Hi friend,
It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me, but don’t worry, I’m still here. But I have an admission to make—for the past few months, I’ve struggled to figure out the direction of this newsletter. On one hand, there’s an amazing community here, and I don’t want to let that go. As a matter of fact, I don’t want to give up writing at all.
But…there’s the problem of content. How do I do something that I’m proud of but also provide value to my readers?
So, like the business/psychology nerd that I am, I took several months to figure this out. I listened to podcasts, I read blog posts, I studied successful creators & writers, I even watched a video about how to make decisions. All of which is to say, I’m moving in a new direction and I hope you’ll (continue to) join me.
First, let me tell you a little story.
Sometime in the past two years, I began accumulating cookbooks. This was after I wrote a piece about pop culture cookbooks for The Takeout. At the time, I was obsessed with pop culture cookbooks. It started at Barnes & Noble, where I found these books that weren’t particularly practical, but boy, were they adorable.
The piece was well received, and eventually, PR folks from publishing firms started reaching out. They offered me cookbooks, which I gladly accepted. Over time, I grew my little collection, both through publishing houses and our own purchases.
Prior to developing this collection of almost 100 cookbooks (!), I’d mistakenly thought that no one buys cookbooks, or no one reads them cover to cover like I do. I was wrong. Books, both regular nonfiction and fiction titles, are being published every single week; cookbooks are no different. But cookbooks are special.
Why?
As Caroline Chambers, author of What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking noted in this podcast episode, “Cookbooks is a labor of love,” and I totally agree. It takes about 2-3 years on average to produce a cookbook from concept to creation, and requires a HUGE team of people—from food stylists to photographers to copy editors to testers to marketing folks, everyone has to be on the same page, with similar levels of dedication in order to make the cookbook a success. However…
Not every cookbook is a good one.
As much as I’d like to say that every cookbook that comes out is amazing, filled with recipes and stories that you’ll refer to over and over again, that isn’t always the case. I certainly have cookbooks that I’ve only looked at once, never bookmarking anything because I decided upon first skim that the book just doesn’t fit my style of cooking, or the recipes are too convoluted, or there’s simply too many ingredients and the instructions seem too complicated or whatever. But that’s okay.
Not every cookbook is right for everyone.
That’s why I’m here—to help you decide on the right cookbook for you. So you can focus on what really matters—making meals and memories with your loved ones.
Food is a love language. It’s certainly my love language. But I also have to admit that I am not the best cook. My husband is much better than me. This is because I enjoy baking more. To each their own, I guess. Still, food is a powerful way to connect with others, and I’m here to connect with you. Will you join me?
A note to my current subscribers:
This blog, Nourish Me, will be archived, which means you won’t be able to access previous posts. Unless you tell me otherwise, you will be rolled over to the new newsletter, Gemme Cookbooks. If you’re wondering what you’ll get at Gemme Cookbooks, here’s an intro.
I look forward to telling you all about my favorite cookbooks, and I hope to see you there!
-Hoang
P.S. I’d love it if you could share this link with anyone whom you think might enjoy it.
Congratulations on your new adventure. I am sad to see the end of Nourish Me (I especially liked the name) but excited that you are starting a new project.
I love cookbooks, Hoang, and have well over 100 myself, with more always arriving! It’s getting a bit out of hand. I even have duplicates—though they’re usually different editions of books I treasure, like Joy of Cooking and The Settlement Cookbook. I keep making resolutions not to order any more—and then I cave when I read about another one I just HAVE to have. (Reading food bloggers here on Substack is very dangerous in that regard!) I think this is a good topic and will eagerly look forward to what you have to say. Congrats on this new direction (though I did enjoy your old one too!).