Everything Cookbooks
Everything Cookbooks
Andrea Nguyen, Molly Stevens, Kate Leahy, Kristin Donnelly
156: Writing History Through Recipes with Jessica B. Harris
46 minutes Posted Jan 14, 2026 at 11:00 am.
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Show notes
Molly and Andrea speak with the iconic culinary historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris about her career and newest work, Braided Heritage. After discussing the 'more' than recipes that make a cookbook a cookbook, Dr. Harris also shares why this book is important at this point and what interested her about this topic and format. She speaks about the backbeat that motivated the entire project, how she went about commissioning stories and recipes from other people, and why each genre she writes in requires her to wear a different hat. She talks about the long process of the book's creation, how her experience in academia informed it, the advice she has for future generations and her thoughts on being labeled an 'activist'.