Everything Cookbooks
147: The Most Iconic Italian Cookbook Ever Written with Raquel Pelzel and Michael Szczerban
05 Nov 2025
Kate and Kristin speak with Raquel Pelzel and Michael Szczerban about bringing an iconic Italian cookbook to America. The Talisman of Happiness was written in the 1920s by Ada Boni, "one of the most groundbreaking, pioneering women in food history." The book has influenced some of the most beloved pillars of Italian cuisine. Michael shares what drew him to this book and inspired his years-long quest to publish it in America while Raquel talks her process of editing over(!) 1600 recipes post-translation. They discuss editing by hand, recipe testing, translation, focusing on an American audience and the timeline they had to accomplish this massive undertaking. Finally, they share how the book changed their own cooking, why it is so special to the, and the types of books that Voracious publishes.Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea NguyenEditor: Abby Cerquitella MentionsVoracious imprintJoin The Local Palate Cookbook Club Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the showThe Talisman of Happiness by Ada Boni
No persons identified in this episode.
This episode hasn't been transcribed yet
Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.
Popular episodes get transcribed faster
Other recent transcribed episodes
Transcribed and ready to explore now
3ª PARTE | 17 DIC 2025 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE
01 Jan 1970
El Partidazo de COPE
13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana
01 Jan 1970
Fin de Semana
12:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana
01 Jan 1970
Fin de Semana
10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana
01 Jan 1970
Fin de Semana
13:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana
01 Jan 1970
Fin de Semana
12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana
01 Jan 1970
Fin de Semana