Gastronomica

Welcome to the New Books Network.

Welcome to the Gastronomica podcast on the New Books Network.

I'm your host, Rosie Song, a member of Gastronomica's editorial collective.

Today, I'm joined by Eve Bratman and Anna Porteous to discuss their piece titled A Mellified Redemption: Learning to Live with a Pa- Pest through Spotted Lanternfly Honey.

This piece is available in the Fall 2026, Volume 26, Number 3 issue of the journal.

I'm sure that all our listeners and readers of Gastronomica have in the past read and heard news about invasive pests, often coming from distant places that somehow have migrated to the places where we live in.

I use the word somehow because in this news, it is not always clear or well-explained how these new species have arrived to specific locations.

There is always a sense of alarm, threat, and fear in communicating the arrival of these unwanted insects or animals.

Frances has spent more than 25 years really shaping how cookbooks look and feel.

She was the founding design director for Gastronomica.

When I first got into food writing, I subscribed to every single magazine and Gastronomica was up there as one of my very favorites because it just combined so many cool things.

It was art.

It was poetry.

Chronicle gave me a few cookbooks.

During that time, I connected with some people at UC Press.

Dara Goldstein, who was the founding editor of Gastronomica, had just approached them with the idea for the journal.