So Book Larder is a cookbook and food-writing-book store that hosts cooking classes and demonstrations. Was there a particular experience that inspired your interest in cookbooks?

I started really reading cookbooks when I picked up my first Nigel Slater book. Recipes can also be amazing stories. Eating is an experience everyone shares, and good food writing elevates that experience.

Did you try any recipes during your cookbook selection process that caused you to gag or go temporarily blind?

[Laughs] Past experience definitely helped us figure out what we didn't want to carry. There was no blindness, but there was some gagging.

What is the rarest book you carry?

There's a first-edition MFK Fisher. We have a book from a brewers' society in 1932.

How is Book Larder outfitted to accommodate cooking demonstrations?

We have a kitchen right in the middle of the store. We'll have a big mirror over it soon, so you can see it no matter where you are in the room.

Which cookbooks do you hope for occasions to use?

Modernist Cuisine, but I don't think I'm equipped for it. I'd love to use The French Laundry Cookbook and take three days to create a meal.

Are there cookbook authors you're nervous to meet for fear of shrieking, fainting, and misspelling text messages in excitement?

Nigel Slater for sure!