25 Comments
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Sarah Mason's avatar

Welcome, Frances! Love your first name!

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Frances Baca's avatar

Thank you Sarah!

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Laura Scherb's avatar

Absolutely love when Frances writes for SPN! I always learn something, especially as a photographer aspiring to do a cookbook sometime soon. Cheers!

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Frances Baca's avatar

Thank you Laura!

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Brendan Hasenstab's avatar

Yes, Welcome to Frances! And this week’s newsletter has given me a new life goal: “tips for planting a cocktail garden,” ooooh yeah! (Too bad I live in a Brooklyn apartment.) 🙃

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Frances Baca's avatar

Thanks Brendan, and what about a window box?!

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Brendan Hasenstab's avatar

Window box is less a priority because we have a roof deck to work with. Winter is our biggest hurdle, as it isn’t quite as good for what would be perennials in other parts of the country. So, fruit trees are maybe a bridge too far. We tried a lemon tree a year ago, but it struggled with our lack of shade in summer and then the care required to keep it in dormancy indoors in a radiator-heated apartment.

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Frances Baca's avatar

Ah! Yes, winter—as a Californian (who lived in New England for 3 years), I forget sometimes how brutal those can be...

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Debbie Berne's avatar

🥳 So thrilled to have some regular design talk -- and such beautiful talk -- from Frances. Design is such an essential aspect of cookbooks and can't wait to read Frances highlighting all that is wonderful (and maybe hidden from many readers) about it.

The discussion of the mushroom book is so fine-tuned. And it's amazing that they got a title-less front cover through the sales/marketing channels. Once it's in your kitchen, title on the spine is all you need. Let's start a trend!

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Frances Baca's avatar

Here, here! Thank you Debbie!

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FoodOriented's avatar

Welcome, Frances!

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Frances Baca's avatar

Thank you vey much!

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Debbie Berne's avatar

p.s. I was leafing through Baking Yesteryear at the bookstore over the weekend and couldn't help but think -- is this book about cooking/food/recipes or about the author??? He is in EVERY PHOTO. No shade -- just noticing . . .

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Stained Page News's avatar

I've only seen the spreads that are in Edelweiss but I thought it was weird he doesn't name the books the recipes come from? But also I don't follow his TikTok so maybe that's not how that works. This is from the jacket copy: "Dylan has baked hundreds of recipes from countless antique cookbooks and selected only the best for this bakebook, sharing the shining stars from each decade."

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Deb's avatar

If you watch his video on YouTube for Food for the Gods, it explains it a bit. He finds a recipe traces different versions of it through community cookbooks through the years, and even variations named the same but not the same item.

Then he developed his own version influenced by all these and published that. It's different then his TT where he picks a book, and cooks an item from it. (on TT he does tell you where it came from)

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Stained Page News's avatar

Aha! Figured it was something like that.

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Sara Aase's avatar

From what I’ve seen, he’s very compelling. Based on one TikTok I put his cookbook on my wish list. So I can understand why so many people immediately clicked “buy” instead!

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Deb's avatar

He's not in *every* photo. But a big part of his success and the appeal on TT are him and his aesthetic. It's not about the food, it's about his presentation, humor and reaction to the end result. The pictures of him with the food and "retro" style lifestyle photos are bringing that to the book.

Otherwise why wouldn't you just go buy a real vintage book.

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Pam Abrams's avatar

I appreciate Frances' take on the Mushroom book. It's the first time I understand the point of a paper band (I always feel a little guilty tossing them but get it now that it's really just a POS gimmick). I usually don't like matte paper but agree that it works in this instance. Beyond design, I think there's an interesting discussion to be had about cookbooks authored by photographers and stylists.

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Frances Baca's avatar

Thanks Pam! And cookbooks photographed by authors, too. I find that turning of the tables so interesting, and the results can be great. Susan Spungen's Veg Forward is a good example.

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Sara Aase's avatar

Welcome Frances! Great piece on that mushroom cookbook!

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Frances Baca's avatar

Thank you Sara!

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Mary Curry's avatar

Welcome, Frances! Great to have you here. ☺️

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Frances Baca's avatar

Thank you very much!

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The Gluttery's avatar

The Eater article on non-vegetarian vegetable books is missing Sarah Grueneberg's Listen to Your Vegetables, which is straight up incredible. I make specific mention of it because it is a book that seems to get a lot less credit than it deserves.

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