Family cookbooks, beautifully bound

Her recipes. Her handwriting. Bound for the whole family.

Snap the old recipe cards and invite everyone to add their favorites and the stories behind them. We turn it all into a hardcover that looks like it came from a chef's kitchen.

Start your family's book Flip through a sample

No typing. No design skills. Now taking our first 20 founding families.

Sunday Dinners

Every Sunday at two, the windows fogged up and the whole block knew. Grandpa Joe called it gravy, never sauce, and nobody argued.

A grandmother baking with her daughter and granddaughter
Sunday baking at Grandma's

Serves 8 to 10

Rose's Sunday Gravy

  • 2 lb pork neck bones
  • 1 lb Italian sausage
  • 6 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 2 cans (28 oz) whole tomatoes
  • A big handful of basil

Brown the meat in your biggest pot. Add the garlic, then the tomatoes and basil. Simmer about 3 hours, "till Joe gets home."

Never rush the gravy. R.

Sunday Gravy
2 lbs neck bones + 1 lb sausage
brown in big pot w/ garlic
2 big cans tomatoes, basil
simmer till Joe gets home
Giving it for Christmas? We're taking our first 20 founding families now. Save your spot

How it works

You bring the memories. We do the typing, the design and the printing.

  1. 1

    Start a book

    Pick the occasion and whose kitchen it honors. We tell you the date recipes need to be in.

  2. 2

    Invite the family

    Send one link to the group chat. Aunts, cousins and grandkids add a dish and a memory from their phones.

  3. 3

    We do the typing

    Every card is transcribed, tidied and laid out. Anything we can't read is flagged for you, never guessed.

  4. 4

    Hold it in your hands

    Approve a page-by-page proof. Your hardcover arrives about 10 days later, ready to wrap.

Her words, kept

We fix the spelling. Never her voice.

"Bake till it smells right" stays exactly that. We make the steps easy to follow, keep her asides as notes, and print the original card right beside the recipe if you like.

  • Original card shown next to every transcription
  • Missing amounts become a question for you, not a guess
  • Nothing goes to print until you approve it
Lemon Icebox Pie
1 can sweet cond. milk
3 egg yolks, juice of 3 lemons
graham crust (store ok!)
bake 15 min, chill overnite
Mama's favorite for Easter
A lemon pie cooling on a rack

Lemon Icebox Pie

  • 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 egg yolks
  • Juice of 3 lemons
  • 1 graham cracker crust

Whisk, pour into the crust and bake 15 minutes at 350°F. Chill overnight.

Mama's favorite for Easter

Highlighted: oven temp confirmed by Aunt Linda

Made for the moments that matter

A gift nobody else could give.

Wrapped presents under a Christmas tree

The holidays

The one present that makes the whole table go quiet, then start telling stories.

A grandmother hugging her grandchild

Mother's Day

Her recipes, gathered by her kids, with a note from each of them on the dishes they grew up on.

Old family photographs spread on a table

In loving memory

Keep a grandparent at every table. One copy for each household, so nobody has to choose who keeps the recipe box.

Also lovely for wedding showers, family reunions and milestone birthdays.

Every family has a dish that means home.

The Russo Family group chat

I'm making a book of Grandma Rose's recipes for Christmas. Add yours by Nov 22? Takes 5 minutes, no account.
customchefbooks.com/rose
Add a recipe to Grandma Rose's Kitchen
Doing the gravy right now. I have her card!
Can I add the pizzelles? I'll record how she taught me.

Everyone adds a dish

One link in the group chat. The whole family shows up.

Relatives open the link, snap a card or type a recipe, and add a photo or a one-minute voice note about the dish. You watch the book fill up and send a gentle nudge when you need to.

When it's done, they can order their own copy from the same link.

The book

Printed in full color on heavy paper, designed page by page.

Every edition includes the typing, the design, your proof and shipping to one address.

Kitchen

Softcover, the one that lives by the stove

$59

  • Up to 80 pages
  • Full-color premium paper
  • Extra copies $39
Most families choose this

Heirloom

Hardcover, made to be handed down

$99

  • Up to 80 pages, printed hardcover
  • Full-color premium paper
  • Extra copies $59

Keepsake

Linen hardcover with a foil-stamped spine

$149

  • Up to 120 pages
  • Original cards printed as facsimiles
  • Digital edition with voice notes

Hear them again

Scan a page and hear the person who made it.

Every recipe with a voice note gets a small code in the corner. Point a phone at it and Uncle Joe tells you, in his own words, why the gravy can't be rushed.

Rose's Sunday Gravy

Joe, 1 min 12 sec

Questions families ask

Grandma's handwriting is hard to read. Will it work?

Yes. We transcribe every card and flag anything unclear for you to check. The original card can print right beside the recipe.

Do relatives need an account?

No. They get a link by text or email and can add a recipe from their phone in about five minutes.

How long does it take?

You get a proof within 48 hours of your last recipe. Books arrive about 10 days after you approve it.

Who can see our photos and stories?

Only the people you invite. We never use your family's recipes, photos or stories in our marketing without asking first.

The recipe box won't last forever. The book will.

We're opening to our first 20 founding families. Leave your email and we'll reach out personally to start your book.

Thinking about a holiday gift? Join and tell us. A gift certificate lets you build it together in January.