A First-Time Author Stays True to a Vision
Justin Burke on publisher pushback and the books that inspired Potluck Desserts.
Here’s one way I could have started this newsletter:
Just in time for all of summer’s BYO gatherings, baking pro serves up Potluck Desserts, a mouthwatering book full of gorgeous, yet accessible treats tinged with nostalgia—think Gooey Butter Corn Cake, Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars, and Pull-Apart Strawberry Shortcake. Throughout, we get stories of how central potlucks have been in Justin’s life and how important they are to the queer community. It’s a book you’ll want to bake from all season long.
That would all be true, and yet, it doesn’t feel quite right.
Slightly coy cover aside,1 Potluck Desserts (Bookshop/Amazon) is unabashedly about and for the queer community. Yes, anyone can (and should) bake from it, but throughout every chapter the book stays true to its purpose. Here’s a sneak preview of what Justin says in the interview below:
I didn’t just want to write a cookbook as a queer author—I wanted to write a cookbook for the queer and trans community. Not something coded or campy, not something designed to make readers outside our community feel more comfortable. I wanted the narrative and recipes to be explicitly queer, rooted in our real lives, our homes, our chosen families.
I would like to think that we’re in a cookbook moment when there’s more room for a singular vision like that, more trust in both authors and the audience to take a chance on books that aren’t written specifically for them. Based on Justin’s experience getting an agent and publisher, however, this may be wishful thinking. It took more than a decade to get the book Justin envisioned out into the world.
All that is why my recipe-focused description at the beginning of this newsletter is a touch off. It would be doing a disservice to Potluck Desserts to make the context secondary. It’s proudly primary.
That said, let’s talk about the recipes! I baked the Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookie Bars over the weekend. They were easy to make and hard to stop eating. The chapters are divided by vessel, including sheet pan, casserole dish, and loaf pan. Every recipe includes a badge that indicates how long the recipe takes start to finish, a very helpful feature when you’re itching for something sweet asap.
Thank you Justin for this interview and this book! I hope it brings members of your community hope and a sense of belonging. I know it will bring all of us delicious food. Follow Justin on Instagram and here on Substack. Potluck Desserts is out June 3 and available for pre-order at Bookshop and Amazon.
The Cookbookery Q&A with Justin Burke
About how many cookbooks do you own?
JB: Honestly, I’ve lost count. We’re selling our house right now and I’ve packed five—maybe seven—boxes already, with just a few stacks left inside for staging.
How do you organize them?
JB: Haphazardly! Just sweet or savory. It makes sense to me—my husband tells me what he’s looking for and I go find it. But in the new house, I’m dreaming of a proper cookbook library.
What would you say to someone who questions why cookbooks still matter in our "digital age"?
JB: Cookbooks are history—you’re holding someone’s story, their point of view, their experiences. They’re not just for cooking anymore; they’re powerful vessels for identity, culture, and legacy. Plus, if the internet crashes… where else are you gonna get your recipes from?
How did Potluck Desserts come to be?
JB: I didn’t just want to write a cookbook as a queer author—I wanted to write a cookbook for the queer and trans community. Not something coded or campy, not something designed to make readers outside our community feel more comfortable. I wanted the narrative and recipes to be explicitly queer, rooted in our real lives, our homes, our chosen families. When I got the chance to do this, I knew it might be my one shot to contribute to queer food history, to tell my story authentically, and to help define what queer food even is. I needed something tangible to center it all around, and queer potlucks made perfect sense—they’re full of history and nearly universal in our community.
What are you most proud of when it comes to Potluck Desserts?
JB: That it exists! After a decade of trying, we finally have a mission-driven, queer-forward dessert cookbook where our community can see ourselves—stories, homes, humor and all—on every page.
Did you get any feedback, either from your publisher or other publishers that passed on the book, that your vision for the project was too specific?
JB: Oh gosh—did I ever. Countryman Press, my publisher, has been incredible. But before I found them, there were a lot of slammed doors. Some of the feedback I received—from publishers and agents—was honestly dehumanizing. They didn’t want my queer identity to be front and center. To them, being a queer author was “enough,” but the work itself had to be more mainstream—just pies and cookies, or ultra-refined recipes with no context. But I had a clear vision, and my agent
and the team at Countryman immediately understood that.What is the first cookbook you remember cooking out of?
JB: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (for the current version: Bookshop/Amazon). My grandma swore by it. To me, as a kid, that red-and-white cover was the holy grail.
What kind of cookbook reader/user are you?
JB: First, I flip through. Then I come back, read it cover to cover, mentally bookmark recipes, and pull from that mental file when we’re planning meals or gatherings. I also hand them out to people like I’m running my own cookbook library.
What is one cookbook you read, but don’t cook from?
JB: Yikes—Vivian Howard’s Deep Run Roots (Bookshop/Amazon)! It’s such a beautiful book, but it’s massive. I treat it more like an inspiration resource than a book I actually cook from. Is that bad? Sorry, Vivian—you know I adore you!
What do you find boring in a cookbook?
JB: Not enough photography—or too many photos that feel too sterile. I want mess, people, joy, movement.
What is a cookbook that changed the way you cook?
JB: Joanne Chang’s Flour (Bookshop/Amazon). As a self-taught baker, it became my textbook—especially when I suddenly found myself working in professional kitchens. I used it so much the binding gave out and the pages are covered in notes. That book gave me the confidence to turn a hobby into a full-blown career.
What is a cookbook that totally transports you?
JB: Jeremy Salamon’s Second Generation (Bookshop/Amazon). You feel like you’re right there in his world—family stories, rich cultural history, and photos that move like memories.
What's a cookbook cover you're obsessed with?
JB: Khushbu Shah’s Amrikan (Bookshop/Amazon). It doesn’t even look like a cookbook—bold, illustrated, clean. It stops you in your tracks on the shelf.
Are there any cookbooks specifically aimed at a community that inspired you?
JH: I looked closely at Korean American (Bookshop/Amazon) by Eric Kim and Diasporican (Bookshop/Amazon) by Illyanna Maisonet. Both authors write from and for their communities with such clarity and intention. They weren’t trying to dilute their stories to appeal to a broader audience—they knew exactly who their books were for. That really stuck with me. Representation and visibility came first for them; knowledge transfer and broader awareness came after. That framework helped me trust my gut with Potluck Desserts. I wrote it first and foremost for the queer, trans, and ally community. Everyone else came second—and that’s okay.
You’re only allowed to cook from three books (aside from your own) for the rest of your life. What are they?
JB: Rick Martínez's Mi Cocina (Bookshop/Amazon), Korean American, and Mediterranean Every Day (Bookshop/Amazon) by Sheela Prakash.
Anything else you'd like to add about Potluck Desserts?
JB: With the recipes I went back to where I started: a self-taught home baker. Potluck Desserts is about keeping the stories and the food deeply connected—letting them intersect in ways that feel real, emotional, and lived-in. This isn’t a one-and-done cookbook. It’s the first in what I hope will be a three-part series. The stories will grow across the books, just like we do—as queer and trans people learning to live more openly, and as cooks finding our way in the kitchen.
Interview has been lightly edited. If you purchase a book through one of these links, I may receive a small commission.
More to Nibble On
At first, I was a little judgy reading this post about Meredith Hayden’s book tour. Then I got over it. The more people into cookbooks the better!
NYT Bestsellers: And clearly it’s working since The Wishbone Kitchen is on the list for the third week in a row (#8)! Baking Across America debuts at #2.
What I cooked:
’s Sweet-Savory Tempeh Veggie Burgers. This salmon, a riff on a recipe from my mother-in-law.
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I’m sure the word “pride” is meant to clue us in…and maybe the disco ball??
Thank you for sharing a window into Justin’s cookbook love. But even more so, the importance and mission of the love poured into Potluck Desserts!
My favorite one of your newsletters yet Jenna! Loving your interviews. Bravo to Justin, Sally Ekus and Ann/Countryman for bringing Potluck Desserts to the world. Can't wait to read it.