Molly and Kate speak with cookbook author Polina Chesnakova about her newest and most personal work yet, Chesnok. Polina talks about falling in love with her family's food which led her to writing, teaching and, eventually, a cookbook deal. While her first two books were less personal, this one is layered with family history, traditional recipes and tales from the diaspora and Polina unpacks the process behind its creation. She shares behind the scenes tidbits like the title selection, cover design and the sometimes maddening process behind nailing down the details of the recipes. She shares some of the apprehension she had while writing, where she spent time researching and why this was actually the easiest cookbook project she's ever worked on.

Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen

Editor: Abby Cerquitella

Mentions

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Polina Chesnakova

• Website
• Instagram
• Newsletter

Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show

• Chesnok by Polina Chesnakova
• Hot Cheese by Polina Chesnakova
• Everyday Cake by Polina Chesnakova
• Carpathia by Irina Georgescu
• Beyond the North Wind by Darra Goldstein