Danielle shares the story behind the book

I knew that there would be a lot to include in an article with Danielle Renov. As a blogger, vlogger, recipe developer, writer, podcaster, Kosher.com recipe instructor, and now cookbook author, I didn’t doubt that her experience would bring a wealth of information.

We know you’re constantly busy with your family, blog, Kosher.com videos, and, of course, writing for Family Table. What spurred you to add a cookbook into the mix?

I had the ideas and material for a full cookbook a long time ago, but with family commitments (a crowd of little people at home), coupled with my desire to just start sharing my recipes with the world, I decided instead to create a blog and post recipes three to four days a week.

There was immediate gratification in doing that. The feedback was very positive. I loved knowing that people were coming to my table via cyberspace and learning instantly. I had no agenda other than to create this blog and share ideas of how to make tasty, clean, creative, and family-bonding food.

But things snowballed, and to make a long story, well, less long, three-and-a-half years later, I was asked to sign a contract with ArtScroll to write a cookbook. And here we are!

I reflected on whether it made sense to write a cookbook when so much content was being shared online. But many people told me that searching for recipes and having them available for Shabbos was getting cumbersome. So it seemed that the time had come.

We know that Hashem orchestrates all things. But when we had to postpone the initial book release due to the technical constraints brought by the global pandemic, I got a first-hand reminder that Hashem is in control. In the end, instead of it coming out on May 15, it’s coming out July 31. It could have come out six days earlier, but that would have introduced it to the world during the Nine Days, and since I waited this long, obviously I didn’t feel like the time of our nation’s mourning was auspicious to share something that brought me (and hopefully will bring my readers too) so much joy.