Today's guest post comes from She Writes Press author Lisa Joy Mitchell. The author of literary cookbook Sacred and Delicious: A Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook recently shared with She Writes how to write a cookbook with soul and we found that it's a great guide for anyone who loves food and feels the need to share their story with the world.
In my former life as a harried PR professional, I opened cookbooks for utilitarian purposes. Only. When I began writing my own cookbook, I awakened to the possibility of actually reading a cookbook—of sitting down with one to enjoy the author’s culinary adventures.
As it turns out, millions of home cooks are interested in back stories in which food is a main character. These come in many forms. There are stories of a locale in which food provides the personality of the place. There is kitchen lore. There are legendary accounts of family recipes. And there are health whodunits—because readers who are ready to take responsibility for their health are looking for guidance about how better food choices can transform their lives.
When you weave your personal stories into a cookbook, you not only entertain your readers; you can also endear yourself to them—and generate lifetime fans for your next books. By infusing your cookbook with a piece of your soul, you can elevate that book from an instruction manual to a source of inspiration, a book that readers will treasure. In short, your personal stories can set your cookbook apart from simpler recipe collections.
And if you don’t know where to start, try these simple steps to ignite the flame of creativity:
And if you’re moved to let it all hang out, then do just that. I was inspired to title my book Sacred & Delicious, and this gave me the opportunity to articulate some of my most cherished beliefs about the sacredness of food. As it turned out, this was one of the most important things I had to share about cooking and eating. I had to follow my own inspiration to learn that I was writing something more than just a cookbook.
My truth: when cookbook authors share their abundant wisdom and life experience as well as their plentiful recipes, readers are sated beyond their expectations.
Lisa Joy Mitchell, a busy public relations consultant, was drawn to study Ayurvedic cooking in 1998, when chronic health problems began taking center stage in her fast-paced life. On her road to wellness, Mitchell changed her diet and began an informal study with Ayurvedic physicians Dr. Vasant Lad, Ed Danaher, and Dr. Alpana Bhatt in the US and Dr. Smita Naram in India.
Mitchell is now a wellness mentor and cooking instructor based in Raleigh, North Carolina. She often works in partnership with her husband, Tom Mitchell, a chiropractic physician who practices Ayurvedic pulse assessment and herbal medicine. During the past decade, Mitchell has cooked for hundreds of participants in Ayurvedic clinics and meditation courses.