Honor Their Memory
Through Food & Love

Create a meaningful memorial cookbook that celebrates your loved one's life through their favorite recipes and cherished food memories.

Create a Memorial Cookbook

A Meaningful Way to Remember

Food connects us to the people we love. A memorial cookbook keeps those connections alive.

Keep Their Spirit Alive

Every time family cooks one of their recipes, you create a living connection to their memory. The aromas, flavors, and rituals keep them present in your daily life.

Share Memories & Stories

A memorial cookbook is more than recipes. It's a place to share stories about the person - their humor, their quirks, the way they always burned the toast or made the best pie in the county.

Create Together, Heal Together

Working on a memorial cookbook can be part of the healing process. Family members contribute recipes and memories, coming together to celebrate the life of someone you all loved.

A Gift for Future Generations

Grandchildren who never met their great-grandmother can know her through her famous chocolate cake. Great-great-grandchildren can taste the same flavors that brought comfort to family generations ago.

What to Include in a Memorial Cookbook

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Their Signature Dishes

The recipes they were famous for - the ones everyone requested at gatherings, the dishes that meant "home" to your family.

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Their Favorite Foods

Include the foods they loved to eat, even if they didn't cook them. These recipes trigger memories of sharing meals together.

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Stories & Memories

Share memories about cooking with them, meals shared together, their cooking style, and the way food brought your family together.

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Photos

Include photos of them cooking, at family gatherings, enjoying meals, or just being themselves. These images make the cookbook deeply personal.

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Quotes & Sayings

Add their favorite sayings, cooking tips they always shared, or funny things they said in the kitchen.

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Family Contributions

Let different family members share their favorite memories and recipes, creating a collective tribute from everyone who loved them.

MakeCookbook creator Andy Carnevale

Why I Built This

I built MakeCookbook when my mom wanted to create a memorial cookbook for her mother. She needed a way to collect recipes from all her siblings, add family photos and stories, and create something beautiful that everyone could have.

Every recipe sparked a memory. Every photo led to a story. The cookbook became a celebration of her mother's life and legacy.

If you're creating a memorial cookbook for someone you loved, I want to help make it perfect. It's an honor to be part of preserving those memories.

Creating Your Memorial Cookbook

Take your time - this is a labor of love

1. Gather Recipes

Collect recipes from family members. Look through old recipe boxes, cookbooks, and handwritten cards. Ask relatives to share the dishes they remember most.

2. Collect Stories

Reach out to family and friends. Ask them to share their favorite food memories, funny kitchen stories, or meaningful moments around the table. These stories are precious.

3. Find Photos

Gather photos from family albums - pictures of them cooking, at celebrations, with family, or enjoying a meal. Even candid kitchen shots are treasures.

4. Create & Share

Arrange everything into a beautiful cookbook. Take your time getting it right. When finished, print copies for everyone in the family - a gift everyone will cherish.

Memorial Cookbook Ideas

Organize by Life Chapters

Create chapters for different periods - their childhood favorites, their signature dishes, holiday traditions, or recipes from different homes they lived in.

Include Family Contributions

Have different family members write the introduction for different sections, sharing their unique perspective and memories.

Add a Timeline

Include a page showing key moments in their life, especially those connected to food and family gatherings.

Recipe Notes

Add notes about how they made each dish special - the extra butter they always added, how they knew when it was done, their shortcuts and secrets.

Create a Lasting Tribute

Honor their memory with a beautiful cookbook that celebrates their life, recipes, and the love they shared through food

Start Your Memorial Cookbook

Questions About Memorial Cookbooks

Is it appropriate to create this soon after a loss?

There's no right timeline - some find it healing to work on immediately, others wait months or years. Work at whatever pace feels right for you and your family.

What if we don't have many recipes written down?

You can recreate dishes from memory, adapt similar recipes, or simply describe the dish and the memories around it. The stories matter as much as the recipes.

How can family help from far away?

You can invite family members to contribute remotely. They can add recipes and memories that you incorporate into the final cookbook.

Can we share it at a memorial service?

Absolutely. Many families create memorial cookbooks to share at services or gatherings, giving everyone a meaningful keepsake to take home.