CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Lake Erie Ink is serving up more than recipes with its latest release, “Kitchen Fables: A Creative Community Cookbook.”
The Cleveland Heights nonprofit’s newest publication turns food into a vehicle for storytelling, art and intergenerational connection. It’s Lake Erie Ink’s fourth cookbook project, which complements other community writing projects it publishes throughout the year.
“Kitchen Fables” compiles writing, poems, artwork and—yes—recipes from Greater Clevelanders of all ages. What started as a pandemic response has evolved into a creative tradition that celebrates community as much as cuisine.
“We were trying to collect writing and art from people to kind of keep a creative community going. Literally, that was why it started,” Amy Rosenbluth, executive director of Lake Erie Ink, said.
While the book includes recipes, it’s not a conventional cookbook. The pages mix family favorites alongside food-inspired poems, short stories and artwork.
“It’s definitely a mix,” Rosenbluth said. “Some people submit a recipe and a story about that recipe. Some people just do one or the other, and that’s fine.” Lake Erie Ink also worked with kids during its regular programs to provide content for the book, mainly illustrations, short stories or poems about food.
This year, the project expanded beyond Lake Erie Ink’s youth programs with help from other community partners. Local chef Doug Katz hosted a creative food-writing workshop at Kiln in Shaker Heights and contributed his own piece to the latest edition. Collaborations like his, Rosenbluth said, help draw new voices into the mix.
“It really welcomes in writers and artists and creators of all ages,” she said. “It forms this really beautiful stew of creative energy.”
That energy came to life last month when contributors gathered at Sophie La Gourmande on Lee Road for the cookbook’s launch party. Nearly 50 people attended, reading poems, sharing stories and celebrating their work.
“I cried,” Rosenbluth admitted. “When you talk about seeing a mission in action—that was it. We had kids listening to adults who are learning to read and write, and everyone was so proud. It was just a really beautiful thing.”
Copies of “Kitchen Fables” are available at local bookstores—Heights Arts, Loganberry Books, Visible Voice, Mac’s Backs and Sophie La Gourmande—or directly through Lake Erie Ink’s storefront at 2108 S. Taylor Rd. in Cleveland Heights. It’s also available for purchase online.
While Lake Erie Ink, like most nonprofits, relies on the support from the community, Rosenbluth points out that it isn’t always just financial contribution.
“A lot of times, it’s just showing up,” she said, to anything from an open mic night to a cookbook release party. “Supporting these types of things so that kids know there’s people who believe in them.”
Lake Erie Ink continues that mission with the upcoming 10th edition of its teen anthology, now accepting submissions through Jan. 15. The theme this year—“Lights, Camera, Action”—encourages teens to explore their creativity through storytelling, just as Kitchen Fables invites the community to share its voice around the table. More information is available at lakeerieink.org
As part of its variety of programs, Lake Erie Ink previously ran a teen journalism workshop in collaboration with Cleveland.com in memory of late reporter Nikki Delamotte, inviting young participants into the newsroom.