8 things i learned from hosting cookbook clubs in 2024
reflecting on my year of potlucks and a 2025 preview
If you’re new here, I’ve been hosting cookbook clubs in New York City since February 2024. In short, a cookbook club is a potluck in which the host selects a book and attendees each bring one dish from that book.
I hosted my first cookbook club in my 1 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn for 20 people. In March, I opened it up to 50 people and spots were gone in less than 5 minutes. A few TikTok’s later and we were on Good Morning America, I’ve gone on to host 11 events and support a discord community of 1,500+members that has collectively planned over 60 events this year!
As the year comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting. A lot. And I am really proud of what I (and we) have accomplished in 2024.
1. Manifestation is real!
On my Instagram, I first fielded interest for cookbook club thinking a few friends might want to test new recipes and share them together. There was much more interest than I had anticipated and the first gathering went well. I borrowed chairs from neighbours and procured a folding table from an old lady on my local Buy Nothing Facebook group. It went so well that I mentioned to an attendee (Carli of The Libi Project) that I would love to do it again and with more people, just not in my apartment. Coincidentally, they managed bookings for the Knife Factory and connected me with the owner. Say it out loud, and perhaps someone who is listening can help you bring your idea into fruition.
2. You can’t please everyone and you’re not obligated to.
Advertising in nothing more than a quick stories post, More than Cake (Cookbook club 2) sold out in less than 5 minutes. After several attendees posted about it, the event went viral. There was a moment in time where I was so overwhelmed and inundated with messages about joining that I cried about it. These were perfectly fine and normal messages. However, I treat my Instagram inbox like my text message inbox for personal friends and family, so imagine receiving thousands of messages a day asking to join a club that was built for 50. Two emotions here: one, that I was ecstatic people wanted to get involved but the other being that I could not keep up with the demand.
Speaking to my parents and partner reminded me that I don’t owe anything to strangers on the internet. Event planning is not my full time job. I do it all for “fun”. And as soon as it’s not “fun”, I can stop.
Theoretically, I could host a cookbook club for 2,000 people but I would not enjoy it at all. That would be a whole damn cookbook conference.
3. You can’t do it all by yourself.
Cookbook club is made great by the people who attend. Those who enjoy sharing food are inherently kind, wonderful, amazing, and talented.
Once I realized that (1) there was a tons of people collectively motivated by food and (2) I didn’t have to please everyone (i.e. have everyone come to my own cookbook club), the solution to an influx of cookbook club joiners was to empower others to start their own cookbook clubs. I opened up a discord channel, wrote a document on how to host a cookbook club and shared those resources. Several neighbourhood chapters emerged. To name a few — East Village, Greenpoint, UES, UWS, Downtown Brooklyn, Sunset Park, Long Island, Long Island City, Houston!
I’m a firm believer in giving credit where credit is due. So there are many thank you’s in order. Thank you if you attended a cookbook club! And thank you…
To those that put their hands up to host community cookbook club chapters.
To my friends Sarah, Nusrat, Evelyn, Blake, Alisha, Sam, Kitty, Chris, Henry, Evy, Ivy, and Justine for coming early, staying late, putting tables together, buying flowers, and more!
To Norhan for supporting our Bethlehem/Palestine cookbook club.
To Jordon for designing posters and being a listening ear/voice of reason for my ideas (and anxieties).
To Ali Domrongchai for co-hosting 100 people on her rooftop with me.
To authors Stacey Mei Yan Fong, Hetty Lui McKinnon, Alyse Whitney, for writing fantastic books and also coming out to hang.
To the Knife Factory, Honey’s, the Moxy Hotel Williamsburg, Food52, Peerspace, Tiffany Bach, and anyone who has graciously let cookbook club use the space or connected me with a space.
To Jess and Bobby for bringing their whole ass photobooth.
To anyone who has volunteered for a cookbook club or offered to help.
And of course, to my paid subscribers. Your support means the world to me. Funds from paid subscriptions ultimately make their way back into making cookbook club better with each iteration.
4. Bigger isn’t better.
The “newest”, “most viral”, “biggest” are empty buzzwords. If you recall, to me (and probably most people), the thought of having the BIGGEST! COOKBOOK CLUB! EVER! sounds stressful as heck. Sure, viral content gets the word out … but there is no point in chasing numbers. What does that get me? Into the Guinness Book of World Records? I’m okay!! I only have the mental capacity for 50, maybe 100 people? So what actually makes an event great?
The basis of cookbook club is connecting with others who share interests of cooking, baking, and eating. If you came to cookbook club and you made a new friend or ate something delicious, mission accomplished. But there’s more!
5. The secret to a “successful” event is simply aligning it with things you care about.
To reiterate, I selfishly only want to host cookbook clubs if they are fun and/or meaningful to me (I gotta put me first!). A successful event = I had fun and/or it felt purposeful. Going back to my parents’ and partner’s advice, I have free will to shape events however I want because that is what keeps me motivated. Here are some examples:
On book selection: I’m not selecting books because a publisher sent them to me, they’re on the NYT “best” list or because they’re written by an Internet personality with 1 million followers on TikTok. I could really care less. I’m choosing books because their stories resonate and through cookbook club we can learn something new, share perspectives, and explore the world through food. As I think back on the books that I’ve selected this year, I tend to gravitate towards stories of women and people of colour and I believe those voices should take up more space in our kitchens and on our bookshelves.
On Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food by Fadi Kattan: It felt wrong to cook from a Palestinian cookbook without addressing the ongoing g*nocide and continued violence towards Palestinians. Food is a powerful tool, but simply hosting a potluck meal is not a meaningful act of engagement. I called in a friend (thank you Norhan!) to partner on the event, help connect with the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) to speak at the event, and share resources. We raised over $1,900 to support their humanitarian relief work for sick and injured children in the Middle East.
On bake sales: I don’t have a sweet tooth. But maybe you do? In October, Justine Phan and I hosted a bake sale at DAE in Carroll Gardens. It achieved many things:
Supported for Neighbors Together, a soup kitchen and social services center in Brooklyn. We raised over $1,200 for their Holidays without Hunger campaign.
Allowed people who like to eat but not cook/bake to participate.
Opened up the capacity to (hypothetically) an unlimited number of people.
Introduced cookbook club to members of the community that we might not normally interact with (we met Stacey London from What Not to Wear and told her who we are and what we do).
6. Practice makes perfect.
The more you do it, the easier it gets. I didn’t consider myself a particularly organised person, but I have forced myself to become one. I have a lot of lists. A list of venues and contacts for them, a list of books that I want to feature, a list of potential drinks sponsors, and checklists of things I need to buy, things I need to communicate and to whom and when for every event.
7. Community exists beyond the bounds of cookbook club.
One of the most gratifying things when speed swiping Instagram stories is when I see two people who met at cookbook club hanging out outside of cookbook club. It makes me feel like a matchmaker of sorts, like when you introduce two good friends from different areas of your life and they vibe enough to start to hang out without you to facilitate small talk or awkwardly bring up things they have in common.
I’ve made friends, found my fave coffee shop where I feel like a regular, and attended to a dinner party with 5 lasagnas thanks to cookbook club.
8. Get out of your head.
By nature, I’m a very analytical and sensitive individual. Every month, I hyperfixate on what could go wrong, if I don’t have enough drinks/plates/cutlery, if everyone is having a good time, if I am being a good host, if there will be enough food...I constantly remind myself that it’s not that deep. It’s a potluck! A potluck of people who love cooking. That’s literally a recipe for success, no measurements required, and pretty much impossible to mess up.
When I take a step back and think about all of the events that I planned this year, I’m so happy with myself and with the people that I’ve chosen to surround myself with. So thank you!
You got to the end and you’re probably wondering… what does cookbook club look like for 2025? I may be switching up the frequency, format, and type of events that I organize. But for now, stay tuned for these Cookbook Club events next year:
January 19: The Korean Vegan with Tiffany Bach
February: Chinese Enough by Kristina Cho with Isabelle of FoodBaby.BKLYN
See you at cookbook club next year? :)
I don’t even cook but I love following along your journey. What a beautiful and meaningful way to build community and pursue creativity. Thank you for sharing.
January can't come any sooner!! 🙌🏻 It's an honor to co-host a cookbook club with you 😊