Expert Tips for Organizing Your Family Cookbook Project

Looking for tips on how to organize a family cookbook project? Creating a family cookbook is one of the best ways to preserve treasured recipes, family stories, and traditions for future generations. Food editor Sara Levine Rosenblum shares six expert tips to help you collect recipes, organize contributors, and create a beautiful custom cookbook your family will treasure.

Is this the year you will finally make that family cookbook you’ve been thinking about for years (or decades)?

We’re sharing some expert guidance on how to get organized and make it happen in 2025 from Sara Levine Rosenblum of SLR Creative. Sara is a food editor who specializes in helping families, businesses and organizations bring their recipes to life in custom cookbooks.

The first cookbook I created was a celebration of my beloved Grandma Florence’s recipes after she passed away in 2009. Grandma Florence inspired the lifelong love of food and cooking that led me down a path to food writing, culinary school, Food Network and eventually, launching my own business focused on cookbooks!

As you can imagine, I’ve learned a great deal since I published that scrappy little book (at Kinkos!) fifteen years ago, but it still means so much to me and my family.

If you’ve always wanted to celebrate and preserve your recipes in a family cookbook, here are my top six tips to get you started.

1. Give the gift of time.

Want to gift a family cookbook next Christmas? Start now! Spread the word and give everyone (yourself included) plenty of time to gather their recipes.

2. Get creative with collecting.

Use email and Google Drive folders to gather recipes and photos easily, but don’t forget older relatives who might prefer a phone call. Grandma’s secret recipe might need to be dictated — or better yet, cook it together and document the steps with pictures!

3. Capture the stories.

Great cookbooks capture memories, not just recipes. When you’ve got relatives on the phone, hit that record button! Jot down personal anecdotes and include them in short headnotes that bring each dish to life.

4. Make it a team effort.

My mom was my co-editor on Grandma Florence’s cookbook and it was a true bonding experience for us to tackle the project together. Collaborate with siblings, cousins, or parents to create something truly special. Turn that family group chat into a brainstorming session and gift a cookbook everyone will treasure.

5. Snap and scan.

Take simple photos of dishes at family gatherings—perfect contribution for that amateur photographer on your family “cookbook committee”! Daylight is your best friend for great food photos. Include scans of old recipe cards—the more well-loved, the better—for a nostalgic touch.

6. Don’t be intimidated.

Platforms like Heritage Cookbook make it seamless to organize, design and print your book. I wish I’d known about Heritage when I was pulling my hair out designing and laying out pages manually for my first Kinkos print job!

Frequently Asked Questions About Creating a Family Cookbook

How do you organize a family cookbook?

Start by giving family members plenty of time to contribute recipes, photos, and stories. Organize everything in shared folders or by email, and consider asking relatives to help collect recipes or interview older family members. Breaking the project into smaller tasks makes creating a family cookbook much more manageable.

What should a family cookbook include?

In addition to recipes, many family cookbooks include photographs, handwritten recipe cards, personal stories, cooking tips, and memories connected to each dish. These details help turn a recipe collection into a treasured family keepsake.

What’s the easiest way to make a custom cookbook?

Online cookbook makers like Heritage Cookbook simplify the process by helping you organize recipes, customize layouts, collaborate with family members, and professionally print your finished cookbook.

January 15, 2025

Ready to turn your recipes into something memorable? Create your family cookbook today.