Ten weeks after losing her daughter to cancer, cookbook writer Sherry Gore found her fresh start at USF St. Petersburg’s 2015 Food Conference.
Experts from the culinary world were featured at the conference, including the celebrated Chef Don Pintabona, co-owner of Locale Market at Sundial.
Gore spoke on how to successfully make your own cookbook.
Gore tended to her daughter Jacinda Gore, 24, tirelessly for the past 10 years, until she passed away from a rare blood disease and brain cancer. Gore used her writing as a diversion from cleaning doctor’s houses and spending most of her time in and out of hospitals with her daughter. She found unexpected success with her cookbooks.
For Gore, the conference was the first time she has appeared publicly in years. Though she has been invited to many prestigious media engagements regarding her upcoming and previously published books, she has not appeared anywhere recently.
Jacinda was Gore’s biggest fan, she was proud of her mother’s accomplishments. As Jacinda’s health declined, Gore pulled back from all the attention her books had gained her. As she said, “You can never get a day back.”
Gore chose USFSP’s Food Conference as her official fresh start. Moving forward, she intends to put her full focus into her career as a food writer; for herself and for Jacinda.
Gore lives in Pinecraft, Fla., an Amish and Mennonite community in Sarasota. It was there she wrote her first book, “Taste of Pinecraft.”
In 2006, she went store to store in Pinecraft looking to buy a cookbook as a gift. During a particularly challenging time for Jacinda’s health, a 19-year-old woman had stepped in to help Gore. Before departing, she left Gore with a personal cookbook entirely in German. Gore wanted to return the favor, but couldn’t find one. This inspired her to combine all of the best Pinecraft food into a cookbook.
She self-published her first cookbook and was able to sell around 600 copies through Facebook. This caught the attention of some important people and got her a feature on National Geographic.
“It was like getting a commercial during the half-time show of the Super Bowl, for free,” she said.
After that, her career took off in a way that some would call a miracle. Gore was able to break into a difficult market with ease. She landed a three-book-deal with HarperCollins publishing house just two days after sending a proposal for one. This process usually takes about six weeks.
Her third book “Me, Myself and Pie” recently came out, offering more than 100 pie recipes. Gore tested each of these recipes on average, eight times, so she knows they are phenomenal.
On Aug. 1, her first novel in a set of three, “Made with Love,” will be published. She and Tricia Goyer are working on this series together. Also, Gore’s memoir, “The Plain Choice,” will be published on Aug. 25.
“In a nutshell, I’m grateful,” Gore said.
