GALION–A Galion grad’s new cookbook is already becoming a best-seller even though it doesn’t get released until next year.

“The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook,” a recipe book and guide to home food preservation by Chelsea Jenney O’Leary, became available for pre-orders November 18. By the end of the day, it had skyrocketed to number one for Amazon’s new book releases.

“I didn’t expect to find out when I found out. I logged on and I was just so taken aback,” said O’Leary, who lives in Nashville, Tenn., with her husband, Dr. Jared O’Leary, and their son Sullivan. “We were just so excited and so surprised. It was just a cool feeling.”

The 248-page cookbook is an offshoot of O’Leary’s online business – Wiley Canning Company – which she founded two years ago in order to share recipes and teach others the value of canning and pickling. It is set to be released by the publisher, Blue Hills Press of Whites Creek, Tenn., March 23, 2023.

O’Leary said the cookbook focuses on “delicious ingredients that ultimately lead to delicious meals.”
All 45 recipes featured are rooted in “seasonality, education, and family,” and most were created using produce from local farmers’ markets, including her recipe for satsuma rum marmalade.

The author is already receiving accolades from distinguished American chef and restauranteur Sean Brock, who said she offers “a wonderfully refreshing perspective on food preservation fueled by financial wisdom, mindfulness, and a passion for reminding us that preserving can teach us how to live.”

O’Leary developed that passion for preserving from her grandmother, Trudy Wiley Ruehle, who regularly canned peaches, green beans, and other produce is grown on her Crawford County farm. Wiley Canning, O’Leary said, is an ode to her grandmother and a way of carrying on a family tradition.

Her home kitchen is often featured on the company’s website and Facebook page, along with photos she’s taken of fresh fruits and vegetables. The busy business owner also gives private canning lessons in her home and conducts virtual workshops for students all over the country.

O’Leary, who earned two degrees from Otterbein University in 2013, writes a weekly newsletter for her company and recently launched “The Wiley Subscription,” another educational tool for subscribers that even includes a video called “Dinner with The O’Leary Family.”

In her free time, the 2008 Galion grad loves to explore photography through both a film and digital formats. She enjoys writing and running in the woods or through the city. On weekends, she and her family often frequent farmers’ markets, parks, or nearby wooded trails.

But the cookbook project, she said, is a dream come true. “It is a gift and deep honor to share my knowledge and recipes with you,” she tells online users. “Creating this book was one of my life’s greatest joys, and to soon share it with you is one of my life’s greatest fortunes.”

In addition to Amazon, “The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook” can be pre-ordered at Barnes & Noble, Target, and Bookshop.org. Signed copies and pre-order bundles, however, are only available through Wiley Canning Company and Blue Hills Press.

You can click on the links below to learn more: