Romance Novels Are Increasingly Getting Hot and Heavy in the Kitchen | Eater

"Opened in Los Angeles in 2016 by sisters Leah and Bea Koch, this independent romance bookstore has become a leading bookseller voice on trends and diversity in the genre. The founders have published five years of independent reports on racial diversity in romance publishing, documenting increases (from about 6% in 2017 to nearly 12% by 2021) in releases by authors of color, and from their bookselling perspective they’ve observed a recent surge in food-themed romances—many feeling like thinly veiled versions of popular baking shows—while urging publishers and authors to broaden the niche to include stories about farmers, artisanal producers, critics, and other less-explored food-world roles." - Bettina Makalintal