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Building Your Brand: Cookbook to Community (& Back Again)

A collage of five people posing individually; three women in the top row and one man and one woman in the bottom row, each in different indoor settings.
More Info

April 22, 2026 6:30 pm

Omnivore Books
3885A Cesar Chavez St, San Francisco, CA

Free

Join Hetty Lui McKinnon, Colu Henry, Violet Witchel, and Reilly Meehan for an inside look at what it really takes to build a following, sustain a brand, and turn recipes into relationships. Moderated by Allie Lehman, founder of Wonderly, this panel brings together four authors who’ve mastered the art of showing up across platforms, whether that meant writing a cookbook first and growing outward, or building a devoted online community that demanded a book.

From Instagram to newsletters, TikTok to Substack, cookbooks to product lines, these creators will share the strategies, missteps, and daily rhythms behind their success. How do you stay authentic when your audience grows? What actually converts followers into cookbook buyers? And how do you build something sustainable without burning out?

Whether you’re a fan who’s cooked their recipes a hundred times or an aspiring food creator trying to figure out your own path, this is your chance to hear directly from people who’ve done it, and are still figuring it out as they go.

One lucky attendee will win the Perfect Pair Set  courtesy of Smithey Ironware. Valued at $499, this set includes their No. 12 cast iron skillet, Farmhouse skillet, leather potholder, and leather skillet sleeve.

Books available for purchase and signing.

featuring

Reilly Meehan

Reilly Meehan grew up in food, foraging blackberries on the California coast and learning the ropes in the kitchen of his father’s restaurant in beachy Santa Cruz. Following formal culinary training, Reilly honed his skills in the competitive cooking world, competing (and kicking butt) throughout the US and internationally. He was named the 2011 Chaine de Rôtisseurs “Best Young Chef in the World” Winner, 2019 American Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year, and 2022 Americas Global Chef’s Challenge Winner. After cooking his way through San Francisco and running his own bougie doughnut pop-up, he began private cheffing—and sharing a behind-the-scenes look at his work on social media. He spends summers in the Hamptons with his clients, but calls Phoenix home with his husband and pup. Reilly’s mantra is simple: bring as much good food to as many great people as possible. You can find him at @chefreillymeehan

Allie Lehman
Allie Lehman is the founder and creative director of Wonderly, a studio that partners with creators and brands on branding, websites, and digital platforms. She writes Huge Fan, a newsletter about creativity, fandom, and business, and is the author of Being Here, a book of short stories and illustrations. Previously, she co-founded Death to the Stock Photo. Find her @withwonderly
Colu Henry
Colu Henry is a writer, cook and has contributed to the New York Times, Food & Wine, House & Garden UK and more. She has worked in food for over 20 years and has learned what resonates with home cooks by creating elegant, yet approachable recipes without overthinking it. She is the author of Back Pocket Pasta and Colu Cooks: Easy Fancy Food, both named best books of the year by NPR. Colu also writes a weekly companion newsletter Colu Cooks on Substack. She splits her time between Hudson, NY and Nova Scotia, Canada with her husband, where they are restoring an 1866 farmhouse. You can find her @coluhenry
Hetty Lui McKinnon
Hetty Lui McKinnon is a James Beard Foundation Award and IACP winning cookbook author and food writer, with a passion for vegetables and community. She has written six bestselling cookbooks, including her latest Linger, the acclaimed Tenderheart, the much-loved To Asia, With Love, and the genre-defining Community. Hetty is a regular recipe contributor to New York Times Cooking and ABC Lifestyle. She also currently writes the popular weekly newsletter To Vegetables, With Love. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now resides in Brooklyn, New York. You can find her at @hettymckinnon
Violet Witchel
Violet is a CIA trained chef, content creator, and has her debut book coming out March 2027! She lives in Cole Valley, SF and loves trying new gluten-free resturants. You can find her @violetwitchel