151: Capturing Family Heritage in a Cookbook with Polina Chesnakova episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 3, 2025 · 50 MIN

151: Capturing Family Heritage in a Cookbook with Polina Chesnakova

from Everything Cookbooks · host Kate Leahy

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 NguyenEditor: Abby Cerquitella Mentions Special Holiday Offer for Everything Cookbook listeners from The Local Palate Cookbook Club: Enjoy 15% off any membership, which includes curated newsletters, marketplace discounts, event invitations, and chances to win cookbooks and kitchen swag. Click the link to sign up: https://thelocalpalate.com/cookbookclub/ and use promotional code EVERYTHING. This special offer expires on 12/25.  Polina ChesnakovaWebsiteInstagramNewsletter Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the showChesnok by Polina ChesnakovaHot Cheese by Polina ChesnakovaEveryday Cake by Polina ChesnakovaCarpathia by Irina GeorgescuBeyond the North Wind by Darra Goldstein

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Dec 3, 2025

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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.

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151: Capturing Family Heritage in a Cookbook with Polina Chesnakova

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