What’s Letter from Berlin?

Letter from Berlin is a newsletter written by me, Luisa Weiss, the author of My Berlin Kitchen (“a piquant memoir with charm, heartbreak…and recipes galore”1), Classic German Baking (one of the best baking books of 20162) and currently at work on my next cookbook, Classic German Cooking, publishing in October (pre-order it here!).

In Letter from Berlin, I share recipes from my home kitchen, dispatches from the land of cookbook writing and recipe testing, and occasional pieces on my fiction writing and the struggles of being a creative person with young children. Twice a month, I send out What I’m Reading, where I share the books I’m currently reading and loving and welcome a lively book discussion in the comments.

About me

I was born in Berlin to an American father (who lives in Boston) and a Roman mother (who lives in Berlin). I have spent my life flying back and forth between my parents, going to school in Brookline in the early years and Berlin in the later ones. It took me many years to figure out where I belong and to wrestle my way out of a feeling of perpetual homesickness. Along the way, cooking became a form of therapy, a way to conjure the people I loved and the places I missed whenever I was far away. But reading has always been my first refuge. I went into book publishing as a college graduate and spent ten years in New York City working as a literary scout and then a cookbook editor. I started my food blog The Wednesday Chef as a secret side hobby in 2005, but it soon blossomed into something that expanded my world, opened new paths and changed my life.

My first book was a food memoir called My Berlin Kitchen, published in 2012. My cookbook Classic German Baking, published four years later, was named one of 2016’s best baking books by both the New York Times and the Washington Post. My next book, Classic German Cooking, will be published in October of this year. My writing and recipes have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, Cup of Jo, Food52, Serious Eats, Epicurious, Milk Street and Bake from Scratch, among publications. I was the food columnist at Harper’s Bazaar Germany from 2014 to 2017.

Today I live in Berlin again with my husband and our two sons, Hugo and Bruno. In addition to my food writing, I do translation work and am working on my first novel.

Why subscribe?

So that every single issue of this newsletter goes directly to your inbox! The newsletters will live here and you’ll always be able to access any recipes you want to make (again), book suggestions you might have forgotten, or previous newsletters that you want to reread or send to a friend.

But more importantly, while most of the content I produce here is for all subscribers, if you become a paid subscriber ($6/month or $60/year), you’ll also get access to subscriber-only content, like more personal essays and occasional bonus recipes. You’ll also be supporting me as I navigate this next phase in a creative life. Thank you.

Contact

You can find me on Instagram.
You can email me at luisa@luisaweiss.com.