What is Cookbook Week?
Cookbook Week is a five-day festival in San Francisco that brings together the country's most celebrated cookbook authors, passionate home cooks, and food-curious people for an immersive week of live events, collaborative dinners, cooking classes, industry conversations, and unique experiences centered on the art and culture of the cookbook.
We're not a typical food festival. We don't chase celebrity chefs or viral moments. We go deeper into the stories behind the books, the craft behind the recipes, and the communities that form around both.
What happens during the week?
Headnotes Live
Headnotes Live is our marquee event: a theatrical variety show at the Presidio Theater where cookbook authors take the stage to perform, read, and bring their work to life in ways you've never seen a cookbook author do before. Part literary event, part live performance, part culinary celebration, it's one of the most unique nights in the food world.
Dinner Collabs
Collaborative Dinners pair celebrated authors with beloved local restaurants for evenings that are equal parts exceptional meal and meaningful tribute to a cuisine, a community, or a culinary legacy.
Community Events
Citywide Programming spreads throughout the week in the form of author talks, bookstore events, and free community programming.
Who Comes to Cookbook Week?
People who have strong opinions about their bookshelves. Home cooks who cook from books. Readers who find as much joy in a beautiful headnote as in the recipe that follows. Food professionals who want to connect with the community. And anyone who believes that the way we talk about food, both on the page and at the table, actually matters.
Where Did This Come From?
Cookbook Week launched in 2024 with a pilot festival in Napa Valley that proved what we'd long believed: there is a passionate, underserved audience hungry for this kind of experience. In 2026, we're bringing Cookbook Week to San Francisco with a bigger stage, a new lineup of authors, and a program that honors cookbooks as the cultural artifacts they are.
The Team behind Cookbook week
Cookbook Week grew out of Salt + Spine, the long-running podcast about the stories behind cookbooks and the people who make them. That same spirit: curiosity, depth, and genuine love for the cookbook genre, runs through everything we do.
Brian Hogan Stewart
Founder
A communications strategist, storyteller, and event producer with 15+ years in hospitality and media, Brian is the creator of Salt + Spine, the top-ranked podcast on cookbooks, on which he has interviewed more than 200 authors. He has led communications for leading hospitality brands and nonprofits and has an MBA in Food & Wine from the Bologna Business School. As the creator of 2024's Cookbook Fest, today Brian brings the vision, leadership, and strategic storytelling expertise that anchor Cookbook Week’s mission and growth.
Jodi Liano
Festival Director
Chef, educator, and entrepreneur, Jodi is the founder of the celebrated San Francisco Cooking School . With more than two decades of experience in culinary education, she has taught thousands of home cooks, developed recipes for leading food publications, written four of her own cookbooks, and advised cookbook authors and food brands. Jodi’s expertise in culinary programming and industry networks anchors Cookbook Week’s educational and experiential offerings.
Leslie Jonath
Creative Director
A veteran publishing leader with over 25 years in the book industry, Leslie is the founder of Connected Dots Media and former creative director at Chronicle Books. She has authored and produced dozens of titles across food, art, and culture, collaborating with renowned chefs, authors, and designers. Leslie brings deep expertise in storytelling, visual identity, and publishing strategy to Cookbook Week’s creative vision.
Lynda Marren
Strategic Advisor
Lynda Marren is the founder of San Francisco-based Just Add Salt culinary experience and investment firm. Lynda leads nation-wide book launches and mentors entrepreneurs building careers in restaurants, bars, and food trucks. Lynda is an annual leader and panelist in the James Beard Foundation Financial Literacy Conference and Food Advocacy programs and also serves as a judge for the James Beard Awards.
Chas Edwards & Derek Fagerstrom
Consulting Producers
Chas and Dererk are two of the founders of Pop-Up Magazine. They are helping produce Cookbook Week's on-stage live storytelling show, Headnotes Live.
Interested in joining as a volunteer or sponsor?
Cookbook Week is powered by partners who share our love of food, books, and creative storytelling. Whether you're a lifelong cookbook collector, a curious first-timer, or a food professional looking for your people, there's a place for you at Cookbook Week.
Join our community of cookbook lovers
