During her last semester in school, New York’s Hesiona Celo did three hard things at once: She taught herself how to cook her family’s recipes, how to shoot food photography, and how to let go of what she had been taught in school and to focus on her heart. And she did all of this in one semester for her senior thesis.

It’s really a remarkable story, and she tells it beautifully. Interested in learning how to make a cookbook? It’s easier than you think, and we can help.

How did your project begin?

Kulturë: Cookbook started out as a concept for my senior thesis. I had just come back from a semester in Italy where I became really keen on cooking and learning about food. Being born into a very large Albanian and Greek family, social time often happened over a home-cooked meal, but I always took those meal moments for granted, and I hoped to change that post-graduation.

What was the purpose of the project? What did you want to do with the book?

I wanted to re-discover my country’s heritage by writing about my favorite family recipes that left an impression on my upbringing. My mission was to have this cookbook help me uncover lessons that would give me a new appreciation for my family’s traditions. Kulturë: Cookbook was actually made for me to carry on into my future family.

How did you find Blurb?

I discovered Blurb through a recommendation from teachers and friends.

What made you decide to go with Blurb?

I found it extremely convenient and easy to upload and publish.

How long did it take you to complete your project?

I had my entire final semester (four months) to complete the project, but since I had other projects going on at the same time I ended up allocating about two months to the making and publishing of Kulturë: Cookbook.

How much did you know about food photography before you got started and how did you learn to do it?

I don’t know much about food photography at all, at least not professionally. I studied advertising and design, so I’m comfortable using a camera (I used my Canon EOS 6D camera and my Canon 18-55mm and 70-300mm lenses). For this project, I just tried my best to capture the food in a way that was delightful and rich to the senses. I didn’t use any studio lights or special equipment—natural light only—as soon as the plate was prepared in our kitchen I shot it right then and there. I cooked and shot around the same time every day for two weeks.

I started by planning the story I wanted to tell. The weeks before I spent time perfecting my list of food that needed to be included in the book to tell the story. I began shooting in March when the weather was grayer which worked in my favor because it created a softer light and more color contrast, so photos required less post-editing and no photography equipment. Just a ladder, daylight, food, and kitchen props were needed.

While I did all the photography, I had my mom help me prepare and cook from 7 am to around 9 or 10 am. I would shoot along the way. By 12 to 2 pm, I did the final shots of the food cooked and arranged as it would be in a dining setting. My kitchen is connected to my living room, so as soon as the food came out I carried it over to our coffee table (which is set pretty low to the ground and next to a large window), turned off the kitchen lights, stood atop a ladder and shot. I took hundreds of photos of the same food in a very short amount of time because I needed to cook and shoot two meals a day for two weeks to get 22 chapters of recipes.

Once the food photography was done, I began editing until my evening class at 6:45 pm and then later in the night as needed. This was my fixed schedule for the two weeks, and I couldn’t afford to miss a day because once all the photos were shot and edited I had until the second to last week of April to deliver my book completely finished, printed, and bound. It was a very intense execution period (but also kind of normal) because January to February was dedicated to strategizing and planning the concept.

What was the hardest part of the project?

Getting the recipes prepared to taste and getting the book to come together. Kulturë: Cookbook is quite dense and detailed, so compiling the content took a lot of precision and care. Another challenge throughout was to try to not burn the kitchen down.

What did your family think of the book?

They were thrilled that I chose to base my senior thesis on my heritage, but my mother was especially appreciative that this project permitted us to bond so much.

Was there anything that surprised you about the project?

Before this project, I had been so intensely focused on myself and my studies as a designer/art director. Then I studied abroad and had to juggle myself, my studies, travel, family, and new people. During that semester overseas I realized many things, but the overarching realization was that there was more to life I needed to experience and learn to handle beyond myself and school projects. But I didn’t regret exerting so much of myself in my work during my four years in college because that was what I need to do to learn what I have learned. The study abroad experience just reinforced a valuable, observational lesson that once I graduate the world becomes my teacher, and I have only so much time to experience it, and I have to make sure that I don’t shield away from it because it informs so much of what I create as a designer/art director.

So I took this assignment as a challenge and experiment for me to start applying this lesson to my projects. I decided to learn how to cook and create a cookbook—totally not advertising-related. I decided to include my mother and entire family heritage in this project. And I decided to throw out every advertising and design lesson my teachers had instructed and just go about creating this from my heart (hence the no fancy photo equipment and I didn’t even attend any classes until I had to present my work).
I was very happy it worked out because I realized that I can communicate more when I create from a personal place than when I try to create from an institutional place. I was also very excited to graduate having realized this because it’s given me a spine to every decision I’ve been making in my career and personal life so far.

What would you do differently next time?

On my next attempt, I would manage my time better to include more recipes and photography. Taking photos and then being able to eat my meals were the most fun stages of this project so I would not hesitate to do that again.

How did you promote the book?

Kulturë: Cookbook was displayed on my senior wall during my university’s student exhibition and presented to a panel of judges for my final senior presentation. I didn’t actually plan to publish it, but my teachers pushed me to give publishing a shot and make it accessible to whoever was interested.

Do you have another book project that you’re thinking of making?

I do, but it’s a secret.