The Monday Morning Cooking Club

The Monday Morning Cooking Club were five women who met and started cooking together 20 years ago. Over the years their group has changed, they’ve published four cookbooks, and now the MMCC (as they’re called) consist of three wonderful cooks, writers and creators, Lisa Goldberg, Natanya Eskin and Merelyn Frank Chalmers.

Their latest book is ‘A Year of Jewish Cooking’ and I was invited both to help launch the event in Sydney at the end of February and then to be in conversation with them again in March at Gertrude & Alice Bookstore. I asked them how and why this book was the one they wanted and needed to write, the challenges and experimentation that go into creating recipes together (who knew that one apple cake recipe could take over 12 months to perfect!), working with Julie Gibbs on this book (their dream publisher) and what they’ve learned about how people cook and use these cookbooks in everyday life.

Each of the cooks spoke about how they wanted to pass on recipes, both to their children and future generations, but also to people generally who love to cook and love to learn about the recipes, meals and traditions of different cultures. We laughed, we drooled and we celebrated community in this wonderful, sold out event for Gertrude & Alice bookstore.