Omnivore Books celebrates ten years

In the last couple of years, we have brought you plenty of bad news about cookbook stores closing down or facing a precarious financial situation. That’s why we are excited to share some good news: San Francisco’s Omnivore Books is celebrating its tenth anniversary! Eater interviewed owner Celia Sack on how her store has not only survived, but has thrived in the past decade. 

Although she started her store in the depths of the Great Recession, Celia had one advantage in that she had a great deal of experience as a rare books specialist at an auction house in San Francisco. Having such a depth of knowledge about antiquarian books gave her a leg up on the rare cookbook market. 

One comment that Celia made in the article really struck a chord with me, when she compared cookbooks to albums: “My partner gave me a really good talking point: She said, when you get recipes online, it’s like putting together a bunch of songs on Pandora that you like. But buying a cookbook, it’s like buying an album.” Much like an album reveals a lot more about an artist than a single can do, so too does a cookbook provide insights on the author. “It’s nice to get to know the author you’re working with and their style,” says Celia.

Congratulations to Celia and Omnivore Books. Here’s to many more successful years!