Finfredelford Family Cookbook
Publishing & Illustration
From holiday feasts to lazy sleepover mornings and family meal prep, food has always been the glue that holds us together. For generations, cooking and sharing meals has been our way of showing love. To keep this tradition alive, I created a cookbook filled with cherished family recipes and favorite dishes—my way of learning, connecting, and sharing the joy of food with the people I love.
BOOK TITLE
The title of this cookbook comes from a combination of the three families mentioned in the book. Finfrock (my last name), Edelman (my grandmother’s maiden name), and Crawford (my great grandmother’s maiden name). These three names make up Finfredelford.
RECIPE COLLECTION
My grandmother generously let me borrow her treasure trove of recipes—an eclectic mix of handwritten notes, vintage magazine clippings, food packaging snippets, and more, all carefully collected over 90 years by her, my great-grandma, and my great-great-grandma! I couldn’t help but imagine the laughter and memories woven into these well-worn pages. To add even more inspiration, I visited thrift stores to gather ideas for vintage cookbook layouts and unique illustration styles. It was like diving into a culinary time capsule—one delicious story at a time.
CONCLUSION
I had an absolute blast working on this project! Drawing food and objects has always been one of my favorite pastimes, so bringing these illustrations to life was a real treat. The process of creating the spot illustrations for the book was especially enjoyable—I got to kick back, listen to music, and let my creativity flow.
This project also gave me a beautiful, unexpected gift: a deeper connection to my family's history. Before diving into this, I didn’t even know the names of my great-great-grandparents! It was an eye-opening journey that reminded me of the importance of exploring our roots and how those connections shape who we are today.
