With Christmas coming, “Santa” can only do so much. However, should you have some cooks, mixologists, bakers, or just eaters and drinkers on your “nice” list, please read on. The gift that keeps on giving is just a click away.
In my time since returning to this page I have had the honor of meeting and working with some dope people in food. They are chefs, editors, television hosts, content makers, influencers, writers, and more. They are an inspiration to me for their passion, unique perspective, and commitment to their art in the form of a cookbook.
As the culinary producer on Melba Wilson’s first cookbook, Melba’s American Comfort: 100 Recipes from My Heart to Your Kitchen (a great gift!), I know the amount of time and work that goes into producing the printed result. So for anyone that gets the opportunity to make their own, the package opening of the first copy you might have seen on social media encapsulates tireless days and the patience of a saint.
To get this celebration started, we must have a cocktail. The incomparable, award-winning journalist, historian, and social activist Toni Tipton-Martin captures the hospitality excellence of Black drinking culture in her latest bestseller Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice: Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks. She takes readers over two centuries of cocktails from the days of fermented, brewed, and steeped to the modern zero proof cocktails today and all of the shaken and stirred in between. Please also check out her other award winning cookbooks like Jubilee and The Jemima Code.
Should your giftee be a lover of African food and curious how to make it at home, look no further than the latest cookbook from global activist, restaurateur, and owner of Yolélé African foods and Harlem’s Teranga, chef Pierre Thiam. Simply West African: Easy, Joyful Recipes for Every Kitchen celebrates the foods of West Africa with foundational sauces, grains, and beans, plus meat and vegetable main course recipes. Personally, I am in for the snacks section like banana pof pofs with cilantro and scallion.
I can tell you first hand that I absolutely swooned receiving Breaking Bao: 88 Bakes and Snacks from Asia and Beyond. It is the first cookbook by my friend and uber talented pastry chef Clarice Lam. The play on words of the title is only the beginning of this whimsical, unique-sized, weighty-papered cookbook filled with savory and sweet recipes, tremendous photography by Evan Sung, and a comprehensive ingredient guide. Remember bao means bun, so never say, “bao bun” again.
Finally, from my personal wish list, I can’t wait to get my hands on Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treat Inspired by my Corner Store by celebrated, “booked and busy” chef Paola Velez. Straight from the BX, Chef Velez takes bakers down her irreverent and impactful memory lane that begins with Cookies for All and ends with Put It in the Freezer!
A very merry Christmas to all! Happy eating and thanks for reading!
Kysha Harris is a chef, food writer and editor, culinary producer, consultant and owner of
SCHOP!, a personalized food service in NYC for over 22 years. Follow her on Instagram,
@SCHOPnyc and on Facebook, @SCHOPnyc.
Questions, comments, requests, feedback, invitations! Email us at AmNewsFOOD@SCHOPnyc.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @NYAmNewsFOOD.
