The best books of 2023 by the experts

December 22, 2023 by Jane

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Who knows cookbooks better than the owners of specialist cookbook stores? They stock and sell thousands of cookbooks and because their stores are focused on food and drink books, they are true experts. They read the books, cook from them and then share their knowledge with their customers. When shopping for cookbook gifts this holiday season, please think about supporting one of these stores – don’t forget most of them also do online orders and many offer gift certificates.

We asked for favorite cookbooks of 2023 lists from the cookbook stores that feature in our directory. Some of the books listed were published in 2022 in their country of origin but in 2023 in the bookstore’s country. All these lists will be included in our Best of the Best list, which is being unveiled soon.

USA

Omnivore Books (San Francisco) – owner Celia Sack

Made in Taiwan by Clarissa Wei
More is More by Molly Baz
Growing Up in a Nonya Kitchen by Sharon Wee
Kung Food by Jon Kung
Bake Smart by Samantha Seneviratne
Bread and Roses by Rose Wilde
Portico by Leah Koenig
Ever-Green Vietnamese by Andrea Nguyen
The Vegan Baker by Zacchary Bird
Vegetable Revelations by Steven Satterfield

Kitchen Arts & Letters (New York) – owner Matt Sartwell

The Simple Art of Rice by JJ Johnson & Danica Novgorodoff
Polish’d by Michal Korkosz
Fish Butchery by Josh Niland
Food of the Italian Islands by Katie Parla
More Than Cake by Natasha Pickowicz
Lune by Kate Reid
Tropical Standard by Garret Richard & Ben Schaffer
Veg-Table by Nik Sharma
From the Hill by the Sea by Seadon Shouse
The Secret of Cooking by Bee Wilson

Book Larder (Seattle) – owner Lara Hamilton & manager Mira Courage

Asada by Bricia Lopez & Javier Cabral
Tin to Table by Anna Hezel
Tenderheart by Hetty McKinnon
A Splash of Soy by Lara Lee
The Secret of Cooking by Bee Wilson
Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly
Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs and Juice by Toni Tipton-Martin
Made in Taiwan by Clarissa Wei
Scandinavian From Scratch by Nichole Accettola
Mayumu by Abi Balingit

Vivienne Culinary Books (Portland OR) – owner Robin Wheelright

Mayumu by Abi Balingit
The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z by Tamar Adler
Pulp by Abra Berens
The Art of Friday Night Dinner by Eleanor Steafel
Tenderheart by Hetty McKinnon
Sweet Salone by Maria Bradford
Italy by Ingredient by Viola Buitoni
For The Culture by Klancy Miller
Bread and Roses by Rose Wilde
Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly

Powell’s (Portland OR) – staff picks

Ever-Green Vietnamese by Andrea Nguyen
Every Season is Soup Season by Shelly Westerhausen Worcel
Delicious AF Vegan by Lauren Boehme Hartmann
Exquisite Exandria by Various
Fermenter by Aaron Adams & Liz Crain
More is More by Molly Baz
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson
Raw Dog by Jamie Loftus
Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly
Sweet Potato Soul by Jenné Claiborne

Now Serving (Los Angeles) – owner Ken Concepcion

Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly
Yogurt & Whey by Homa Dashtaki
Rintaro by Sylvan Mishima Brackett
Love is a Pink Cake by Claire Ptak
The Cookie That Changed My Life by Nancy Silverton
The Korean Cookbook by Junghyun Park & Jungyoon Choi
Portico by Leah Koenig
Made in Taiwan by Clarissa Wei
Invitation to a Banquet by Fuchsia Dunlop
Cooking: Simply and Well for One or Many by Jeremy Lee

Bold Fork Books (Washington DC) – owner Clementine Thomas

Small Fires by Rebecca May Johnson
Tenderheart by Hetty McKinnon
The Secret of Cooking by Bee Wilson
Perfectly Good Food by Margaret and Irene Li
Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs and Juice by Toni Tipton-Martin
Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly
Bread and Roses by Rose Wilde
Ever-Green Vietnamese by Andrea Nguyen
My Everyday Lagos by Yewande Komolafe
No Meat Required by Alicia Kennedy

CANADA

Appetite for Books (Montreal) – owner Jonathan Cheung

Veg-Table by Nik Sharma
Tenderheart by Hetty McKinnon
Seafood Simple by Eric Ripert
More Than Cake by Natasha Pickowicz
Yiayia; Time-perfected Recipes from Greece’s Grandmothers by Anastasia Miari
Shabbat by Adeena Sussman
Salad Pizza Wine by Various
Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly
More is More by Molly Baz
Lidia’s From Our Family Table to Yours by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich & Tanya Bastianich Manuali
Asada by Bricia Lopez & Javier Cabral

The Cookbook Co. Cooks (Calgary) – owner Gail Norton

Sweet Enough by Alison Roman
Brutto by Russell Norman
Eat Alberta First by Karen Anderson
Anna Olson’s Baking Wisdom by Anna Olson
A Very Prairie Christmas Bakebook by Karlynn Johnston
Prairie by Dan Clapson & Twyla Campbell
Texture Over Taste by Joshua Weissman
Tenderheart by Hetty McKinnon
Recipes for a Lifetime of Beautiful Cooking by Danielle Alvarez
Farmhouse Vegetables by Michael Smith

UNITED KINGDOM

cookbookbake (Brighton) – owner Julie Haylett

The Secret of Cooking by Bee Wilson
Now & Then by Tessa Kiros
The Flavour Thesaurus: More Flavours by Niki Segnit
Love is a Pink Cake by Claire Ptak
How to Butter Toast by Tara Wigley
The Chocolate Spoon by The Silver Spoon Kitchen
East Winds by Riaz Phillips
Mother Tongue by Gurdeep Loyal
Cooking: Simply and Well for One or Many by Jeremy Lee
Bold Beans by Amelia Christie-Miller

EUROPE

De Kookboekhandel (Amsterdam) – owner Daan van Kooten

Tenderheart by Hetty McKinnon
Code Noir by Lelani Lewis
Asada by Bricia Lopez & Javier Cabral
Ikoyi by Jeremy Chan
Made in Bangladesh by Dina Begum
Haniyé by Matay de Mayee
Toscanini – Pasta by Maud Moody & Leonardo Pacenti
Italopop by Vanja van der Leeden
Pomegranates and Artichokes by Saghar Setareh
Comfort and Joy by Ravinder Bhogal

Cook + Book (Netherlands) – owner Riejanne Schimmel

The Farm Table by Julius Roberts
Flavour by Sabrina Ghayour
Italopop by Vanja van der Leeden
Brutto by Russell Norman
Toscanini – Pasta by Maud Moody & Leonardo Pacenti
Ons Foodsaver Boek (The Food Saver’s A-Z) by Alex Elliott-Howery & Jaimee Edwards
Midden-Oosterse Salades (Very Good Salads) by Shuki Rosenboim & Louisa Allen
Sweet Enough by Alison Roman
Chin. Ind. Rest. Kookboek by Danny Lee