An Interview with David Lebovitz
How lucky am I to have such a good mentor and friend?
Welcome the more than 200 new subscribers who joined this community recently, as the result of my June 5 podcast with famed cookbook author and dear friend David Lebovitz.
What a gift David gave me by inviting me talk with his online audience. Compared to his enormous following, my more specialized newsletter is miniscule. After the podcast debuted, around 200 new people followed me on Instagram and my Amazon sales numbers for Will Write for Food went way up.
David publishes podcasts occasionally as part of his Substack newsletter (If you’re not a subscriber, check it out and sign up!).
I feel fortunate that we’ve been friend for the last 18+ years. We met online when he sent me this email in 2005:
Dear Dianne:
Just a note to let you know that I think your new book, Will Write for Food, is terrific. It answers lots of questions that I've often fielded. It's great that there's now a comprehensive guide for those interested in food writing. Congrats on such a fine book!
Hope you have a nice summer, enjoy the Bay Area fog (which I miss...)
-David L.
I’m tearing up as I write this, remembering all the supportive things David has done for me through the years:
2007: A Q&A with me about the first edition of Will Write for Food on his blog.
2010: He invited me to be one of the instructors at a food blogger workshop at a Club Med in Mexico.
2012: He agreed be interviewed on my blog about why his work is such a success
2014: He did a second interview about how writing a book is different from writing a blog
2017: And a third about learning to do video.
2021: He interviewed me when the 4th edition of Will Write for Food came out.
2021: As an early adopter, David mentored me to move my newsletter to Substack. It has been a great platform for me, not only because writing here is fun and easy, but also because doing so supplements my income through paid subscriptions, which keeps my work going.
When I went to add David’s podcast link to my Media Mentions page, I noticed how long it’s been since I’ve done an event. (It was 2021, when the latest Will Write for Food came out.)
So last week, I pitched a topic for another podcast. I’ll let you know when it’s out.
(And to David, thank you for your many years of friendship and your ongoing support. I know you’re reading, and I’m grateful. ❤️)
Become a Sponsor
Reach thousands of food-obsessed types here in this newsletter: readers who love food, cookbooks, cooking, cookware, food-based travel, cooking classes, and more. Shoot me an email at dj@diannej.com to discuss how to advertise.
What I’m Eating:
Click on the image to see the whole post. I’ve finished all of these Dutch goodies. They are different in texture and taste from American licorice. Any kind of black licorice is great in my book.
A Testimonial
Hi Dianne! I've obviously been a huge fan of yours for a long time, and I didn't realize I wasn't a paid subscriber. Had to change that immediately! Thank you for all the work you do! I am always sharing your book and newsletter with up-and-coming writers and students when the opportunity arises. — Joseph Hernandez, deputy editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer Food Section
Private Consults
Through a partner, Delicious Experiences
One-hour consult: $250
For years I've had a five-hour minimum for consulting. Now you can book a Zoom consult for just one hour or more. If you want to start your cookbook, get your book published, or get better freelance assignments, let’s move you forward.
What I'm Reading:
The James Beard Foundation winners for books, broadcast media, and journalism.
Taste Canada Awards Shortlist. Winners will be announced October 30.
RecipeTin Eats: Dinner, by Nagi Maehashi, won the overall award for best book from the 2023 Australian Book Industry Awards. Here’s an interview, where the superstar talks about how she things about her business: “It’s my real life:” Nagi Maehashi on everyday meals, amazing chicken and her Chief Executive Dog.
Travel the World in 122 Cookbooks. Not the usual list, with books from Sierra Leone, Madagascar, etc.
11 Best New Summer Cookbooks, According to F&W Editors. It’s always fascinating to see what publishers are buying these days.
A delightful video interview with my friend Sandra Gutierrez about her career as a food writer, researcher and culinary instructor. Her new book, Latinísimo: Home Recipes from the Twenty-One Countries of Latin America publishes October 2023.
Why recipes talk in code. Bee Wilson wonders if we’re speaking a different language than our readers. Yes, we are.
Why 5 Million Home Cooks Love the 'Korean Vegan.' I’m stunned by what she says on TikTok while cooking and baking. “A refreshing change” does not capture it.
Amazon may ban your ChatGPT book. Using AI and ChatGPT might not be a good publishing move.
The 12 Best Vegetarian Cookbooks of All Time. According to Bon Appetit.
Cooking Nigella Lawson recipes for 365 days straight. And then she cooked for him!
Tea with Claudia Roden. What a lucky couple!
Ebony magazine’s Vintage Test Kitchen Finds a Home at the Smithsonian. It’s going to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Remembering Robert Gottlieb, Editor Extraordinaire. I was a huge fan.
The Home Cook Who Wants to ‘Blow Up the Kitchen.’ An interview with Rebecca May Johnson, about her new cookbook Small Fires: An Epic in the Kitchen. (Unlocked New York Times article). I found the essay relatable, about the guilt of ordering in, and having to please her readers.
It’s Not Personal: Sarah Viren on Essayistic Visions of the Self. How to think about personal essay and the dual nature of the “I” point of view.
Owning 4,239 cookbooks landed Lisa Ekus of Hatfield a world record; she didn’t stop there. Check out the photos. The two-story shot is a knockout.
News About Clients and Students
Countryman will publish a new cookbook by Maureen Abood on Lebanese baking. (I edited her book proposal for this and her previous book.)
Former student Pailin Chongchitnant has a new cookbook: Sabai: 100 Simple Thai Recipes for Any Day of the Week.
Eat magazine published Mara Jernigan’s feature on raising chickens. (I coached her on freelance writing years ago.)
Reem Kassis was the subject of 7 Books Reem Kassis Can’t Live (or Cook) Without. (I coached her on her first book proposal.)
Image magazine published this profile: Award-winning food writer Kate Ryan of Flavour.ie on her life in food. (Kate attended my France workshops in 2018.)
Delish published Nico Vera’s essay, Empanadas Connect Cultures Across Latin America. (I coached him on freelance writing.)
Food Blogger Pro interviewed Maggie Zhu in podcast 413: Lessons in Burnout, Persistence, and Creativity after Ten Years of Food Blogging with Maggie Zhu. (I worked on a self-published book with her and coached her on a cookbook proposal.)
(I like to brag about food writing accomplishments here. Send me an email: dj@diannej.com.)
Thanks for Reading
Like this newsletter? Please forward it to a few people or share on social media. It really helps! New subscribers can sign up here. Thank you.
If you enjoyed this post, please click on the little ❤️ below ⬇️.
Dianne Jacob
Editor, Writer and Coach
Email: dj@diannej.com
Website: http://diannej.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/diannej
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foodwriting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diannemjacob/
My Books
Will Write for Food: 2021 4th Edition
Disclosures: I am an affiliate of Food Blogger Pro, Amazon and Bookshop.org.
You have done so much for so many people and their careers. It's wonderful to see successful authors like David supporting you back! Haven't listened to the podcast yet (on deadline) but I'm queuing it up for a long drive coming up.
I’m a fan of both you and David. Each of you has done and continues to do so much to advance the art of food writing and culinary communication. Best of all, both of you create content that I enjoy. Thank you!