Episode 136: Kristina ChoThis week, we’re joined by Kristina Cho to discuss her debut cookbook, Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries. Kristina is a Bay Area-based recipe developer and writer who grew up in a restaurant family in Cleveland, Ohio. After a degree in architecture left her longing for something more, she turned to food blogging and launched Eat Cho Food. As her recipes grew in popularity, she realized some of the hits were items you’d find at Chinese bakeries (one of the first to resonate: the hot dog flower buns). Before long, Kristina had made another realization: the cookbook world was missing a book dedicated to Chinese bakery-style recipes. So Kristina set out to write up.Mooncakes & Milk Bread is the result of that effort, and it landed Kristina two coveted James Beard Awards earlier this year (in both the Baking & Desserts and Emerging Voice cookbook categories.) The book is packed with classic and inventive recipes, from pineapple buns to almond cookies. Sweet and savory items share the space, as they do in most Chinese bakeries. And Kristina offers essays on the history of Chinatowns, profiles of some storied bakeries, and more. I met up with Kristina in San Francisco’s Chinatown, where we strolled past long-standing bakeries, sampled some fare, and chatted about her career and her first cookbook. We were meeting just before the Mid-Autumn Festival (or Moon Festival), one of the most important Chinese holidays and an important time for enjoying and sharing mooncakes. I hope you enjoy my chat with Kristina Cho.Bonus Content + Recipes This WeekThis week, paid subscribers will receive Kristina’s recipe for Youtiao (Chinese Doughnut), which we enjoyed together in San Francisco:Also later this week: Chef Ji Hye Kim on how she celebrates Chuseok, the Korean Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival.Salt + Spine is supported by listeners like you. To get full access to our exclusive content and featured recipes, and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.This Week’s New Cookbook Releases Here are a few of the new cookbooks on shelves this week:Dinner in One by Melissa ClarkThe Weekend Cook by Angela HartnettPrep and Rally by Dini KleinHealthy in a Hurry by Danielle WalkerModern Bistro from America’s Test KitchenChetna’s Easy Baking by Chetna MakanPasta Night by Deborah KaloperThe Little Book of Gin Cocktails from PyramidCocktail Botanica by Elouise AndersFlavor by Fire by Derek Wolf

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltandspine.substack.com/subscribe