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FAQ

Will Volume 1 be reprinted?

We’re thrilled to share that Volume 1 is being translated into French by Lynne Faubert, generously and entirely pro bono! Currently, an English reprint is not planned.

While Volume 1 laid the foundation, Encore! builds on it with more recipes, new chefs, fun family cooking projects (like dumpling wrappers and pasta-making) and reimagined favourites from the first book. We asked everyone involved in Volume 1 if they wanted to contribute again and many did, bringing back the same spirit of generosity and collaboration. It’s a natural evolution with the same warm, community-driven heart.

Yes! You’ll find all these options throughout the book. There’s even a dedicated vegetarian chapter. While the cookbook doesn’t focus exclusively on any one dietary preference, it offers a wide variety of recipes to suit different tastes and needs.

Yes! The recipes are written with a supportive, step-by-step approach which is easy to follow, even for beginners. We’ve worked hard to eliminate usual questions and fill in the gaps that might not be obvious to a new cook. Our goal is to encourage people to cook and enjoy homemade meals together around the table, where the best conversations happen.

We selected the Montreal Children’s Hospital’s Healthy Kids Fund because it provides the hospital with the flexibility to direct funds wherever they’re most needed and whenever they’re needed. Your donations may be used to:

  • Purchase life-saving medical equipment;
  • Fund critical research into childhood illnesses like diabetes or cancer;
  • Educate and train the next generation of healthcare professionals;
  • Support families facing financial hardship during hospitalization;
  • Provide child life programs and therapies that help young patients cope with anxiety and stress while in care;

Focusing on the Healthy Kids Fund rather than a single department ensures broader impact across the hospital. It allows donors to support urgent, high-impact needs and appeals to anyone who wants to assist the children’s hospital.

We’re profoundly grateful for every contribution. Every dollar raised through this project helps transform care and improve experiences for sick children and their families.

You can help by spreading the word or sharing our content on social media; every bit of support helps raise more funds for the Montreal Children’s Hospital. If you’d like to contribute directly to our fundraising efforts, you can also make a donation. Tax receipts are issued for donations of $15 or more.

Yes, the twofold mission remains unchanged: to simplify the cooking experience for home chefs with easy-to-follow recipes and to raise much-needed funds for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Quite simply, because we decided to make another cookbook! The exclamation mark reflects our excitement and enthusiasm and we hope that energy is contagious.

We chose the Salade Niçoise for a few reasons. First, it’s a beautiful dish, full of vibrant colours and it feels bright, fresh and full of life. That energy reflects the spirit of our team and the community behind this project: vibrant, generous and united by a shared purpose to create positive change through a locally powered movement.

It is also representative of many of the recipes in the book. While the full salad makes a stunning composed dish, it is built from several smaller components which can stand beautifully on their own: the poached eggs, seared tuna, dressing, potatoes, green beans or even the salad base itself. In our home, we have enjoyed each element on its own as well as the fully assembled recipe, which makes it both practical and special.

Although it wasn’t a straightforward path to embarking on this journey again, the idea never truly left our minds. When Laura Casella asked me on Global Morning whether we might write another cookbook, I hinted that it was possible. By then, a few team members had already expressed interest, but we had not sat down to fully discuss it, even after the books had sold out and we had handed over the cheque to the Foundation.

I took some time to reflect and explore other project ideas, but my heart kept leading me back to this one. Carolina and Neal both encouraged me on multiple occasions to do it again. Susan always gave the impression she was on board too, though our lunches had evolved into friendship and didn’t always focus on the cookbook. The same was true for Ric and Hanna: Ric and I chatted about it casually, while my visits to Hanna’s cheese shop were filled with conversations about everything and anything.

One thing I knew for sure: I missed working with this team. So one day, I decided to reach out to each of them and ask if they were truly interested.

To my delight, the answer was a resounding yes. I knew we had a great team, but hadn’t expected we’d come back together so seamlessly and with such genuine enthusiasm.

Many of the recipes were inspired by submissions we received for Volume 1. We had more than 500 submissions but could include only about 150 recipes, so there was a wealth of wonderful content to revisit. Everyone involved in the first book was invited to submit again and, organically, many cherished generational family favourites started rolling in. These heartfelt contributions really shaped the warm, community-driven tone of the book.

Several chefs from Volume 1 returned with new recipes and we were thrilled to welcome new chefs on board as well. During the COVID pause that interrupted Volume 1, I took an online cooking certification course. That, combined with everything I learned while working on the first book, gave me the confidence and foundation to develop some of my own recipes this time around.

I also wanted to create a sense of continuity, so you’ll find a few favourites from Volume 1 reimagined in this edition. And since this is a family cookbook meant to inspire people to cook at home, I wanted to include some fun, hands-on recipes designed to bring everyone into the kitchen, including dumpling wrappers, fresh pasta, cake pops and more. It’s all about making cooking a joyful, shared experience.

Just like Volume 1, this edition features approximately 150 recipes, including vinaigrettes and any sub-recipes listed under a main recipe.

No; not the graphic designers, editor, food stylist, photographer, legal counsel or anyone else. Every member of the team has volunteered their time and expertise pro bono to maximize the fundraising potential of the project. Even the retailers are selling the book without taking a commission on sales.

An October 2026 launch is projected; we’ll know better as we approach the finish line.

We have a number of distribution points.

While nothing is confirmed, our team loves working together and if Encore! is as successful as Volume 1, who knows what the future holds?