So, You Want to Write a Cookbook?

I am lucky to receive quite a few messages from aspiring cookbook writers. They want to know how I got my start in the food world. They’re eager to advance in their own careers. They are interested in recipe development, writing, and publishing—or possibly all three. I wish I could meet each one of them in person (especially the ones who say kind things about my work). Instead, I thought I might share a few ideas here:

First, I love my job and I hope you will pursue your dreams to work in the cookbook / recipe development world. There are many fascinating, generous people in it.

I’ve had a few opportunities to write and speak about my career path. You can listen to this panel discussion from Food Book Fair LA about making a career in food media as well as this interview on KCRW’s Good Food about how to become a professional cookbook writer. There’s also this story from California Magazine and this profile from my high school.

I greatly admire the work of Tejal Rao, Ligaya Mishan, and Laurie Colwin, and my favorite cookbooks to study are The Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rodgers, Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison, and The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis.

If you are really keen to take the full plunge and become a student of recipe-writing, you could always apply to the master’s program at UNISG, where I teach a course every year on the nuts and bolts of this topic and where you’ll meet many other people who love food almost as much as you do.

My best advice is to be a sponge and soak up every lesson you find. Cook at home as often as you can. Follow recipes from cookbooks new and old, and try to figure out what you like (and don’t like) about them. Borrow cookbooks from the library. Talk with other people (booksellers, friends, anyone) about the foods and recipes they love. Travel (and eat!) whenever possible. Always say yes to something you may never have tasted.