A Menu from the Local Harvest
Imagine you are a chef creating a sustainable menu using only locally sourced ingredients. Describe the challenges and triumphs you face in gathering ingredients, designing recipes, and the final presentation on the plate.
Suggested length: An essay or article: 800 to 2,500 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- State your main point in one sentence before you start.
- Include a counterargument and answer it fairly.
- Cut every sentence that only repeats the one before it.
Writing cooking books
Recipes that work, and a reason to cook them.
Cookbooks and food writing cover everything from a single cuisine to the science of how cooking works. The best ones have a point of view: a voice, a philosophy, a story behind the food.
What readers expect
- Reliable, tested recipes
- A clear point of view
- Stories behind the food
- Beautiful, useful design
A tip before you start
Test every recipe more than once, ideally in someone else's kitchen. Readers forgive a lot, but not a cake that fails.
More Cooking, Food and Wine prompts
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- Unusual Wine PairingsCreate a guide for pairing wines with unconventional dishes. Experiment with combinations that defy traditional norms, such as pairing a robust red…
- My First Kitchen MemoryDescribe your earliest memory of cooking with someone. How did the experience influence your current relationship with food and cooking? Reflect on…
- The Meal We RememberDescribe your most memorable meal shared with someone special. What made the food, the setting, or the company unforgettable? Reflect on the emotional…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
Chapterly gives a draft somewhere to grow: chapters, daily word goals, and readers when you're ready.
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