Celebrating LGBTQ+ chefs, cookbook authors and writers

June 11, 2020 by
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Eat Your Books celebrates cookbook authors every day. As June is Pride Month we are highlighting LGBTQ+ writers to acknowledge their contribution to the culinary world and to our cookbook addictions!

Last month, Ten Speed Press published Tasty Pride: 75 Recipes and Stories from the Queer Food Community . This new book shares stories of love, pride, and acceptance and the important role that food can play in that journey. Filled with beautiful imagery and tasty (no pun intended) recipes for any occasion, it will be a great resource in your kitchen.

James Beard, a pioneer in food television and author of a library of cookbooks, was a gay man who struggled with the public and private perception of his sexuality. The James Beard Foundation shared some ways to celebrate Pride month with the JBF in an article in 2018. John Birdsall’s The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard will be published in October 2020. John Birdsall is a gifted writer and you can read more about him in his Lucky Peach piece, America Your Food is So Gay.

Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images

Jeremiah Tower has been credited with the birth of California cuisine which focuses on dishes that are driven by local and sustainable ingredients with attention to seasonality and an emphasis on the bounty of the region. A food lover from childhood, he had no formal culinary education before beginning his career as a chef. Inspired by a berry tart he had eaten at the then-unknown Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California, he applied for a job there in 1972. Alice Waters and her partners hired him for his demonstrable skills and brazenness when it came to recreating great French traditional food. And the rest is history. Jeremiah makes an appearance in the above video from American Masters on James Beard.

Julia at Caroline’s in 2018.

Julia Turshen is an all-around wonderful person. I had the privilege of meeting her in 2018 at an event for her cookbook Now & Again and spent some time talking to her at length as I am one of those people that shows up early (but I’m the first to leave). Epicurious has named her one of the 100 Greatest Home Cooks of All Time and The New York Times has described her “at the forefront of the new generation of authentic, approachable authors.” She sits on the Kitchen Cabinet Advisory Board for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and is the founder of Equity At The Table (EATT), an inclusive digital directory of women and non-binary individuals in food. Recent work: Julia co-authored In Bibi’s Kitchen that will be released in October and February 2021 Simply Julia: 110 Easy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Food will be coming our way.

Joe with Gail Simmons at the IACP awards 2018.

Joe Yonan is the author of a number of cookbooks and holds the prestigious position of being the food and dining editor at the Washington Post. You can find a number of Joe’s online recipes indexed for our members. His latest book Cool Beans was a huge hit in our EYB Cookbook Club. He is not only a major talent but he is funny and charming!

James Oseland was the editor-in-chief of Saveur from 2005 to 2014 and has written books and cookbooks with my favorite being Cradle of Flavor. James has two new books slated for October 2020 release World Food: Mexico City: Heritage Recipes for Classic Cooking and World Food: Paris: Heritage Recipes for Classic Cooking which are the first editions of his collectible series being published by Ten Speed Press.

Yotam Ottolenghi is a household name for EYB members. His cookbooks are highly rated and coveted by all. Recent news: Ottolenghi Flavour will be released in the UK in September and Ottolenghi Flavor in the US in October.

Sami Tamimi has written many books with Yotam and his debut solo cookbook Falastin: A Cookbook is incredible! It is one of our EYB Cookbook Club options next month.

Nigel Slater is a prolific writer and author who has written his weekly column for The Observer newspaper for twenty-six years.

Michael Twitty at the podium during the IACP conference in 2018.

Michael W. Twitty is the author of The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African-American Culinary History in the Old South the James Beard Award Winner for Writing and Cookbook of the Year in 2018. Michael is the voice behind Afroculinaria. To learn more about Michael and his work see the about section of his site.

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, the married dynamic duo who have written over two dozen cookbooks, continue to churn out more titles every year. This October their latest “bible” will be released. Instant Pot Bible: The Next Generation: 350 Totally New Recipes for Every Size and Model.

Kylie Kwong is an Australian chef, restaurateur, author, and television presenter who passionately believes that growing and cooking food helps to create a sense of wellbeing. Her beautiful books are treasures in my collection.

Peter Gordon is a New Zealand chef known for his fusion cuisine. He is the author of cookbooks that showcase his talent for blending global flavors into exciting dishes. And while I own Peter’s latest title Eating Well Everyday, I just ordered three others because I am all about fusion cuisine!

David Lebovitz has authored several cookbooks and memoirs including his most recent title Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Apéritifs, and Café Traditions of France, with 160 Recipes. David’s popular blog is also indexed here for our members (add the blog to your bookshelf for 653 additional recipes).

David standing next to Ignacio Mattos in 2018 at an event in NYC.

David Tanis is one author who we have indexed all his recipes from cookbooks and online sources. David has worked as a professional chef for over three decades including many years at Chez Panisse.

Rick Rodgers has written, co-written or ghostwritten myriad cookbooks. Rick is a knowledgable food resource and so fun to talk with and the perfect partner for a venting session.

Brian Hart Hoffman, the heart behind the Bake from Scratch magazine which makes my heart flutter when it arrives in the mail! This great Q & A will introduce you to the baker extraordinaire.

Nik Sharma is the author of Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food and columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle. I am so excited that his second cookbook The Flavor Equation will be released this October.

Dominique Crenn is a French chef and is currently the only female chef in America to attain three Michelin stars, for her restaurant Atelier Crenn, in San Francisco, California. Her debut cookbook Atelier Crenn: Metamorphosis of Taste is a masterpiece and her memoir Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters has just been released and is absolutely an amazing read.

David Leite is the author of The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe’s Western Coast and his moving memoir Notes on a Banana: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Manic Depression. He is the heart and soul behind Leite’s Culinaira which is indexed for our members. Add the blog to your bookshelf for 3,500 plus recipes!

Liam Charles is a British baker, television presenter and contestant from Series 8 of The Great British Bake Off. He is currently a presenter on Bake Off: The Professionals and a judge on the new Junior Bake Off. I love his personality and both of his cookbooks! Cheeky Treats and Second Helpings.

John Whaite, season 3 winner of The Great British Bake Off in 2012, apparently doesn’t squander a moment. In my interview with him a few years back, he was in training to be a barrister, had just finished Comfort, and was working on his next book all while planning his wedding. He has been a television presenter, writes for the Telegraph, and now has opened the John Whaite’s Kitchen Cookery School in Lancashire.

Raghavan Iyer is not only a masterful Indian chef but an incredibly wonderful person. Not too long ago he opened Pizza Karma in Eden Prairie Minnesota. His books are legendary especially 660 Curries.

While this list doesn’t claim to be comprehensive, I’ve attempted to link to as many authors as possible, and in the interest of not overwhelming anyone with this post, the bulleted listing below will take you to these authors’ cookbook pages and/or more information. Some of my all-time favorite people/chefs/authors are featured both above and in the bulleted list. If I have missed anyone, please leave a comment and I’ll be sure to add them.

Category: Antipasto

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7 Comments

  • wester  on  June 11, 2020

    I’m pretty sure Nigel Slater is gay as well.

  • RickRodgers  on  June 11, 2020

    Craig Claiborne and Richard Sax should be on this list, unless I missed them. Food writer Elissa Altman, although her work is not recipe-driven.

  • Jane  on  June 11, 2020

    wester – he certainly is. Can’t believe we missed him. Thanks Rick – we will add those two.

  • cookerbea  on  June 12, 2020

    John Martin Taylor…also known as Hoppin’ John. Southern food historian as well as a writer of a blog and cookbooks.

  • saladdays  on  June 12, 2020

    Tamal Ray , former GBBO contestant and regular recipe contributor in The Guardian Feast Supplement is gay too.

  • saladdays  on  June 12, 2020

    Just taking a bread recipe book off the shelf and spotted another one, Dan Lepard the Australian baker who lives in London.

  • vglong29  on  June 13, 2020

    Very happy to see this list. The food industry, like many others, isn’t easy for anyone who doesn’t fit the “normal” image. This article by Justin Burke is worth a read.

    Please include Jessica Battilana, author of Repertoire.

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