Cookbook Love Podcast

Welcome to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast.  Today I'm excited to have an interview with Hannah Dasher. Hannah is a country music artist, creator, and author of Stand By Your Pan.

Hannah built a loyal audience during quarantine by sharing nostalgic, personality-filled cooking videos—and has now turned that visibility into a cookbook rooted in Southern food, storytelling, and style.

In this conversation, we talk about how her online presence shaped her book, the recipes and traditions behind it, and the practical techniques that bring her cooking to life.

In this epi...

What if your cookbook idea doesn't match your profession?  In this episode, I'm talking about one of the most common and costly questions I hear from aspiring cookbook authors, especially experts like dietitians, chefs, and health professionals. Many people assume their cookbook needs to match their credentials. That it should sound serious, clinical, or highly technical to be taken seriously. But publishing doesn't work that way.

Publishers are not buying credentials alone. They're looking for ideas readers care about and that often comes from something much more personal. In this episode, I share my own experience navigating t...

Many aspiring cookbook authors believe they need a huge social media following before a publisher will take them seriously. But in traditional publishing, follower count alone is not what gets a cookbook deal.

In this episode, I talk about what publishers are really looking for when they ask about your platform. They want to know whether you have real relationships with people who know you, trust you, engage with your work, and are likely to buy your book. I also share why writing, conversation, and proof of engagement matter so much more than chasing random followers.

Welcome to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast.

Most people think the outcome of writing a cookbook is the finished book, but I've seen something much bigger happen along the way. In this episode, I explore what really happens when we choose a meaningful creative challenge like writing a cookbook.

Many cookbook writers I work with are already successful professionals: chefs, dietitians, coaches, and entrepreneurs who decide to write a book not because they have to, but because the work matters to them. I share the unexpected benefits I've seen from writing a cookbook...

Welcome to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast.

Today I'm excited to share a conversation with Helen Goh, the author of the beautiful new cookbook Baking and the Meaning of Life: How to Find Joy in 100 Recipes.

Helen is widely known for her work as a recipe developer with Yotam Ottolenghi, co-authoring the New York Times bestselling books Sweet and Comfort. In this episode, we talk about her debut solo cookbook and the deeper meaning behind baking.

Helen brings a unique perspective to the kitchen. In addition to her acclaimed baking work...

Many aspiring cookbook authors believe they need to finish writing their book before pitching it to publishers. It sounds logical — but it often leads to years of uncertainty, backtracking, and stalled momentum.

In this episode, Maggie explains why traditional cookbook publishing is a process, not a guessing game, and how clarity — not a finished manuscript — is what leads to a book deal and an advance.

You'll learn:

• why publishers buy concepts, positioning, and authors — not finished manuscripts
• how lack of clarity creates hesitation for agents and editors
• the hidden trap of writing first...

Today I'm excited to have an interview with Abby Cheshire. Abby is a private chef, culinary educator, and content creator best known for her social media presence as @abbyinthegalley. With experience cooking on luxury yachts and for private clients, Abby shares what it's really like to work as a chef from high-pressure yacht kitchens to immersive dinner events while teaching accessible global recipes and telling stories through food.

Before we get started, I want to share a quick invitation. If you are a food, nutrition, or culinary expert — a chef, dietitian, food blogger, culinary educator, caterer, or pa...

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. Before we dive into our interview today, I want to let you know I have a very special masterclass coming up called How to Get Paid to Write a Cookbook. In this clas,s I will help you:

Discover what traditional publishers want in 2026

Position yourself for a publishing deal without years of trial & error 

Craft a viable cookbook concept that attracts agents & publishers 

Build three deal-ready essentials to help you feel prepared 

To register, head over to Cookbook Wri...

In today's episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast, Maggie sits down with former student and now published cookbook author Nina Greipel, creator of Gasthaus: Cookbook & Memories.

Before we dive in, I want to invite you to register for my upcoming masterclass — Get Paid to Write a Cookbook. If you're a food, nutrition, or culinary expert who dreams of writing a cookbook and attracting a traditional publishing deal, this masterclass will walk you through what publishers are looking for in 2026, how to craft a cookbook concept that stands out, and how advances really work. You can register for th...

In today's episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast, Maggie sits down with chef and cookbook author Emily Maxon, whose newest book Real Food, Every Day was born out of a life-changing health journey.

Emily is a trained chef and lifelong food lover who, at age 28, was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. That diagnosis led her to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet — a rigorous way of eating designed to support gut health and healing. Drawing on her years of experience as a chef and caterer, Emily made it her mission to create recipes that not only met the diet's strict gu...

Today on the Cookbook Love Podcast, I am honored to welcome Pyet Despain, a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribe, award-winning global private chef, and the first winner of Gordon Ramsay's groundbreaking competition series Next Level Chef. Pyets's life and work are rooted in Indigenous fusion cuisine, where she weaves together the food traditions of her Native American and Mexican heritage. Through her cooking, storytelling, and travel, Pyet is dedicated to uplifting Indigenous culture and honoring the traditions passed down through generations.

Originally from the Osage Indian Reservation in Kansas City, Kansas, Pyet now resides...

In today's episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Michael P. Foley, Catholic theologian, professor, and author of Abstaining with the Saints. Michael is best known for his beloved Drinking with the Saints series, and in this new book, he turns his attention to alcohol-free celebrations that are just as meaningful, festive, and rooted in the liturgical year. Abstaining with the Saints offers nearly 200 thoughtfully crafted mocktail recipes, along with alcohol-free beer, wine, and spirit suggestions that align with Catholic feast days and seasons. Each recipe is paired with stories and facts about the saints, creating...

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. Today, I have a fun episode called the Ins and Outs for 2026. This episode was inspired by the Ins and Outs list I did last year and focuses on things I did in 2025 that I want to do again, and new stuff I want to try. The outs are things I don't want to bring forward into the new year that no longer serve me, or don't help me live the life I want to live, or that use my precious time and life thinking, feeling, or doing. 

Things We M...

Hello and Happy New Year to everyone! Welcome to 2026 and to a new year of podcast episodes.  Today, we kick off the new year with a brand new episode with registered dietitian, naturopath doctor, and intuitive eating counselor Jenn Huber. Jenn is the author of Eating to Thrive During Menopause, and on today's show, we talk all about:

How not being able to use HRT prompted Jenn to learn about nutrition and menopause

Jenn's experience writing a nutrition cookbook that isn't a diet book

The "5 Key Ingredients" framework and how it shaped the r...

Hello and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings to all! Today I share a message of peace and our shared love of cookbooks.

For this special holiday episode, I share some holiday cookbook recommendations, a wintertime story, and the music of Daniel Kantor and the St. Olaf Choir. 

Things We Mention in This Episode:

Advent: Festive German Bakes 

Christmas at River Cottage

The Way of the Wolf: The Gospel in New Images by Martin Bell

Night of Silence by Daniel Kantor

Today, I'm delighted to welcome Gesine Bullock-Prado to the podcast. Gesine is a pastry chef, cookbook author, and television personality whose work is rooted in an approachable, farm-to-table way of cooking and living. She is the owner of Sugar Glider Kitchen and the author of the beautiful new cookbook, My Harvest Kitchen.

In this conversation, we talk about Gesine's embrace of homesteading, her philosophy of what she calls The Gentle Harvest, and the rhythms of cooking in step with the seasons. We move through My Harvest Kitchen chapter by chapter, exploring the ideas, recipes, and sensibility behind...

Today, I am excited to have an interview with Laura Klynstra. Laura Klynstra is a senior art director for Revell Books and a freelance graphic designer and photographer. Previously, she worked as an art director at Hyperion Books and at HarperCollins Publishers in New York City. She is the author of The Homemade Pie Cookbook: 100 Pie, Tart, and Galette Recipes for Every Season. 

On the show today, we:

Dive into cookbook art direction for traditional publishing and self-published books

Laura's journey from idea to published cookbook

Three parts to every pie a...

Today on the podcast, I'm joined by Diane Kochilas. Diane is a New York Times Bestselling Author and host of five seasons of the acclaimed PBS show My Greek Table. In her new book, Athens: Food, Stories, Love, Diane takes readers on a culinary tour of Greece's most-visited city: Athens. 

Having lived in Athens for over thirty years, Diane has witnessed enormous social and culinary changes all around her. Today, the kitchens of Athens overflow with new creative energy while international ingredients fill the markets. Culinary influences on the Athenian table from around the globe are well-represented w...

Today on the podcast, I'm joined by Rachel Riggs, author of In Good Health. As a former specialty food shop owner, Rachel's life dramatically changed due to chronic illness. Refocusing her work toward healing, she started developing anti-inflammatory recipes rooted in her California sensibilities.

Rachel now lives with limited stamina and, despite that, wrote her cookbook with a focus on celebrating what's possible, flavorful, and aligned with her healing. Her mission is to inspire readers to transform their health and well-being through modern, vibrant food that excites the senses, rejuvenates the palate, and liberates readers from outdated...

Today on the show, I'm joined by Michele Pettinger, a certified running coach, fitness nutrition specialist, and functional nutrition counselor. As the owner of P3Running, Michelle blends run coaching with nutrition education for athletes of all ages, helping young runners understand how food supports performance, recovery, and long-term well-being.

However, before we begin, I'd like to share a free resource with you. If you are a food, nutrition, or culinary pro and you want to share your expertise in a published cookbook, one thing a publisher will want you to have is a platform. This is...

In today's episode, I'm pleased to welcome mother–son cookbook author team Jyoti and Auyon Mukharji, authors of Heartland Masala: An Indian Cookbook from an American Kitchen.

Before we dive in: If you are ready to start your own cookbook project with clarity and direction, The Creative Cookbook Blueprint is available for a few more days. This resource provides a structured path to begin organizing your recipes, shaping your stories, and moving toward a publishable cookbook. Details are linked in the show notes section below.

Heartland Masala is a vibrant, richly illustrated celebration of Indian ho...

What begins as a handwritten recipe or a note in the margins of a cookbook can become the seed of something much bigger. In today's episode, we explores what every writer needs to write and how your words can do more than fill a page. They can feed both your readers and your business.

You'll also hear about a free resource to spark your creativity: 👉 100 Ways to Turn Your Recipes and Writing Into Revenue: a guide packed with ideas to help you transform your recipes, writing, and creativity into meaningful income.

If you've ever wondered how...

Hi everybody, and welcome to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast. Last week, we talked about the traditional publishing team and the real benefits of working with a publisher — how editors, designers, and marketers help bring a cookbook to life. This week, I'm sharing Part 1 of my three-part Publish Your Cookbook Masterclass, called Navigating the Publishing Industry. In this first session, we're tackling one of the biggest challenges cookbook writers face — figuring out how to navigate the publishing world. If you've ever thought,

"I don't know where to start."

"I'm afraid of choosing the wron...

✨ Before we get started, an exciting announcement! ✨

Are you a food, nutrition, or culinary professional dreaming of publishing a cookbook? Right now we are in the middle of our Publish Your Cookbook Masterclass. In this free masterclass, we are discussing the shortcut most aspiring authors miss — how to publish your cookbook without writing your book first. You'll discover how to position yourself as the author publishers want right now and follow the exact steps to land your first book deal. Don't miss this opportunity to watch this on-demand class (like Netflix)!  👉 Register at publishcookbooks.com.

Have you e...

✨ Before we get started, an exciting announcement! ✨
If you're a food, nutrition, or culinary professional dreaming of publishing a cookbook with a traditional publisher, join me for the Publish Your Cookbook event starting Monday, October 20, 2025.

In this free training, you'll learn the shortcut most aspiring authors miss — how to sell your cookbook concept before writing the entire manuscript. You'll discover how to position yourself as the author publishers want right now and follow the exact steps to land your first book deal. Don't miss this opportunity!  👉 Register at publishcookbooks.com.

A quick shout-out to Mari, a lo...

✨Before we get started, an exciting announcement ✨
If you're a food, nutrition, or culinary pro and you dream of being published by a traditional publisher, I want to invite you to my upcoming Publish Your Cookbook event where you will learn the shortcut most aspiring authors miss when publishing their cookbook. You'll discover how to position yourself as the author publishers want right now, and the exact steps to land your first book deal. This is an opportunity you won't want to miss. Head to publishcookbooks.com to register for the event. 

Today I'm joined by award...

Welcome to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast. Today I'm excited to talk to you about one key tool in the life of most cookbook authors, and that's an email list. Part of the reason I want to talk about this is that there is a misconception that we have to chase publishers and agents. But what I've found to be true in my own life, in the lives of my students, and in the lives of the authors I've talked to on the show is that publishers and agents are looking for a food, culinary, or nutrition...

Welcome to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast. Today I'm excited to have an interview with Stephanie Hansen. Stephanie is the host of the Emmy-award-winning TV show "Taste Buds with Stephanie", blogger at Stephanie's Dish, and radio host of The Weekly Dish and author of True North Cabin Cookbook Volume Two: Seasonal Recipes From a Cozy Kitchen. Stephanie hails from Minnesota and spends her summers entertaining in her cabin on True North Island in Minnesota. Today on the show, we talk all about cabin cooking and entertaining, Stephanie's seasonal favorite recipes to welcome guests and feed people the...

Welcome to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast. I just finished enrolling new students into Cookbooks on KDP and wanted to share something with you based on my conversations with aspiring cookbook authors. When I talk to successful cooks, bakers, dietitians, chefs, and others who have a ton of kitchen experience to share, I hear them say things like: "I don't have time." "I'm not techie enough." "Do I need an audience first?"  "I'm not a dietitian". But underneath those words is something we all face, what I call Doubt Soup. In this episode, I explore how doubt s...

Welcome to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast. Today on the Cookbook Love Podcast, I'm sharing what I call the hidden beginning of publishing. Over the years, we've talked a lot about the types of publishing — self, traditional, and hybrid — and we've heard from hundreds of authors who've chosen each of those paths. But behind the scenes, there's another part of the publishing journey we rarely talk about: the inner life of a cookbook author, and that's what we're going to talk about today. Publishing isn't just about producing a book. It's about letting the love you already live...

Welcome to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast. Today, I'm joined by Camille Beckstrand of Six Sisters' Stuff. What began in 2011 as a way for six sisters to stay connected after leaving their childhood home has grown into one of the top family-friendly recipe websites on the internet. With a focus on simple, approachable meals, Six Sisters' Stuff has become a trusted source for millions of families worldwide.

Their latest cookbook, 30-Minute Meals with Six Sisters' Stuff: 100+ Quick and Easy Meals the Whole Family Will Love!, brings their signature family-first approach into the kitchen with more...

Welcome to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast. Have you ever caught yourself thinking, "I'm not really an expert… who am I to write a cookbook?" or conversely "They're not really an expert…who are they to write a cookbook? You're not alone. For years, publishers, editors, and agents acted as gatekeepers, deciding who was "qualified" to write a cookbook.

But times have changed.

In this episode, I'll walk you through:

The old gatekeepers who kept most voices out of publishing

How traditional publishing is shifting and why publishers now want...

Welcome to another episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast. Today on the podcast I share three questions that came up during Recipe Week LIVE 2025: how to ethically adapt recipes, how to move from passive learning to active doing, and how to price a self-published print cookbook on Amazon with confidence.

Today on the show, I share:

Adaptation & attribution: Why ingredient lists and basic processes aren't generally copyrightable and how your expression (voice, headnotes, tips, stories, history, technique rationale) creates protectable originality. Simple, honest "inspired by/adapted from" credit keeps you on solid ethical ground.
<...

Before we get started, there's still time to take advantage of the final two days of Recipe Week LIVE 2025 happening now through August 15, 2025. This live event is for anyone who wants to turn what they cook or bake every day into publishable recipes. Sign up here for Recipe Week LIVE 2025. 

Today I'm excited to have an interview with Holly Capelle. Holly is a home cook, food preservationist, lifestyle artist, and advocate for sustainable living. She is the founder of @bigfamilyliving, an online community for people who preserve, create, cook, and garden. Holly is the author of the n...

Welcome to the Cookbook Love Podcast. Today I'm excited to have an interview with Ellen Kanner. Ellen Kanner is the author of Miami Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes from the Tropics to Your Table and the award-winning book Feeding the Hungry Ghost: Life, Faith and What to Eat for Dinner. She writes about the intersection of food, culture, community, and wellness for outlets including HuffPost, VegNews, and Edible South Florida. Ellen is a vegan advocate and culinary instructor, and the creator of the Substack newsletter Broccoli Rising. As a fifth-generation Miami native, Ellen lives with her husband in where else? Beautiful...

Welcome to the Cookbook Love Podcast. Today, I talk about a question I hear all the time: How do I get my recipes ready for a cookbook? Recipes are the heart of any cookbook. They are what set our books apart from other works of non-fiction. They're not just instructions on paper; they're a combination of creativity, story, and trust. So if you are writing your recipes for publication, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I'll walk you through the five stages of recipe writing: ideation, development, writing, testing, and publishing. These stages form the...

Today on the podcast, I'm joined by Daen Lia — home cook, recipe creator, and the author of Garlic, Olive Oil + Everything Mediterranean. You may know Daen from her wildly popular social channels under @daenskitchen, where she shares comforting Mediterranean-inspired recipes with over 6 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Daen Lia learned to cook from her Spanish and Italian mother and grandmother. With the smell of garlic and roasted tomatoes wafting through the kitchen, Daen discovered the alchemy of a few simple ingredients: garlic, olive oil, and whatever is fresh, whether a vegetable or protein, or both. 

...

In this episode of the Cookbook Love Podcast, I'm joined by Suzanne Lenzer, food stylist, writer, and author of Peckish: Suggestions for the Sophisticated Snacker. Suzanne's approach to food and cooking invites us to consider not just what we eat, but how and why, with more spontaneity and less convention. Suzanne shares how she structured Peckish around "vessels" like On Toast, In Jars, Napkins Only, and more, making it easier (and more fun) to plan a night of grazing or to turn an afternoon snack into a small ritual of care.

In today's show we talk about: 

In today's episode, we're unpacking a concept I teach inside the Get Paid to Get Published program about defining Your Cookbook Concept. Using a powerful metaphor —the Dinner Party Analogy—we'll explore how to define what your book is really about, who it's for, what's on the "menu," and why it matters in today's publishing landscape. Today you'll learn why you, the author, are the host of your book's journey, how to identify and describe your ideal reader, and different cookbook concept types—from ingredients to holidays, what makes your book stand out in the market, and what is a comp...

Welcome to another episode of the show. Today, I'm excited to welcome Cristina Carolan. Cristina is a plant-based personal chef and author of Plant-Based Pacific, a cookbook that reflects a vibrant fusion of culinary cultures from Japan, Hawaii, and the Philippines. She's the owner of Chef Veggie, a plant-based personal chef and holistic lifestyle service. A lifelong traveler, Cristina's experiences living in Japan, visiting her mother's homeland of the Philippines, and calling three Hawaiian islands home inform every dish and story in her book.

In today's episode, we talk about:

The inspiration behind Plant-Based Pacific<...