Brian Stewart

If you don’t already love food, you’d be hard pressed not to after reading How to Eat. Perhaps nothing captures Nigella’s powerful, humorous, and informative voice as this book, which you’ll want to read cover-to-cover. It’s packed with superb narrative, tons of kitchen tips, and recipes that are manageable and highly delicious. If start somewhere, start with the Clementine Cake.

I’ve always been drawn to Paula Wolfert and other cookbook writers of her style—the Paula’s, Julia Child’s, Claudia Roden’s, and Diana Kennedy’s of the world. Paula’s deep love for Morocco, and its people and food, shines brightest in this book. Drawing on her decades of research, Paula writes with authority and admiration. It’s a huge volume, full of stunning photos and recipes. Any fan of Ottolenghi should know of Paula Wolfert’s works and early influence.

I first dined at Charlie Trotter’s as part of a Chicago tour-de-cuisine—a graduation gift from my grandmother. As a kid from the Midwest, the atmosphere, the service, and the food were unlike any I’d experienced before. After the meal, Charlie’s mother gave us a personal tour of the kitchen—and we went home with a copy of his first cookbook. I still cherish it.

One of my go-to cookbooks and authors for entertaining: Ina’s recipes work every time, fill the space between decadent and simple perfectly, and are never too intimidating or complicated. Ina changed the way I think about cooking as much as anyone.

New Orleans has my heart for many reasons: my wife and I were married there; there’s a vibrancy and a strong resilience you won’t find anywhere else; and so much of our culinary history is rooted in their kitchens. For our first wedding anniversary, my wife gave me a 1954 copy of the Picayune’s Creole Cook Book, acquired from Omnivore Books. I love vintage cookbooks, and this one is just as exciting today.

One of my favorite explorations of regional American cuisine, packed to the brim with engaging narrative from Vivian Howard’s coastal North Carolina life. The blueberry chapter–especially the blueberry BBQ chicken–is excellent.

I’ve always loved the less-favored James Beard works, where more of his personality and idiosyncrasies shine through, like this 1983 one on pasta, which followed Beard on Bread. Reading this is like having him on your shoulder while you tackle pasta classics.

A classic staple for Thai home cooking, and an essential one in my cookbook collection since I first visited Thailand and fell hard for the country’s people and food. My Thai cooking collection is supplemented by other great works but I find myself turning back to Thompson’s recipes to cross-check an ingredient list or confirm my thinking.

One of my first trips to California—before I made the state my home—included a meal at Zuni Cafe, which opened my eyes to what amazing California cooking was all about. The roast chicken and bread salad is worth every ounce of praise.

Julia Turshen is one of my favorite cookbook authors because she stands for more than just simple, delicious, and crave-able recipes: she’s a leading voice for the industry on issues of equity, identity, and access. Small Victories is one of my kitchen go-tos; the turkey meatballs are on rotation in my house, and the Happy Wife, Happy Life cake is perfect.