As I pack up and move from my incredible 33 years in Minneapolis, I am feeling nostalgic and am reminded of how important it is to document the special moments. Almost nothing captures and provokes a memory like the foods we eat and share with family and friends. Maybe it’s the smell of your dad’s bread baking on Sundays (that is one of my husband’s favorite food memories with his father), your grandmother’s buttery biscuits hot from the oven or your aunt’s granola recipe that conjure sweet memories. All of them have a story, they mean something to your family and those recipes need to be written down so they aren’t lost.
I wanted to share this post with you from my friend, Rachel, who works to preserve people’s family recipes. It seems like a perfect time to revisit her work and see how Heirloom Collaborative is progressing. The process of creating the family cookbooks can take some time, so if this is something you think your family would enjoy for the holidays, this is the perfect time to contact Rachel and get started.
I know several of you have already worked with Rachel, which makes me so happy and I would love to know how the experience touched your family.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 2 years since my interview first ran! Since then, Heirloom Collaborative has continued to grow in ways that stay true to what started it all: helping families preserve their stories through food.
I continue to work with clients across the US to create meaningful, custom cookbooks that celebrate their family legacies, but a few things have evolved along the way:
An upgraded, even more polished look. I partnered with a talented graphic designer to develop several new template styles, so every cookbook feels even more beautiful and true to each family’s story.
A new offering for businesses. In 2025, I expanded into corporate cookbooks — a project I’ve loved more than I expected. They’ve become such meaningful holiday gifts, and it’s been special to watch coworkers bond over shared recipes and the cultures behind them.
A refreshed home base. My website, heirloomcollaborative.com, has been relaunched and now does a much better job showing off the work and the range of what I offer.
Thank you again to Zoë and this community for being part of this journey — I’m so grateful for the continued support and have absolutely loved meeting so many of you looking to preserve your own recipes! —Rachel
Take a look back at Rachel’s original Q&A and paid “Extras” subscribers also get access to Rachel’s Nana Minnie’s Poppy Seed Cookies recipe. Enjoy!
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April 10, 2024
I understand the power of a family recipe. While I was writing Zoë Bakes Cookies I discovered stories about my great, great grandmother and her bakery in Kiev. I realized just how much her food journey connected to mine. Family stories and their recipes are often interchangeable. We hear these stories while sitting at the kitchen table with our grandfathers while they bake bread or with our great-aunts, as they roll out sugar cookie dough for the holidays. The smell of a stew or sautéing onions can bring back the loving memory of someone who is far away. Writing down all of these recipes and memories is a gift, but one we often don’t take the time for. I’ve written 10 cookbooks over the past 20 years, so I know how much work goes into them.
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