Cookbook Writing: Tell Stories Through Recipes

Take readers on a journey of culture and flavor by creating a cookbook that combines recipes with storytelling

• Introduction
• Ingredients of a Cookbook
• Creating the Narrative for Your Cookbook
• Taking Your Cookbook to the Next Stage
• Final project

“Food is the greatest medium of storytelling because it teaches you about people, and it transcends language and cultural differences”, says creative writer and food educator Sumayya Usmani. Her work weaves recipe writing and heritage together to create food narratives with soul that evoke feelings and memories. She has published award-winning books, and written and appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times and The Guardian. Sumayya regularly appears on the radio, podcasts, and at multiple book festivals, where she shares her knowledge and expertise.

In this course, she teaches you how to create content for a cookbook that tells a story as you explore narrative storytelling and recipe writing. Learn about the elements needed to write a clear, easy-to-follow cooking process, how to give your food context inspired by personal experiences, and how you can take your book from page to publication. Share recipes full of heart and flavor.

• About Me
• Influences
• Why and How to Start a Cookbook
• Methodology
• Breaking Down the Chapters
• Structure Needed for a Pitch
• The Beginning of a Chapter
• The Story Surrounding the Recipe
• Writing a Simple Recipe
• Writing a Two-Step Recipe
• The Conclusion
• Pitching Your Book to a Publisher
• Tips for Self-Publishing
• Cookbook Writing: Tell Stories Through Recipes