Well before The Perfect Bite podcast and falling in love with startups, I was absolutely convinced I was going into book publishing. I even took a pilgrimage to the Penguin headquarters while studying abroad in London to take in the storied (pun-intended) institution, snapping a photo of the logo embossed doors while waving to the security guard to assure him I wasn’t totally crazy.

I may not have found a way into publishing books, but I was part of the lifestyle magazine scene for a short time before launching my own startup. As you can imagine for a young Millennial woman, I was into it for the discovery of new spots throughout Chicago and the perceived glamour of the industry (read: fun parties and tastings, shit pay).

Fast forward to today: Instagram recommends me one of the most badass women I’ve met in recent days, . Sally is the lead and senior agent for The Ekus Group, now a division of JVNLA. She represents hundreds of authors and she helps some of the coolest cookbooks get published. It also didn’t hurt she was rocking a Rent The Runway gown on the James Beard red carpet in one of her pictures—and it looked 100% better on her than it did on me when I tried it on.

Sally was truly born for and into this industry, growing up with parents who were cookbook publicists turn agents, spying luminaries like Julia Child, Emeril Lagasse, and even our dear mutual friend in her home’s kitchen, testing recipes for their upcoming publications.

I hope you enjoy Sally’s story, her insights into the industry and how it’s changing, and what we can do to support these gorgeous pieces of culinary art as much as I did.

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod.