Below, we’re very pleased to re-share an article from Hively, a trusted retirement navigator that empowers the 12,000 Americans retiring daily to make the most of their next chapter. The interview features Pam, a longtime Heritage Cookbook creator and Hively member who shared her cookbook-making journey with her retirement group!

Recipes to Memories, Writing a Family Cookbook with Pam

Meet Pam. A life-long Californian, Pam enjoys all things food related, traveling, reading, college football, and going to the theatre & jazz concerts. At the end of February, 2024, Pam retired from a 40+ year career in banking that she stumbled upon completely by accident.

For passionate home cook Pam, compiling a family cookbook was more than just assembling recipes – it was about preserving precious memories, traditions, and a legacy for future generations. Inspired by her son’s request to recreate his favorite childhood dishes, Pam’s project evolved into a rich anthology of family history and culinary delight.

Pam sees cooking as a magical act of bringing loved ones together. “You take bits and bobs of things, throw them into a pot, and voilà, you have something delicious that will warm your soul,” she shares. Her family cookbook beautifully blends recipes with cherished stories and photos, connecting the past, present, and future. One heartwarming tradition involves Pam’s granddaughter choosing a recipe from the book, like the family’s beloved key lime pie, to cook together.

In organizing her cookbook, Pam prioritized it being user-friendly for her family. She categorized recipes by type and included a clear index to help everyone easily find their favorites. Pam also made sure to capture the unique origins and traditions behind each dish, noting who inspired the recipe and any adaptations made over the years.

In creating her family cookbook, Pam chose Heritage Cookbook, a platform that offers customizable templates for crafting personalized cookbooks to create her family cookbook.Pam explored several options, but Heritage Cookbook stood out for its user-friendly templates that could handle both recipes and photos, while also allowing for plenty of customization. “I tried a few different platforms,” Pam shared, “but Heritage Cookbook was the one that gave me the creative freedom I needed.” Heritage Cookbook offered templates that accommodated her rich storytelling, making it easy to include family memories and anecdotes alongside the recipes.

The Hively team and community had the chance to ask Pam questions about her cookbook journey:

Q: How did you decide what order to put the recipes in?

I arranged them in standard cookbook categories – appetizers, main courses, desserts, and so on. I also included an index to make it easy to navigate, especially since some recipes connect to different branches of the family.

Q: What’s the oldest recipe in the cookbook?

One recipe dates back to my childhood— our family didn’t do traditional bread stuffing for Thanksgiving, but instead a rice dressing- Not sure where the recipe originated, but it is a family favorite that contains dried shiitake mushrooms and Chinese sausage (lop cheung). My niece eats it with turkey gravy to the exclusion of the rest of the meal. My cousins actually recently discovered the recipe in the cookbook and immediately made it!

There’s also a Swedish heirloom cookie recipe that my aunt only made at Christmas. That was the first recipe I ever collected, and it felt essential to include.

Q: Did you have family members taste-test the recipes?

Yes! I asked family members to review recipes and provide feedback. Some remembered adding a specific ingredient or adjusting the seasoning, which I noted. While I kept a consistent format, I left room for little variations, so my cousins helped make sure each recipe felt just right. For recipes like the key lime pie, I’d mention that the original version had a meringue topping, while my version includes coconut.

Q: What’s one of the biggest challenges you faced compiling recipes and stories?

Definitely prioritizing what to include. With a large family, I had to narrow down the list to recipes my son grew up with and truly loved. I also found the typing and proofreading tedious but essential to avoid errors.

Q: Did you include personal stories or memories along with the recipes?

Yes, each recipe often has a little note about who originally made it, how it’s been adapted, and even some funny family anecdotes. For example, for key lime pie, I note that it yields “eight servings – unless my son’s eating it, in which case it’s four.”

Q: How did you decide on the dedication for each book?

My first cookbook is dedicated to my son and granddaughter, as they’re the ones who inspired it. I also included a section of thanks to all the family members who contributed recipes or taste-tested for me. The second book, which is more about my personal journey with food, is dedicated to my husband. I even included a memoriam page to honor friends and family who have passed, and I added my dogs, who “taste-tested” everything too!

Q: How do you feel about the idea of leaving this cookbook as a legacy?

That’s really why I did it. Food is central to who I am, and I wanted my family to have something that connects them to me and to our traditions. It’s also a way to keep our food heritage alive and celebrate the stories and memories that go with each dish. Knowing that this book will be in my family for generations is so fulfilling.