Jenny Rosenstrach: Food Writers to Know, Favorite Restaurants Around the World, and Staying Creative in the Kitchen
The cookbook author and writer behind 'Dinner: A Love Story' shares a peek into her delicious world
It's not often that I read a cookbook from cover to cover, but
makes her recipes and the stories behind them so easy to devour that it's impossible not to dive in. She combines just the right balance of “talking to a friend” tone and family anecdotes with relatable, matter-of-fact tips her readers can actually conquer.Her last two books, The Weekday Vegetarians and The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple, changed my life. I have the dog-eared, ingredient-splattered pages to prove it!
I first met Jenny when our daughters were minis in Stone Barns Farm Camp together, where they spent their summer days collecting eggs, harvesting vegetables, herding turkeys, and taking cooking classes.
I had already been a fan since 2010 when Jenny started
, and it was pretty awesome to find out she was as generous IRL as she was in her books and online. Now she’s on Substack, where she shares what she’s eating, cooking, reading, and doing.I am excited to share Jenny’s interview, where we chat about the new cookbook authors on her radar, the food writers she loves, her own creative process, her favorite family vacation destinations, and what she is reading now.
The beauty of your cookbooks lies in their simplicity, yet I know the process of creating them is not simple. How do you go about deciding which recipes go in your cookbooks?
I’ve always thought of the blog and my newsletter as the place where I workshop things, and then the book feels like, “This is where everything is going to live for posterity.” The ones that I notice I’m making all the time make it into the book.
I almost never make something the same way repeatedly unless it’s immortalized in a book. Once it’s there, it becomes a kind of blueprint, and then I might riff off of it, but the blueprint is set. I cook from my own cookbooks constantly. It’s a self-fulfilling cycle: these are the recipes I keep going back to, and because they feel special, I want them in a book.
What are some of your repeat recipes from your cookbooks?
One I love is the wheat berries with crispy tofu, grapes, arugula, and feta from The Weekday Vegetarians. That’s such a favorite for me. And there’s also a strawberry feta salad — I make that all the time. When I’m making a dinner salad, I’ll sometimes add beans to bulk it up, but I usually serve it on the side with veggie burgers. It’s just the perfect summery veggie dinner. The chilled cabbage loaded noodles from The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple are another great one for hot nights.
Your books are so easy to devour because of their friendly tone and the family anecdotes you include. How do you make your voice so relatable? Is that instinctual, or is there a secret sauce? It feels like you’re always keeping it real, which is so appealing.
That’s definitely the goal — I want it to go down easy. I’m not trying to be literary or to impress people. They just feel good, maybe even a little happier, and maybe it makes their life a little bit better.
When I first started out in magazines, people would always tell me, “Pretend you’re writing to a friend” to help strip away the more formal, academic tone. At the time, that was so hard, but now on Substack, it really does feel like I’m talking to friends. Sometimes when I have to write something more substantial, I’ll even start in my Substack platform because it unleashes a kind of creativity I don’t get if I just open a Word doc.
I love that you also support other food writers. I’ve gotten many recipes from you over the years, including Odette Williams’ pasta with vodka sauce, Brooks Reitz’s lazy man ratatouille, and Andrea Nguyen’s bánh mì. Who are some of your recent favorites that people should check out?
Supporting other food writers is my favorite part of Dinner: A Love Story. I have so many people I love. Meera Sodha, for example — she’s a British writer who just came out with a book called Dinner. She’s also written Fresh India and East. She’s a columnist for The Guardian, and her food is so bold and flavorful, even without any meat. She’s mostly vegan, definitely vegetarian, and her latest book is by far my favorite.
Another one I love is Julius Roberts. He’s British and kind of famous on TikTok and Instagram. He used to be a restaurant chef and now runs this crazy farm operation in Dorset. He cooks all his food in a shed; it’s so rustic and fresh. His book is called The Farm Table.
And then there’s
. He has a Substack called Family Friend. He’s a professional recipe developer and former chef who does really interesting plant-based cooking. He’s making his own protein bars and experimenting with tempeh in ways I’d never have the guts to. Plus, he’s an excellent writer. I’d recommend subscribing to his Substack — it’s worth paying for.
And of course,
— she’s a huge influence. Her new book, Good Things, is coming out in September, and I have an advance copy. It’s amazing.What are some of the items in your home or kitchen that you couldn’t live without?
You know, I just realized this morning: 90% of the things I registered for at my wedding in 1997, I’m still using. And the things that aren’t from the registry? They’re from my mom. She bought a little Le Creuset oval casserole dish in the ’60s that I love, and I have a Dansk Købenstyle pot I found on eBay for $8 about 20 years ago.
I don’t know how we did so well with our registry, knowing nothing back then. I think the trick was, we didn’t buy any sets. Someone must’ve told us this at the time, but we just picked individual pieces. Everyone’s always asking, “What knife set should I get? What pot set?” And I always say: don’t. You’ll use 30% of those. Just buy single pieces. You’ll be so much happier, and it saves money too.
What designers or clothing styles make you feel like yourself?
I’m so predictable. I’m all J.Crew, Madewell — Alex Mill has been a recent little branch-out for me, I really love their stuff. I’ve also always loved COS.
I’ve never been someone who wants to spend a lot of money on clothes. Which is good and bad, because then when I do splurge, it’s very intentional. Like, I have this Rebecca Taylor jumpsuit that was the best money I ever spent. Cost per wear, it’s unbeatable. Every time I’ve bought something from her, it’s been perfect. I feel like myself in her clothes, which is so hard to do.
And then occasionally I’ll see you wearing something, Alisa, and I’m like, “What is that sweater? Can I buy it?” That’s how I got those Emerson Fry organic sweaters.
Are there any emerging creatives you’ve been loving recently?
One person who’s not exactly under the radar, but I think everyone should know about, is
. She writes The Isolation Journals, a huge Substack. She’s been living with cancer for most of her adult life and yet somehow she still puts out this incredibly joyful, beautiful newsletter every single week. I can’t get over how beautifully she lives her life. It’s so inspiring.Of course, I want everyone to know about my talented daughter
, who’s a cartoonist. She really is so good. And not just because I’m her mom — purely objective assessment!Paid subscribers get access to the full interview below, including Jenny’s favorite travel spots and NYC restaurants, the food trend she’s obsessed with, reflections on lessons learned working for magazines, and the books she’s loving now. I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber to support our work — and a huge thank you to those who already do!