MARY GABLE

(image via NYTimes.com)

“In his first assignment, a writer I know had to produce a book on Japanese cuisine based on two interviews with a chef who spoke no English.

“That,” he said, “was the moment that I realized cookbooks were not authoritative.”

“Write up something about all the kinds of chiles,” one Mexican-American chef demanded of me, providing no further details. “There should be a really solid guide to poultry,” a barbecue maven prescribed for his own forthcoming book. (After much stalling, he sent the writer a link to the Wikipedia page for “chicken.”)…” 

Interesting article from The New York Times on the thankless world of ghostwriting for celebrity cookbooks. While it’s no surprise that chefs don’t actually write their books’ introductions or even the details of their recipes, I think I was one of those readers who “quaintly” believed that cooks at least taste the recipes they’re given credit for. The article apparently provoked some strongly-worded tweets from a few of the chefs mentioned–author Julia Moskin clarified her statements on Monday with a follow-up piece.

via I Was a Cookbook Ghostwriter – NYTimes.com.

Tagged: food, ghostwriting, writing