
166: Natasha Pickowicz on Writing the Second Book
From Everything Cookbooks by Andrea Nguyen, Molly Stevens, Kate Leahy, Kristin Donnelly
April 29, 2026 · 49 min
About this episode
Natasha Pickowicz discusses her experiences writing her second cookbook and the lessons learned from her first.
Kate and Andrea speak with cookbook author Natasha Pickowicz about her second book, how it differed from her first and what she learned during the process. Natasha takes us on her journey from the kitchen to the keyboard as she talks about how her first book came to be, the false starts it went through and the role the pandemic played in its evolution. She then shares some behind the scenes on her second book; how publishers reacted to her topic shift, its structure, the historical inclusions and its single subject concentration. We learn about working with her parents on the book, how it deepened their connection and what they each brought to the project. Natasha gets into the challenges of the photoshoot, how she created recipes for a 'recipe-less' meal and what she's learned this time around before leaving us with some advice for other writers embarking on their sophomore books.
People in this episode
Hosts: Kate Leahy, Andrea Nguyen
Guest: Natasha Pickowicz
Topics covered
- cookbook writing
- publishing process
- recipe development
- personal connection
- photography challenges
Keywords
- cookbook
- writing process
- publishing
- recipes
- photography
- pandemic impact
- family collaboration
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