Salt & Spine

Hi there, fellow cookbook lover. I’m here with great news: We’rrrreeee bacccckkkkk, baby! Season 13 (but who’s counting?) of Salt + Spine starts right here, and we’ve got an awesome line-up of conversations headed your way this fall. Plus, loads of new featured recipes, bonus content, events, and more. We’ve got Deb Perelman. Dan Pelosi. Katie Parla. Hetty McKinnon. AND MORE! Like I said, “we’re bacccccckkkk, baby!”If you’re not yet a paid subscriber to Salt + Spine, I’d love to extend a special offer of 20% off monthly or annual subscriptions for up to a year. Act fast - this is only valid for the first week of our new season! A few fun things I’ve been reading lately…* B. Dylan Hollis (if you have TikTok, you’ve seen his vintage recipes) has one of the breakout cookbooks of the year with “Baking Yesteryear.” He talks to the New York Times (B. Dylan Hollis is Bananas for Vintage Self-Published Cookbooks) about his growing collection of community cookbooks:* “Community cookbooks come from the church ladies an

Episode 158: Vicky BennisonIn this week’s episode, Vicky and I discuss:* Growing up for several years on a farm in Kenya, where her father was working in agricultural development, and how she formed a relationship with food at an early age;* Her nearly-decade-long project, Pasta Grannies, to document the time-honored techniques and recipes passed down through generations of nonnas, the Italian grandmothers;* The diversity of regional pasta and cooking styles around Italy, and the stories behind these recipes;* Her cookbooks, including her debut award-winning Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook that has now been translated into six languages, and her latest, Pasta Grannies: Comfort Cooking.Plus, as always, we put Vicky to the test in our signature culinary game.Pasta Grannies: Comfort Cooking by Vicky Bennison"Heartwarming and deliciously comforting." - Stanley TucciWho better to take inspiration from than Pasta Grannies who have spent their lifetimes plating up comfort and connection. Vicky Bennison, the au

Episode 157: Noah GalutenIn this week’s episode, Noah and I discuss:* His early interest in both food television (Lidia Bastianich, Ming Tsai) and cookbooks (Marcella Hazan, Edna Lewis),* How he fell into opening up new locations of Bludso’s BBQ and then teaming up with Kevin Bludso to co-author Bludso's BBQ Cookbook: A Family Affair in Smoke and Soul … and then with chef Jeremy Fox to write On Vegetables: Modern Recipes for the Home Kitchen,* The pandemic-inspired “Don’t Panic Pantry” video series, which went onto become the concept for his first solo cookbook,* And the chef’s favorite pantry staples, including dried seaweed.Plus, as always, we put Noah to the test in our signature culinary game.The Don’t Panic Pantry Cookbook by Noah GalutenAs the world changes around us, we are constantly vacillating between two different versions of ourselves: the one who wants to be healthier and the one who wants to be excited, or comforted, by the food that we eat. We all want to eat "better," but what does that mean?

This week, Maren Ellingboe King joins us to #TalkCookbooks. But first…In today’s episode, Maren and I discuss:* How her upbringing in the Midwest influenced her decision to pursue a career in food.* Her work at food media outlets like Food & Wine and Sunset magazine as well as culinary events companies like Just Add Salt.* The inspiration behind her first cookbook, Fresh Midwest, including how a collection of family recipes compelled her to tackle the project.Plus, as always, we put Maren to the culinary test in our signature game.We

The Chat!In today’s episode, Danny Bowien and I discuss:* Growing up in Oklahoma after being adopted from his birthplace of South Korea, and a lingering nostalgia for Olive Garden.* His journey to becoming a chef, from an early job at a pizza shop to culinary school to winning the Genova Pesto World Championship.* The process of opening Mission Chinese Food and how he handled being catapulted to a new level of fame.* The inspiration behind his latest cookbook, Mission Vegan, and some of the ways his culinary repertoire has evolved in recent years.Plus, as always, we put Danny to the culinary test in our signature game.The Recipes!This week, paid subscribers will get two featured recipes from Danny’s Mission Vegan. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltandspine.substack.com/subscribe

Hi there!Our Spring 2023 season of the Salt + Spine podcast kicks off right here, right now, with a marvelous returning guest: the delightful Claire Saffitz.In today’s episode, Claire and I discuss:* How she’s worked to create dessert recipes that speak to everyone—from sweet to tart, simple to complex.* The impact of the pandemic on her creative process as she embarked on writing book No. 2, What’s for Dessert.* Which cookbook authors inspire Claire, and which books she turns to time and again—including community cookbooks!* Her advice to home bakers, based on years of creating recipes for curious novices looking for a boost.Plus, as always, we put Claire to the culinary test in our signature game.The Book!We

Episode 153: Uliks FehmiuUliks Fehmiu is a co-founder of the beloved bakery Pain D’Avignon, which sprang up on Cape Cod over three decades ago. But the story of the bakery begins back in Uliks’ childhood and his early friendships in war-torn Belgrade.What Uliks calls an “improbable journey into baking” is shared, for the first time in this format, with his recent cookbook: The Pain d'Avignon Baking Book: A War, An Unlikely Bakery, and a Master Class in Bread. The book offers an in-person account of Uliks’ and his co-founders’ stories—brought to life with striking illustrations. Here’s more:In a journey that started in Belgrade amid the beginnings of war, and continued in America, four friends tested this philosophy to the extreme: They began a new life and opened a tiny bakery together on Cape Cod. Working hectic, twenty-four-hour days, while living all together in a loft above their business and making it all up as they went along, the founders of Pain D'Avignon quickly became one of the first highly acclaim

Episode 152: Maya-Camille BroussardMaya-Camille is the creative force behind Justice of the Pies, her Chicago bakery that’s become known for inventive and unmatched flavors (Lemon Espresso Pie … Blue Cheese Praline Pear Pie … and so on).Much of Maya-Camille’s work traces back to her roots, with a significant influence from her father, the self-dubbed “Pie Master,” who worked as a criminal defense attorney by day. As with many family stories, Maya-Camille’s is complex and dotted with both adoration and strife. A strong sense of social activism and community building runs through her blood, though, and is baked into her work.Her first cookbook, also titled Justice of the Pies, brings these beloved and revered recipes to home bakers with 85 recipes for both sweet and savory pies—plus quiches, tarts, whoopie pies, and more.“I've always loved baking,” Maya-Camille says in our chat. “But at my core, I am a creative individual. And also at my core, I love working with my hands. I do have an arts background in terms

Hi there, today we’re excited to release the fifth episode in our 2022 Baking Month. Thanks for your patience, as our team was under the weather! Today’s guest is Brian Noyes, whose latest cookbook is The Red Truck Bakery Farmhouse Cookbook. For all of December, we’ll be celebrating some of the year’s best baking books with a handful of author interviews, dozens of featured recipes, excerpts, and more. Read on!* Do you love Salt + Spine? We’d love if you shared this email with a friend who might want to #TalkCookbooks with us, too:Episode 151: Brian NoyesNext in our Baking Month series, Brian Noyes joins us to #TalkCookbooks!Brian is the founder of Red Truck Bakery, the rural Virginia spot that’s become a national attraction and drawn the praise of everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Barack Obama. During a career in art direction at major media outlets in Washington, DC, Brian began spending his weekends baking pies and other goods. Before long, he’d purchased an old red pickup truck (from Tommy Hilfiger, no less)

Hi there, today we’re excited to release the fourth episode in our 2022 Baking Month. Today’s guest is Laurel Kratochvila, whose debut cookbook, New European Baking, is out now. For all of December, we’ll be celebrating some of the year’s best baking books with a handful of author interviews, dozens of featured recipes, excerpts, and more. Read on!* Do you love Salt + Spine? We’d love if you shared this email with a friend who might want to #TalkCookbooks with us, too:Episode 150: Laurel Kratochvila Next in our Baking Month series, Laurel Kratochvila joins us to #TalkCookbooks!Born in Boston, Laurel left her hometown for Katmandu after graduating with a degree in Physics from Tufts. She wound up in Prague, working in a bookstore and café, where she also met her husband. It wasn’t until the duo decided to open up a bookstore in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg that Laurel started baking professionally—and her delicious bagels and baked goods were a hit. But Germany loves its paperwork, so Laurel decided to head to Fra

Hi there, today we’re excited to release the third episode in our 2022 Baking Month. Today’s guest is Erin Jeanne McDowell, whose latest cookbook, Savory Baking, is out now. For all of December, we’ll be celebrating some of the year’s best baking books with a handful of author interviews, dozens of featured recipes, excerpts, and more. Read on!* Do you love Salt + Spine? We’d love if you shared this email with a friend who might want to #TalkCookbooks with us, too:Episode 149: Erin Jeanne McDowellNext in our Baking Month series, Erin Jeanne McDowell joins us to #TalkCookbooks!A Midwest native, Erin learned to bake like so many of us: alongside her grandmothers. While studying Baking & Pastry Arts at the Culinary Institute of America, Erin was drawn to a career in food media. After years of working alongside other cookbook authors and for food media outlets, Erin published her first solo cookbook, The Fearless Baker, in 2017, to high praise. Her pie book, aptly titled The Book on Pie, soon followed. And no

Hi there, today we’re excited to release the second episode in our 2022 Baking Month. Today’s guest is Brian Levy, whose sugar-free baking book, Good & Sweet, is out now. For all of December, we’ll be celebrating some of the year’s best baking books with a handful of author interviews, dozens of featured recipes, excerpts, and more. Read on!* Do you love Salt + Spine? We’d love if you shared this email with a friend who might want to #TalkCookbooks with us, too:Episode 148: Brian LevyNext in our Baking Month series, Brian Levy joins us to #TalkCookbooks!Brian’s interest in cooking and gastronomy began in high school when he went on a month-long trip to France. He discovered Gourmet magazine and started watching Martha Stewart, The Two Fat Ladies, and more food TV. Before he began his career in pastry, Brian studied journalism and was determined to work for Gourmet. To build up his resume, he thought some experience in the kitchen might help—so he went back to France where he interned in a bistro outside

It’s our annual Baking Month, and we’re kicking things off with some return guests! Back on the show today are Rose Levy Beranbaum and her collaborator-turned-hubby Woody Wolston. They’re joining Brian in-studio to talk about their latest work, The Cookie Bible.Episode 147: Rose Levy BeranbaumRose likely needs no introduction to those in the cookbook world. But here’s what you need to know:* She published the ground-breaking The Cake Bible in 1988, changing how many home and professional bakers approached the craft. (In particular, Rose helped lead the charge to include the more accurate weight measurements in her recipes instead of just volume.) * The Cake Bible is now in its 60th printing (!!!), and Rose shares some news on what’s next for the classic work.* In that time, Rose has penned a dozen other cookbooks, from The Baking Bible to The Bread Bible—and other non-bible titles on ice cream, cakes, Christmas cookies, and more.* Rose’s latest cookbook, The Cookie Bible, completes her “quartet of bibles” on

Hi there, exciting show for you this week. Melissa Clark, one of the most prolific cookbook writers of the modern era, joins us. Read on!* Do you love Salt + Spine? We’d love if you shared this email with a friend who might want to #TalkCookbooks with us, too:Episode 146: Melissa ClarkThis week, Melissa Clark joins us to #TalkCookbooks!When we launched Salt + Spine, I wrote a short list of our dream guests — the cookbook authors who, at the time, I felt were pushing the industry in new directions or had a wealth of experience to learn from. We’ve been lucky to sit down with many folks from that list (from Samin Nosrat to Julia Turshen to Vivian Howard…). Today, we’re marking one more off that list as Melissa joins us in-studio to discuss her latest cookbook, Dinner in One.Dubbed the “gold standard for Internet recipe writing” by Eater, Melissa Clark has been developing recipes for over a decade at The New York Times, where she started with a short sidebar on home cooking questions before joining as a columnis

Hi there! After a short break last week, we’re back with new episodes and bonus content for subscribers. This week, cookbook author Odette Williams joined us in our studio at The Civic Kitchen in San Francisco to talk pasta.* Do you love Salt + Spine? We’d love if you shared this email with a friend who might want to #TalkCookbooks with us, too:Episode 145: Odette WilliamsThis week, Odette Williams joins us on Salt + Spine to #TalkCookbooks!Odette was an actor long before she started calling herself a cook (or an author). She called Sydney home until 2006 and credits the unpretentious, adventurous attitude of Australia for her own approach to cooking.Leaving Sydney for love, Odette joined her now-husband in New York and started a family. As she was spending more time cooking with her children, she was inspired to design high-quality aprons just for kids. (The aprons were a hit and sold by goop, J. Crew, and Anthropologie; Odette jokes that she quickly became the “apron lady.”) While Odette’s career as a food

Hi there! It’s Election Day in America, so we’re bringing you a special episode today that’s all about baking with a political and emotional spin. If you haven’t voted yet, find your polling place here. If you’ve already voted, it’s always a good time to donate to organizations like the ACLU or Color of Change to protect our voting and civil rights.* Do you love Salt + Spine? We’d love if you shared this email with a friend who might want to #TalkCookbooks with us, too:Episode 144: Becca Rea-TuckerThis week, Becca Rea-Tucker joins us to #TalkCookbooks.Becca is the creator of the popular Instagram, @thesweetfeminist, where she became known for creating visually striking cakes and other baked goods with political and empowering messages. Check out a few:After living in Washington, DC, and working at the beloved Baked & Wired bakery, Becca decided to merge the frustration and anger she was feeling living in the capital during the previous administration with something she was great at: writing on cakes. The

Hi there! This week’s episode is coming to you a bit later than normal, as I’ve been under the weather fighting what feels like my 47th sinus infection over the last few years. Thankfully, we recorded this chat with the wonderful Kristen Miglore several weeks ago—with both a live audience and a non-nasally host. That said, we’ve got a great show for you: Kristen is back for the second time on the pod, this time sharing a new batch of Genius tips and tricks (and hacks, if you will). Plus, recipes and tons of new cookbook releases this week.

Episode 142: Jorge GaviriaThis week, we’re thrilled to welcome Masienda founder Jorge Gaviria to #TalkCookbooks with us.Jorge’s first cookbook, Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple, explores the deep history and significance of masa—the dough made of nixtamalized corn that goes on to become tortillas, tamales, sopes, and many more Mexican and global staples. It all started with a realization while apprenticing at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Jorge started to dream of opening the “tortilla equivalent of Tartine Bakery, the San Francisco–based high temple of sourdough.” That idea led to sourcing heirloom corn and masa harina (the dried version of masa) from local farmers in Oaxaca and supplying some of New York City’s top chefs. Jorge’s company, Masienda, was born.Eight years later, Masienda is on a quest to revolutionize how we think about corn—and therefore, masa, masa harina, and other products. Today he’s sourcing heirloom corn from a network of 2,000 farmers across six states in Mex

Episode #141: Sophie MinchilliThis week, Sophie Minchilli joins us to #TalkCookbooks.Sophie leads food tours around Italy with her mother, cookbook author and previous Salt + Spine guest Elizabeth Minchilli. The two lead food lovers through Rome, Umbria, Puglia, and other destinations.Growing up in Italy with a cookbook author as a mother, Sophie’s life has always revolved around food. She left briefly for university in London, before moving back home to Rome to devote her career to food.Now, Sophie’s out with her first book—The Sweetness of Doing Noting: Live Life the Italian Way with Dolce Far Niente. It’s part cookbook, with a few recipes, but mostly it’s a guide to the southern Italian philosophy of “dolce far niente” and finding pleasure in the everyday.As Sophie writes, “How often do you focus on being in the moment, doing nothing? Whether it’s sitting outside at a cafe watching the world go by, whiling away the hours with your loved ones sipping a glass of wine or being immersed in nature at the beach

Episode 140: Erin GleesonThis week, Erin Gleeson joins us to #TalkCookbooks.What a fun episode! I packed up our recorder and microphones and headed south from San Francisco and into the woody, serene drive to Erin Gleeson’s charming cabin-esque home in the South Bay. Just look at this enviable set-up—I wish we could record every episode here!And Erin even prepped us a plate of lavender shortbread, which is featured in her latest cookbook, and a warm pot of coffee:Anyway — we were at Erin’s house to talk about her latest cookbook, The Forest Feast Road Trip.A California native, Erin spent her early career pursuing art and photography. But she was always drawn to food, and it quickly became the subject of much of her work. When a cross-country move brought her from bustling New York to a serene cabin in the Santa Cruz Mountains, she set her focus on working on cookbooks. Before long, her content was finding an audience online, and her signature aesthetic (hybrid watercolor-photography) was born. Soon after came