In an era when almost any recipe can be pulled up online in seconds, why do cookbooks still matter? That question is at the heart of Cookbook Social, a new gathering of cookbook authors and readers coming to Kingston on May 2. Hosted by Rebecca Ffrench, cookbook author and Upstate Table founder, in collaboration with Jenna Helwig, food director at Real Simple and author of the Cookbookery Collective Substack, the event aims to explore the enduring appeal of the cookbook—and the community that has formed around it.
“A friendly, approachable event to create community, promote connections, inspire curiosity,” reads the event’s description, which promises live conversations with authors, plenty of food and drink, and the chance for home cooks and cookbook collectors to mingle with the writers whose books fill their kitchen shelves.
For Ffrench, the idea grew out of years spent inside the cookbook world. She and Helwig—who met at a book signing years ago in Brooklyn—have watched the community of authors, editors, and readers evolve over time. After the social isolation of the pandemic, they felt there was an opportunity to bring people together again around the shared experience of cooking and storytelling.
“The cookbook community is really supportive,” Ffrench says. “It’s a group of people who have a lot in common. We thought it would be nice to bring people together around cookbooks.”
The timing also reflects a broader resurgence in interest in the genre. While recipes are ubiquitous online, cookbooks have increasingly become something else: narrative objects, cultural artifacts, and collectible design pieces. According to Ffrench, that shift is part of what the event hopes to unpack. “Why do cookbooks matter when recipes are available everywhere online?” she asks. “I think cookbooks matter because they tell stories. It’s something tangible you can hold. People feel a deeper connection to the author. And they connect you to nostalgia, history, even politics.”
Ffrench remembers her own formative cookbook experiences vividly. As a college student cooking from The Silver Palate Cookbook, she recalls searching for unfamiliar ingredients and discovering new foods along the way. “When I cook from that cookbook now, it takes me right back to that time,” she says. “I remember going to the first Whole Foods in Texas looking for Madeira wine and Cornish game hens. Cookbooks hold those memories.”
Cookbook Social will bring together 13 cookbook authors—many from the Hudson Valley and surrounding region—for a day of conversations and culinary exploration. Authors scheduled to appear include figures such as Maya Kaimal, Melina Hammer, Dan Pelosi, and Colu Henry, among others.
The afternoon begins at 2pm with ticket holders gathering for onstage conversations with authors, where writers will discuss topics ranging from how cookbooks are made to the cultural forces shaping contemporary food writing. Rather than formal panels, Ffrench prefers to think of the sessions as lively conversations among authors.
At 3:30pm, the event shifts into a more social mode. Authors will host individual tables where guests can chat with them, sample products or foods connected to their books, and purchase signed copies through Kingston’s Rough Draft Bar & Books, the event’s bookselling partner. Live music, drinks, and seasonal food will round out the gathering. Tickets are offered in two tiers: a $55 pass that includes admission to the afternoon author conversations and the social gathering that follows, and a $35 ticket that grants entry to the later reception with food, drinks, music, and author meet-and-greets.
Food writer Lee Kalpakis will also be cooking dishes inspired by cookbooks, while local ingredients take center stage. For Ffrench, highlighting the Hudson Valley’s seasonal bounty is part of the event’s ethos. “It’s a chance for people to try new foods and get a taste of what’s growing in May in the Hudson Valley,” she says.
With attendance capped at around 150 people, organizers hope the event will remain intimate enough for meaningful interactions between readers and authors. That intimacy is part of what makes the event different from a typical book talk. “It’s about being social,” Ffrench says. “We want readers to be able to ask questions, chat with authors in real life, and explore why cookbooks resonate today.”
Beyond the conversations and tastings, the event also carries a local philanthropic component, with a portion of proceeds supporting the Kingston YMCA Farm Project, an urban farm in Midtown Kingston that helps provide fresh produce and agricultural education to the community.
At its core, Cookbook Social is an argument for the value of gathering in person—something that has taken on new meaning in a digital world. “When people are online so much, interacting through social media, you lose the warmth and energy that happens when people are together,” Ffrench says. “When you’re in a room together, you feel that. That’s what we’re trying to create.”
Cookbook Social takes place at the Fuller Building in Kingston on Saturday, May 2 from 2-5:30pm. Tickets are $55 and $35.
