Will Write For Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Blogs, Reviews, Memoir, and More

When you jump into the world of food writing — most probably out of sheer enthusiasm for writing, eating and perhaps cooking as most of us do — the terrain is uncertain and the pathways are mysterious. You grope for guidance, vocabulary, resources and best practices. Where does you start? How do you get your foot in the door? How do you get an article assignment? And what do you do when an editor says ‘yes’ to that pitch? A mentor sure does make things a lot easier. That is what BC-born, California food writer, writing instructor and author, Dianne Jacob’s book, Will Write for Food, has been for countless aspiring and fledging food writers.

I wish I’d had this book at my side as I took the plunge into food writing back in 2000.  So when I began teaching food writing courses a few years back, it was at the top of my list of resources I would present to the roomful aspiring published food writers.

The trouble is that in 2005, when Will Write For Food was first published, blogging was fringe stuff, Facebook was one year old (and no one knew about it), and Twitter wouldn’t be born for another year. Magazines were still publishing somewhat lengthy food pieces, and molecular gastronomy was so-very-cutting edge. While the landscape of food writing is forever changing and good writing continues to be at the core of good food writing, it was time for an update to reflect the new realities, opportunities and expectations facing food writers. Dianne Jacob’s second edition of Will Write for Food is exactly that timely response.

(Disclosure: When I found out that Dianne Jacob had a new, updated and expanded edition of her book coming out in August 2010, I did whatever I could to get her out to teach at the Okanagan Food & Wine Writers Workshop Sept 16 to 19 as one of my guest instructors. She is also stopping by Barbara-jo’s Books to Cooks in Vancouver on Tuesday, Sept 14, for an in-store book signing starting at 6 p.m.)

Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Blogs, Reviews, Memoir, and More (2nd edition, Da Capo Lifelong Books) is the follow-up to the 2005 award-winning edition. Newly released in August, this new, expanded version covers the rapidly shifting sands of what it means to be an effective and employed (or at least employable) food writer these days.

But what does this book have to offer for a mid-career or established Canadian food writer?

We are all having to become jack’s of many trades, from corporate gigs, to teaching to editing to writing. It’s all in a day’s work. If we are lucky. Gone are the days when a writer can base a career on being a restaurant reviewer. So in some senses, we’re all novices at various aspects of food writing and we’d better start diversifying. (One thing I appreciate about this book is the author’s candidness about how rare it is that food writing, and food writing alone, can provide an income. Misery loves company.)

Most notably (especially for those of us who began food writing before having a blog was obligatory and now we are playing catch-up), Chapter 4 outlines in detail how to start and maintain a food blog. It also has seven pages on food photography for your blog, including snippets from notable food blogger-photographers such as David Lebovitz and Heidi Swanson. This chapter also addresses the myths around making a living as a food blogger, but also why you really need this as a professional calling card these days.

Many food writers in Canada are finding it increasingly difficult to piece together magazine work in a shrinking pool of assignments are venturing into book projects. Chapter 11: How to Get Your Book Published (which includes “Writing the Book Proposal,” “Finding and Getting an Agent,” “The Contract,” and some of the pros and cons of self-publishing, is a great place to start.

The book also is a window into the US food writing industry, and the networking resources, for example, are invaluable if we Canadian food writers want to reach new markets. Just like it is in Canada, there are certain circles in which you need to travel if you want to get access to the plum assignments and publications. These groups also provide camaraderie and support as any good social network will do.

And many of the discussions that begin on the printed page are continued in one form or another on Dianne Jacob’s blog. This is where the more sophisticated and higher-level discussions rage on. From professional ethics — Do you disclose in a blog post when you have been offered a free meal? 63 comments and counting;  Should you charge or not for recipes? 104 comments and counting, at the time of writing this post — to the writerly process and everything in between. And being a blog, it’s an interactive forum, with many well-seasoned voices chiming in. Among them should be yours and mine.

Massimo Marcone, on the hunt for the elusive Kopi Luwak coffee.

I finally got around to reading Massimo Marcone’s book, In Bad Taste?, awarded last year’s Honourable Mention for Special Interest Books at the Canada Culinary Book Awards. Massimo is a friend and colleague of mine, so he has been cajoling me to read the book since it came out. Browsing through the public library, it finally got the best of me, and I read it this past long weekend.

What fun! It’s a whirlwind tour of weird food, fascinating places, and the futuristic world of the scientific lab. And it is equally a portrait of an interesting scientist, who perfectly fits the description of “Mr. Magoo meets Indiana Jones”. If I may, I’ll also add “walking-talking encyclopedia” to the description.

But beyond the book, what I find interesting is the real desire to read and understand the science behind food. Certainly we’ve all heard Michael Pollan’s diatribes against the food science industrial complex. But everyone who lights a stove, whips eggs in a copper bowl, makes jam, or kneads bread is somehow interacting with that science. Food science isn’t all  about ingredients that no one can pronounce. It should be about understanding, preserving and enhancing the goodness of food that is already within.

For me, it was intriguing to see two other 2008 Cuisine Canada award winning books with science at the core of their messages. The gold winning French language book, La chimie des desserts: tout comprendre pour mieux les réussir by Christina Blais and Ricardo is a wonderful primer on how to enhance the quality of desserts. The chemistry behind the cooking lets you make the best of each new recipe, and improve on your old favorites.  Blais, a professor of food science at l’Université de Montréal is a common face in the French-Canadian media, sharing her wealth of scientific knowledge to help people cook better.  Ricardo puts his sense of style in the recipes, and completes this winning combination.

Another gold winner, Ultimate Foods for Ultimate Health by Liz Pearson and Mairlyn Smith, used the most up-to-date knowledge in nutrition science, paired with delicious recipes, to help make healthy cooking delicious.  Pearson brings her expertise in nutrition and dietetics to interpret the myriad of nutrition theories and facts, while Smith, a professional home economist, packs the nutrition into dishes we can enjoy guilt free.

Food science, when brought into the public eye by skilled authors, can make our lives healthier, safer, tastier, and more interesting. Whether you are a fan or not, food science touches everything we eat. It’s important to become informed, and our authoritative Canadian authors are helping greatly in this regard.

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Written by Dr. Amy Proulx, who just happens to be the “laughing”, yet “level headed” Amy in Massimo’s book.  I still remember vividly the Moroccan Police chasing me around the airport.

Photo © Massimo Marcone, used with permission.

A vegan cookbook even onmivores will love.

Eat, Drink and Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating
Written by Dreena Burton
Reviewed by Barbara Barnes

Over the years in my capacity as a gas utility home economist, fielding consumer telephone inquiries regarding food and household science, I was occasionally asked to recommend a good vegetarian or vegan cookbook. This was always a difficult question. Cookbooks in this area often include ingredients that may not be readily available in mainstream grocery stores or in some communities, not available at all! Many vegan and vegetarian cookbooks are not well suited to entertaining.

In her latest book, Eat, Drink and Be Vegan (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2007), Dreena Burton dishes up some everyday vegan recipes, many of which are suitable for entertaining, something which sends many a host or hostess into a tizzy when a vegan or vegetarian is coming to dinner. This collection of recipes is sure to please vegans, vegetarians and those individuals, like myself, who enjoy having a few vegetarian or vegan meals every week. The recipes are not complicated and most of the ingredients are fairly easy to come by.

Burton offers helpful advice and information in her book and also indicates which recipes are wheat-free. Eat, Drink and Be Vegan is a good read and the recipes are easy to prepare. I have been through my copy of the cookbook so many times that spine is starting to crack on the pages containing my favourite recipes!

This cookbook contains delectable recipes from appetizer to dessert and a generous helping of breakfast ideas. Burton’s recipe for Tamari-Roasted Chickpeas is additive and has become a frequent last minute appetizer or snack for my husband and me. Recipes like Chipotle Two-Bean Hummus, Sweet Potato Lentil Chili, Bean and Corn Tortilla Lasagna with Avocado and Thai Coconut Corn Stew are all must try recipes.

If you have been looking for a reliable and approachable vegan cookbook, this book is for you.  It’s one of the first vegetarian cookbooks I’ve felt comfortable recommending in over 30 years.  Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, retails for $25.95 in Canada.

Barbara Barnes is a home economist who has authored more than 20 ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen Cookbooks. She presents regular cooking segments on the CTV Edmonton Noon News.