“New Everyday Cooking”: The story of how my first recipe book came to be published.

“How is it decided that a book will be published?”

My first recipe book, “New Everyday Cooking: A Spoonful of ‘Surprise’ for Everyday Ingredients,” will be released on February 16th.

This is a question I am often asked when I tell my friends. I, too, had no idea how a book gets published.

In 2020, the days of “self-restraint” began due to the spread of COVID-19. My husband, who is a photographer, had his work canceled one after another. My cooking classes were also closed. How long will this life continue? Imagining the future only led to dark feelings. At the same time, I began to see posts about the “difficulty of preparing meals” every day. I think people were also anxious about infection and unable to go shopping easily. “What can I do for myself right now?” I started to think. That was when I started my current activities. I tweeted my own daily dinner menu on Twitter, hoping it would be a hint for deciding on menus, and decided to write recipes on note. I started to feel energized by the interaction with everyone who made them.

In August 2020, I received an email from Sayaka Hayashi, a freelance editor, about “consulting on a book.” I remember thinking for the first time, “Oh, does that kind of thing happen?” I met Ms. Hayashi and heard the story, and I thought it would be great if it could be realized. However, in reality, things didn't go that smoothly. I didn't have many followers, and my posts didn't have many likes or retweets. Even though I wanted to respond to Ms. Hayashi's wishes, I lacked the power to find a publisher that would give the go-ahead.

While that was going on, the year passed and it became early summer in 2021. The pandemic still hadn't subsided, and I spent my days shooting at home with the help of my husband, the photographer. The book hadn't been decided yet, but I was able to publish recipes that I had put my heart into on note, Twitter, and other media, so I wasn't in a hurry. By that time, I had clearly come to think that I wanted to create recipes that would make cooking time exciting, with “a little surprise, but doable and delicious.” That was when I received an email from Mr. Sugiura at KADOKAWA. And when I talked about Ms. Hayashi, who had been planning it for a long time, he said, “Let's do it together!” and the publication was decided smoothly. My number one wish was, “I want to make it a book that people who read my note can read without any sense of discomfort.” I wanted to make it a book that was easy for everyone who had supported me so far to read. Originally, Ms. Hayashi and Mr. Sugiura had read my note and actually made the recipes many times, so they understood my intentions well and worked on the production with the same thoughts. How reassuring that was!

And creating visuals that make the most of our home's atmosphere was also a point of focus for this book. When I consulted with stylist Masami Kishi, who had come to our house for another shoot, she created a wonderful, warm, and straightforward, pleasant dining table. I think a chemical reaction occurred because Ms. Kishi, a veteran of cookbooks, joined the team.

It was impossible for me to cook over 50 dishes in two days, so I had Mr. Nojima of Nojima Shoten help me. The knife skills of Mr. Nojima, who is a chef, are brilliant, and the results are much cleaner than my usual work. Please laugh at the difference. I have nothing but gratitude for my husband, who supports me both publicly and privately. He is in front of me right now, so I will thank him directly. And my children, who don't mind even if the same side dish continues for days during trial production. They are truly grateful existences.

When I had my mother read the finished book, she was overjoyed, saying the letters were big and easy to read! The person who tailored it so that even my mother, who has poor eyesight, could read it is
Barber Fujita Kohei-san. He created it with a design that is stylish, yet easy to read, and clean despite having a lot of text and many annotations. I have a feeling I can't describe to have it designed by Mr. Fujita, who has been making many of the books I like for a long time.

I have been supported by many people and have received warm words. To those who said congratulations when I reported that the book was decided. I will never forget it, not to exaggerate, for the rest of my life. When it was difficult to decide on the publication of the book, I was encouraged by the warmth of Kaoru Ariga, Yuka Yamaguchi, and the senior cooking experts of Gohan Domei. I was given courage by the figures of the teachers I respect. Thanks to the voices of everyone who always makes my recipes, “New Everyday Cooking: A Spoonful of ‘Surprise’ for Everyday Ingredients” was created. I would be so happy if you could use it while feeling a little fun in your daily cooking time.

Instead of an afterword. Well, due to the number of pages in the book, an “afterword” could not be secured! I'm glad I could write it here!