How did Read It & Eat begin?
It started as an online book subscription box in the early days of Covid, ran out of my Chicago apartment. I thought that pairing books and food together would help people go on a culinary adventure. We paired culinary memoirs and books on food history with different food items, donating $5 from every box sold to local nonprofits fighting hunger. When we moved to Buffalo a few years ago, we operated out of an incubator space. I looked at role models like Omnivore Books, Kitchen Arts & Letters, and Book Larder, then ran with my own vision.
Why do culinary bookstores feel necessary?
I’ve seen an increasing need for third spaces, and bookstores often become those community hubs. But culinary bookshops have this unique opportunity to bring people together, since food is a universal unifier. Our programming typically revolves around author talks and adapting recipes from their cookbooks. We’ve done events on Italian food, soju parties, and demos on homemade ramen. This year, we’re hoping to launch a cooking series in partnership with a local farmers market, spotlighting what’s being sold and how to cook with that produce.
What trends do you notice in the cookbook space?
There’s this new cookbook accessory lane that’s opening up, where recipes are printed on playing cards. If you don’t know what to make for dinner, pull a card out of the deck, and you avoid opening and dirtying a cookbook in your kitchen that way.
