shares how she made her passion for food into a career and what made her want to tackle this massive topic for her first book. She discusses how she pairs stories and context with recipes, how she conducted her r…

1
58: David Lebovitz on the Writing Life in Paris 52:21

1y ago52:21

52:21

Kate and Kristin talk with writer David Lebovitz about his career and life in France. He discusses how he went from pastry chef to food writer, how blogging strengthened his writing voice and why he pivoted to video during the pandemic. He shares his decision to write "the hardest book he ever wrote", the advice he gives to aspiring writers and his…

1
57: Alicia Kennedy on Expanding the Scope of Food Writing 46:50

1y ago46:50

46:50

Molly and Kristin talk with writer Alicia Kennedy about her new book, No Meat Required, and her philosophy on food writing. She discusses the proposal, writing and publishing process and her thoughts on the structure, citations and bibliography of the book. She shares her inspirations for the cover as well as how she organizes her varied research a…

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56: Hybrid Publishing with Vasudha Viswanath 47:37

1y ago47:37

47:37

Kate and Kristin discuss all things hybrid publishing with Vasudha Viswanath, the author of The Vegetarian Reset. Vasudha shares a quick rundown of the typical routes of publishing and why she chose to go down the hybrid path. She talks about the pitching process, what partnership publishers cover (and don't), the recipe development steps and how s…

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55: Making a Documentary-Style Cookbook with Matt Rodbard 49:05

1y ago49:05

49:05

Molly and Kristin chat with Matt Rodbard; writer and founding editor of the online food and culture magazine TASTE, all about his career in food media. He reveals the surprising way he got started, how his collaborations came about and the documentary visual style of some of his books. He shares some ups and downs of his writing career, how he bala…

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54: Cookbook Ideas: Where It All Begins 43:26

1y ago43:26

43:26

Molly, Kristin, Kate and Andrea talk about the idea behind the cookbook. After sharing some shelved ideas of their own, they workshop submissions from listeners to highlight considerations on topic, marketability, expertise and "the hook" for each premise. They brainstorm and discuss structural considerations, format, audience appeal and comp title…

1
53: From Video to Cookbook with Nick DiGiovanni 33:49

1y ago33:49

33:49

Kate and Kristin talk with Nick DiGiovanni about his transition from YouTube/TikTok star to cookbook author. He discusses what made him want to write, how he translated the visual into the verbal and what inspired the focus of the book. He explains how he got started in content creation, his thoughts on soup and a peek behind the scenes of the book…

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52: Matt Sartwell of Kitchen Arts and Letters 44:33

1y ago44:33

44:33

Molly and Kate talk with Matt Sartwell of Kitchen Arts & Letters, the New York City bookstore specializing in food and drink. As the managing partner, Matt shares his deep knowledge of bookselling with us as he discusses his career path, insights for cover, page (and spine!) design along with insights for aspiring authors. He tells us how he decide…

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51: Photographing a Cookbook Using an iPhone with Susan Spungen 53:58

1y ago53:58

53:58

Kristin and Molly speak with Susan Spungen, food stylist, recipe developer, author and founding food editor at Martha Stewart Living, about her new cookbook and its unique photography method. Susan discusses her career path, how she pairs visual inspiration with recipe development and the diaristic tone she created for her latest book, Veg Forward.…

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Kristin Donnelly Podcasts

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