Thank you both for a fun and informative chat! And David I confess that I bought your latest book as an ebook (eventual downsizing goals) and I promise to bake from it even though it is hidden on my ipad:)
Such a wonderful podcast. You are both so friendly and full of fun the time spent listening sped by. Thanks for the links, too, David! And a brief aside: Your recipes are always a joy to make and bring even more joy when eaten. I cannot tell you how many hours you have given me to escape into your stories, delight in the results over and over again, marvel at the details and feel the love with which all is given. To me, you are the reward. No award will ever top that. Take good care and thank you ever so much for all you have given to us all. XO
Loved this conversation David! I agree about the good natural light comment. I stopped obsessing over photos when I started Substack and only shoot on my iPhone with natural light, and it’s so freeing. But I could get lost in gorgeous cookbook photography for hours on end.
I think of cookbooks are more permanent and photography can "date" a cookbook, which is not necessarily a bad thing. (When they republished Martha Stewart's classic book, Entertaining, they kept the original photos, which are like a snapshot in time.) I used to use a DSLR when I had my blog but it was soooo onerous trying to figure out how to use photo editing software that I couldn't focus on writing or recipes - the technology became too much of a hurdle.
I like reading about each person's favorite books of the year or all-time favorites. It makes me take a look at something I didn't know about or just passed by. And as a cookbook addict I WANT to hear about your favorites.
This was great, I could listen to you two for hours. I love that you dug into the cover design for the Chocolate cookbook—the power of a great food stylist should never be underestimated! I also appreciated your discussion about book awards. I agree that it can be a fraught topic, for so many reasons. I do think, however, that awards can be valuable launching boards and ways to recognize truly exceptional work. My heart goes out to the many deserving cookbooks that don’t get recognized—but we can at least sing their praises on our Substacks! Thank you both for the lively and fun conversation.
I love the cover of my chocolate book. It conveys everything I love about chocolate (richness, bitters/sweet, shiny, exciting) and it was amazing working with such great food stylists - George and Elisabet, who came to Paris to bake in my kitchen with me. It was also nice to have accomplished bakers like them test the recipes, one more time, to make sure they all worked.
I like featuring favorite cookbooks although I often don't get to cook and bake from them as much as I like to. I have a big stack of books with recipes bookmarked in them that I'm dying to bake from. Some cookbooks are more than just recipes - they give you a feel for a place or a person, or a culture, like The Making of a Cook by Madeleine Kamman.
What a treat to work with such talented people. It's funny how something as simple as frosting a cake can be so difficult to do really well—at least, in a way that conveys the depth of a cake's flavor. I think your cover does this beautifully, it's so rich and appetizing (even though it's all brown—one of a food stylist's biggest challenges). Best of luck making it through that stack of books! And thanks again for this interview, David, it was truly so enjoyable to listen to.
Thanks for listening Frances and for these thoughtful comments! I'm headed to the James Beard Awards for the first time next week (to cover them for my Substack), and I'm looking forward to feeling the vibes from inside the room. Your point about awards being a launching pad is a smart one.
I can't wait to read your coverage, Jenna. I'm watching the "Visuals" category closely after my last post about the three books that were nominated. If it were up to me, I'd give all of them an award—truly, they deserve it. Happy travels!
Technology glitch: I’m a paid subscriber and have listened to the podcast since it started, but recently my feed in both Spotify and Apple has been weird—hardly any episodes show up. The first one is there, one from 2023, one from 2024, and a few from this year (not this one yet). Software is up to date. I recently got a new phone and the problem followed me there.
None of my other podcast subscriptions, including those through substack, are doing this. Has anyone else had this problem and managed to fix it?!
I just looked at Apple and Spotify and noticed a gap in podcasts showing up there. For some reason a few recent ones did, then there's a big gap. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I've alerted someone on Substack about it so hope they can get it fixed. Thanks!
btw: All the podcasts can be found on the home page of my newsletter here:
Loved this interview with Jenna! I’m so glad that I found her Cookbookery Collective Substack newsletter last fall. I love cookbooks but she has informed me so much more on new cookbooks coming out and their authors than i would ever have discovered on my own. Thanks for another great podcast David!
Thank you both for a fun and informative chat! And David I confess that I bought your latest book as an ebook (eventual downsizing goals) and I promise to bake from it even though it is hidden on my ipad:)
David, Wonderful Substack! I LOVE to hear YOUR voice rather than the Vanilla reader. Your voice is so recognizable and great!!
Thanks Ellen : )
Wondering what the "Vanilla" reader is. I don't know what it is, but I like anything vanilla-related : )
Such a wonderful podcast. You are both so friendly and full of fun the time spent listening sped by. Thanks for the links, too, David! And a brief aside: Your recipes are always a joy to make and bring even more joy when eaten. I cannot tell you how many hours you have given me to escape into your stories, delight in the results over and over again, marvel at the details and feel the love with which all is given. To me, you are the reward. No award will ever top that. Take good care and thank you ever so much for all you have given to us all. XO
Loved this conversation David! I agree about the good natural light comment. I stopped obsessing over photos when I started Substack and only shoot on my iPhone with natural light, and it’s so freeing. But I could get lost in gorgeous cookbook photography for hours on end.
I think of cookbooks are more permanent and photography can "date" a cookbook, which is not necessarily a bad thing. (When they republished Martha Stewart's classic book, Entertaining, they kept the original photos, which are like a snapshot in time.) I used to use a DSLR when I had my blog but it was soooo onerous trying to figure out how to use photo editing software that I couldn't focus on writing or recipes - the technology became too much of a hurdle.
I like reading about each person's favorite books of the year or all-time favorites. It makes me take a look at something I didn't know about or just passed by. And as a cookbook addict I WANT to hear about your favorites.
I feel the same way Nancy! Do you have one or two all-time favorites?
This was great, I could listen to you two for hours. I love that you dug into the cover design for the Chocolate cookbook—the power of a great food stylist should never be underestimated! I also appreciated your discussion about book awards. I agree that it can be a fraught topic, for so many reasons. I do think, however, that awards can be valuable launching boards and ways to recognize truly exceptional work. My heart goes out to the many deserving cookbooks that don’t get recognized—but we can at least sing their praises on our Substacks! Thank you both for the lively and fun conversation.
I love the cover of my chocolate book. It conveys everything I love about chocolate (richness, bitters/sweet, shiny, exciting) and it was amazing working with such great food stylists - George and Elisabet, who came to Paris to bake in my kitchen with me. It was also nice to have accomplished bakers like them test the recipes, one more time, to make sure they all worked.
I like featuring favorite cookbooks although I often don't get to cook and bake from them as much as I like to. I have a big stack of books with recipes bookmarked in them that I'm dying to bake from. Some cookbooks are more than just recipes - they give you a feel for a place or a person, or a culture, like The Making of a Cook by Madeleine Kamman.
What a treat to work with such talented people. It's funny how something as simple as frosting a cake can be so difficult to do really well—at least, in a way that conveys the depth of a cake's flavor. I think your cover does this beautifully, it's so rich and appetizing (even though it's all brown—one of a food stylist's biggest challenges). Best of luck making it through that stack of books! And thanks again for this interview, David, it was truly so enjoyable to listen to.
Thanks for listening Frances and for these thoughtful comments! I'm headed to the James Beard Awards for the first time next week (to cover them for my Substack), and I'm looking forward to feeling the vibes from inside the room. Your point about awards being a launching pad is a smart one.
I can't wait to read your coverage, Jenna. I'm watching the "Visuals" category closely after my last post about the three books that were nominated. If it were up to me, I'd give all of them an award—truly, they deserve it. Happy travels!
I am an obsessive cookbook reader and user.
My Little Library is called the Cookbook Nook, which allows me to send cookbooks out in the world to make more room in my bookshelves;)
Such a great idea! I bet your neighbors love you.
I can’t stand how much I love this. Feels like you’re here in my kitchen. So generous and thoughtful. Funny and human.
Technology glitch: I’m a paid subscriber and have listened to the podcast since it started, but recently my feed in both Spotify and Apple has been weird—hardly any episodes show up. The first one is there, one from 2023, one from 2024, and a few from this year (not this one yet). Software is up to date. I recently got a new phone and the problem followed me there.
None of my other podcast subscriptions, including those through substack, are doing this. Has anyone else had this problem and managed to fix it?!
I just looked at Apple and Spotify and noticed a gap in podcasts showing up there. For some reason a few recent ones did, then there's a big gap. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I've alerted someone on Substack about it so hope they can get it fixed. Thanks!
btw: All the podcasts can be found on the home page of my newsletter here:
https://davidlebovitz.substack.com/s/interviews
Thank you! I love the podcast and sometimes re-listen so access is important.
Thanks - the issue is now fixed. Again, thanks for bringing it to my attention. All the podcasts should be showing up now in Apple and Spotify : )
Confirming that they are showing up! Thank you once again!
What an incredible conversation from two incredible people, I could have listened to them for hours!
I think we could have talked for hours too. Thanks so much for listening!
You are so very welcome 🫶 My pleasure!
We had a lot in common: we both love cookbooks. Happy you liked the chat : )
David and Jenna you need a copy of this cookbook. It’s got a great story behind it and even better food.
https://www.dottirpress.com/bernbaums
I sure like the bagel on the cover, too!
Thanks for the link Andrew! I will check it out. I'm also intrigued by the feminist press.
This blog is so generous-content that we need. 🙏
Loved this interview with Jenna! I’m so glad that I found her Cookbookery Collective Substack newsletter last fall. I love cookbooks but she has informed me so much more on new cookbooks coming out and their authors than i would ever have discovered on my own. Thanks for another great podcast David!
Hi Sandra! I'm so glad you found Cookbookery Collective too. Nice to see you here!
It’s great, and I appreciate your work!