Cooking is an essential skill that keeps you nourished and brings company around your table. One festival is combining a love for food and books to empower chefs, authors, and everyday cooks.
“Cookbooks and Convos,” presented by Sisterly Love Collective, is a culinary celebration of women in the hospitality industry. Occurring during National Cookbook Month, its events are centered around author talks, cooking demonstrations, and dinner parties.
“We're just really excited about the different types of events,” said Ellen Yin, co-founder of Sisterly Love Collective and High Street Hospitality Group. “Some of them are beverage-driven, some are food-driven, some are baking, some are savory. There's something for everyone.”
Finding Camaraderie in Dark Times
In the summer of 2020, restaurateurs Yin, Jennifer Carroll, and Jill Webber were inspired by Let’s Talk Womxn to co-found a Philly-focused group helping women restaurant owners work through their struggles in community. A report from the National Bureau of Economic Research had found that businesses owned by women were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sisterly Love Collective members aided each other in navigating indoor dining policies, learning where to get supplies, and finding financial relief. Later the group evolved into hosting events, beginning with the Sisterly Love Food Fair, which visited women-owned restaurants across Philadelphia neighborhoods. As time went on the collective expanded to include early entrepreneurs whose work related to the food industry.
“It's been a great journey of just trying to figure out how to make sure that the door is open for women,” Yin said.
Why Cookbooks?
The in-person events built a sense of community at a time when face-to-face interactions were limited. One event the group hosted was Sunday Supper, hosted by cookbook author Lisa Donovan. That event stirred nostalgia for “The Cook and the Book,” a Philadelphia food series that took place from 1984 to 2007.
“It was a great feeling to have somebody from the outside come into your kitchen and bring life into it, bring a different perspective,” Yin said. “The community was really into it and it was an event that was successful for 20-some years and we all just felt like it was greatly missed.”
That sparked a new version for the annual festival, with its modern spin highlighting women and bringing programming across the city. “Cookbooks & Convos” launched its first iteration in 2023, spotlighting renowned cookbook authors.
“Once people heard that we were doing this, cookbook publishers were also really excited because they had not had a venue for cookbook authors to do their cookbook events,” Yin said. “People weren't really going to bookstores and gathering so this was just a great connector.”
Anyone is welcome to attend a “Cookbooks and Convos” event and learn from one another. (Courtesy of Sisterly Love Collective)
Recipes are more accessible than ever, with newsletters, TikTok, and YouTube teaching audiences at a global, rapid scale. But Yin said that cookbooks are a unique tradition that needs to be preserved.
“Although you can go back and watch a video over and over again, there's nothing like a cookbook and hearing somebody tell their story in their own voice,” Yin said. “That is super special, especially when you have the opportunity to connect with the author in person. The food is all generated from the cookbook.”
What To Expect
The 2025 lineup consists of 18 events, including:
- an ice cream social with Pooja Bavishi, author of “Malai”
- a multicourse menu blending Korean, Latin, and Filipino flavors at Baby’s Kusina + Market with Kiera Wright-Ruiz, author of “My Half Latin X Kitchen,” and Chef Raquel Dang
- a storytelling dinner and pasta-making workshop at Midnight Pasta with Lucinda Scala Quinn, author of “Mother Sauce”
- a panel conversation with Leah Mennies, author of “Above the Fold: A Dumpling Party,” at Mural City Cellars
Tickets range between $55 and $145. Events take place citywide from Queen Village to Brewerytown in a variety of locations like restaurants, bookstores, and museums.
“Cookbooks and Convos” goes from Oct. 12 to Nov. 12. The full lineup and tickets can be found on its site.
