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By Katia Hetter, CNN
3 minute read
Updated 10:03 AM EST, Tue January 30, 2018
Dreaming of heading to another city or country because of the chefs who made these places famous? We asked the readers at Goodreads, where some 70 million book lovers share reviews and learn about new books, to help us narrow down the list. Here are our favorites.
Sweet: Desserts from London's Ottolenghi: In Sweet, Chef Yotam Ottolenghi, owner of the Ottolenghi restaurants and delis in London, shares his signature collection of desserts that Goodreads members call "stunning," "vibrant" and "innovative."
101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die: Chef at The Charleston in Los Angeles and Pakpao Thai in Dallas, Jet Tila has appeared on "Chopped," "Cutthroat Kitchen" and "Iron Chef America." Goodreads reviewers describe Tila as "truly gifted with the ability to translate Asian cooking for non-Asian America."
wd-50: The Cookbook: Offering a glimpse into the history of one of New York City's most cutting-edge restaurants, wd-50 founder/chef Wylie Dufresne shares the recipes of his most iconic creations. Goodreads readers call his book a "work of art" that is "absolutely breathtaking" and "filled with the vision of a true original."
The Art of Flavor: What happens when award-winning chef and restaurateur Daniel Patterson and natural perfumer Mandy Aftel collaborated on this unique book. Goodreads reviewers, who gave it an average rating of 4.04 stars, love the creative approaches to enhancing all types of flavor.
The Moosewood Restaurant Table: From the Ithaca, New York-based collective behind one of America's beloved natural-food restaurants, this book is the crew's latest addition to an expanding cookbook collection. Reviewers describe this book as "real, wholesome and luscious."
Burma Superstar: Fans of restauranteur Desmond Tan's staple of the San Francisco culinary scene can try to replicate his curries, stir-fry creations and other dishes. Goodreads reviewers "love that the culture and history" of Burmese cuisine is interspersed with "curious, yet original" recipes.
The Book of Greens: Award-winning Portland, Oregon chef Jenn Louis goes way, way beyond the average salad. Reviewers describe the vegetable-based recipes as a "mind-blowing" experience.
Salt Fat Acid Heat: Former Chez Panisse chef and writer Samin Nosrat teaches would-be chefs of any level to master the four elements of the kitchen and includes the hows and whys of good cooking. With an average Goodreads rating of 4.45 stars, it's been described as "flat-out genius," "inspirational" and "humorous."
Jack's Wife Freda: From the famous New York West Village diner of the same name, Maya and Dean Jankelowitz's cookbook makes chefs and readers feel right at home. Goodreads fans love the "warm," "welcoming" and "familiar" style that captures all the cozy and delicious nuances of Jewish comfort food. (And there's an extra helping of South African flavors.)
Meehan's Bartender Manual: Noted mixologist Jim Meehan, who is in charge of the bar at Manhattan's PDT speakeasy and the Prairie School in Chicago, writes an ode to the drink that is part history, one part guide, and one part recipe. Goodreads members love the inside look that Meehan delivers from behind the bar counter.
Six Seasons: Sometimes called a vegetable whisperer, Portland's Ava Gene's owner Joshua McFadden takes readers on a farm-to-table journey to highlight the growth and transformation of vegetables throughout the seasons. Rated an average of 4.42 stars on Goodreads, McFadden's book has been called "fresh and "passionate."
Tartine All Day: San Francisco native and Tartine Bakery co-founder Elisabeth Prueitt satisfies the cravings of home cooks everywhere with wholesome and diverse recipes that Goodreads members call "down-to-earth," "easy to follow," and "incredibly inspiring." No matter what your experience or expertise, Pruitt takes a no-fuss approach to ensuring every meal is achievable and mouth-watering.
Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook: It's not a cookbook, but it's from the queen of local and seasonal cooking, who has informed hundreds of chefs and their cookbooks over the past few decades. Described by Goodreads members as "a gem," Chez Panisse's Alice Waters tells the story of her journey from student to restaurateur to world-renowned advocate for good food.
Top restaurant chefs with cookbooks
CNN —
Dreaming of heading to another city or country because of a chef or bartender who has made those places famous?
Portland, Oregon, chef Joshua McFadden’s vegetables at Ava Gene’s, the sweets at chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s London locations and the drinks of bartender extraordinaire Jim Meehan inspire people to travel for their food.
Can’t fit all those trips to famous foodie destinations into your 2018 plans or looking for a last-minute present? Get a taste of these famous restaurant chefs’ creations by putting their cookbooks on your last-minute gift list.
“The most successful chefs these days are the ones that have a story to tell,” says cookbook author Susan Puckett, who co-wrote “Turnip Greens & Tortillas: A Mexican chef Spices up the Southern Kitchen” with Atlanta-based Taqueria del Sol chef and co-owner Eddie Hernandez. Their book comes out in April.
“Their food and their menus are expressions of who they are, where they come from, and what they value,” says Puckett. who collaborated with noted Atlanta chef Steven Satterfield on his cookbook, “Root to Leaf: A Southern Chef Cooks Through the Seasons.”
“Chefs’ cookbooks can (also) give curious cooks tastes of cuisines they may not be able to sample otherwise.”
The perfect gift for food explorers
We asked the book lovers at Goodreads, the Amazon-owned free website where some 70 million book lovers share reviews and learn about new books, to help us narrow down the list.
“Readers like being able to create a meal that not only rivals the food prepared at their favorite restaurants, but to also have those restaurant chefs giving them the secrets of their famous dishes,” says Elizabeth Khuri Chandler, Goodreads’ editor in chief.
“Taste is powerfully tied to memory, so it’s not a surprise that many of the reviewers (who’ve been to these places) write about attempting to re-capture a flavor of the city or the restaurant via these cookbooks,” Chandler says.
Choose your present by your loved one’s interests, or click through the gallery to read comments from Goodreads readers.
E-Commerce Guide by CNN Underscored: Chefs swear by these cookbooks
Picks for every kind of cook
Cooking Asian cuisine: 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die by Jet Tila
For the experimental cook: wd-50: The Cookbook by Wylie Dufresne with Peter Meehan
For the commune member: The Moosewood Restaurant Table by the Moosewood Collective
When a chef and perfumer collaborate: The Art of Flavor: Practices and Principles for Creating Delicious Food by Daniel Patterson and Mandy Aftel
For the lover of Burmese food: Burma Superstar: Addictive Recipes from the Crossroads of Southeast Asia by Desmond Tan and Kate Leahy
Beyond the average salad: The Book of Greens by Jenn Louis with Kathleen Squires
For the would-be scientist: Salt Fat Acid Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat
Jewish comfort food: Jack’s Wife Freda: Cooking From New York’s West Village by Maya and Dean Jankelowitz with Julia Jaksic
For the seasonal cook: Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden with Martha Holmberg
From sweet to savory: Tartine All Day: Modern Recipes for the Home Cook Hardcover by Elisabeth Prueitt
For the bartender: Meehan’s Bartender Manual by Jim Meehan
For the baker: Sweet: Desserts from London’s Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh
The must-read autobiography: Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook by Alice Waters
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