Best books by the experts 2024

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 food and drink books of 2024 lists from the cookbook stores that feature in our directory. Some of the books listed were published in 2023 in their country of origin but in 2024 in the bookstore’s country. All these lists will be included in our Best of the Best list, which is being unveiled in early January.

USA

Omnivore Books (San Francisco) – owner Celia Sack 

• Sebze by Özlem Warren
• Chinese Enough by Kristina Cho
• Citrus: A World History by David J. Mabberley
• Sift by Nicola Lamb
• Breaking Bao by Clarice Lam
• Zahav Home by Michael Solomonov & Steven Cook
• Wild Chocolate by Rowan Jacobsen
• The Contemporary African Kitchen by Alexander Smalls & Nina Oduro
• Ela! Ela! by Ella Mittas
• Turkuaz Kitchen by Bëtul Tunç

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

• The Bartender’s Pantry by Jim Meehan, Bart Sasso & Emma Janzen
• The Bean Book by Steve Sando
• The Crop Cycle by Shane Mitchell
• The Editor by Sara B. Franklin
• Flavorama by Arielle Johnson
• Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking by Von Diaz
• Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking by Mingoo Kang
• Tales From the Yeast Indies by Christopher Tang
• Wild Apple Exhibition: Pomological Series Volume 3 edited by Matt Kaminsky
• Zao Fan: Breakfast of China by Michael Zee

BEM | books & more (Brooklyn NY) – owners Gabrielle & Danielle Davenport

• Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson
• Our South by Ashleigh Shanti
• The Contemporary African Kitchen by Alexander Smalls and Nina Oduro
• I’ll Bring Dessert by Benjamina Ebuehi
• Belly Full by Lesley Enston
• Africali by Kiano Moju
• Bodega Bakes by Paola Velez
• Pan y Dulce by Bryan Ford
• Forage & Feast by Chrissy Tracey
• Supper With Love by Michelle Braxton
  

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

• I’ll Bring Dessert by Benjamina Ebuehi
• Cook Simply, Live Fully by Yasmin Fahr
• Easy Wins by Anna Jones
• Sunlight & Breadcrumbs by Renee Erickson
• Le Sud by Rebekah Peppler
• The Irish Bakery by Cherie Denham
• Islas by Von Diaz
• Sift by Nicola Lamb
• Indonesian Food by Sri Owen
• Amrikan by Kushbu Shah

Talbott & Arding (Hudson NY) – owners Mona Talbott & Kate Arding

• Second Generation by Jeremy Salaman
• Flavorama by Arielle Johnson
• Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes by Jessie Sheehan
• What Goes With What by Julia Turshen
• Le Sud by Rebekah Peppler
• My Life in Recipes by Joan Nathan
• The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
• Keep it Zesty by Edy Massih
• Dolci! by Renato Poliafito
• Not Too Sweet by Jessica Seinfeld

Read It & Eat Bookshop (Buffalo NY) – owner Kim Behzadi

• If You Can’t Take the Heat by Geraldine Deruiter
• Wild Chocolate by Rowan Jacobsen
• Frostbite by Nicola Twilley
• Piglet by Lottie Hazell
• The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
• What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci
• Slippery Beast by Ellen Ruppel Shell
• Konbini by Brendan Liew & Caryn Ng
• Cuisine on Screen by Sachiyo Harada
• Soups, Salads & Sandwiches by Matty Matheson

Vivienne Culinary Books (Portland OR) – owner Robin Wheelright

• Easy Wins by Anna Jones
• Sift by Nicola Lamb
• The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• The Memory of Taste by Tu David Phu & Soleil Ho
• Mastering the Art of Plant Based Cooking by Joe Yonan
• The Bartender’s Pantry by Jim Meehan, Bart Sasso & Emma Janzen
• Flavorama by Arielle Johnson
• What Goes With What by Julia Turshen
• Richard Hart Bread by Richard Hart
• One Thousand Vines by Pascaline Lepeltier

Powell’s (Portland OR) – staff picks

• Chinese Enough by Kristina Cho
• Easy Weeknight Dinners by New York Times Cooking & Emily Weinstein
• Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
• Half Baked Harvest Quick & Cozy by Tieghan Gerard
• Justine Cooks by Justine Doiron
• Soups Salads Sandwiches by Matty Mattheson
• Ottolenghi Comfort by Ottolenghi team
• The Ambitious Kitchen Cookbook by Monique Volz
• What Goes With What by Julia Turshen
• What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci

Now Serving (Los Angeles) – owner Ken Concepcion

• Amrikan by Kushbu Shah
• Bayou by Melissa M. Martin
• Bodega Bakes by Paola Velez
• The Chinese Way by Betty Liu
• Crumbs by Ben Mims
• The Four Horsemen by Nick Curtola
• Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking by Mingoo Kang
• McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches by Gary He
• Richard Hart Bread by Richard Hart
• Sift by Nicola Lamb

Kitchen Lingo Books (Long Beach CA) – owner Matt Miller

• The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
• Flavorama by Arielle Johnson
• Niçoise by Rosa Jackson
• My Life in Recipes by Joan Nathan
• The MeatEater Outdoor Cookbook by Steven Rinella
• The SalviSoul Cookbook by Karla T. Vasquez
• Forage. Gather. Feast. by Maria Finn
• Soups, Salads & Sandwiches by Matty Matheson
• The Chinese Way by Betty Liu
• Around Our Table by Sara Forte

Bold Fork Books (Washington DC) – owner Clementine Thomas

• What Goes With What by Julia Turshen
• Bodega Bakes by Paola Velez
• Niçoise by Rosa Jackson
• Bayou by Melissa M. Martin
• Dac Biet by Nini Nguyen
• The SalviSoul Cookbook by Karla T. Vasquez
• Mastering the Art of Plant Based Cooking by Joe Yonan
• Islas by Von Diaz
• Sift by Nicola Lamb
• When Southern Women Cook by Toni Tipton-Martin & Morgan Bolling

Binding Agents (Philadelphia) – owner Catie Gainor

• Slow Noodles by Chantha Nguon
• Kalaya’s Southern Thai Kitchen by Nok Suntaranon
• Amrikan by Kushbu Shah
• Souk to Table by Amina Al-Saigh
• Dac Biet by Nini Nguyen
• You Gotta Eat by Margaret Eby
• AfriCali by Kiano Moju
• Justine Cooks by Justine Doiron
• Crumbs by Ben Mims
• Big Dip Energy by Alyse Whitney

Kitchen Garden Books (Santa Rosa Beach, FL) – owner Lynn Nelson

• Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
• Julia Child’s Kitchen by Paula Johnson
• Ottolenghi Comfort by Ottolenghi team
• Zaytinya by José Andrés
• China in Seven Banquets by Thomas David DuBois
• Mediterra by Ben Tish
• The Cocktail Parlor by Nicola Nice
• The Gourmand’s Lemon by Gourmand
• Magrets & Mushrooms by Jeanne Strang
• Chop Fry Watch Learn by Michelle T. King

CANADA

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

• The Farm Table by Julius Roberts
• Ottolenghi Comfort by Ottolenghi team
• Sebze by Özlem Warren
• Zaatari by Karen Fisher
• Tarts Anon by Gareth Whitton & Catherine Way
• Sift by Nicola Lamb
• A Book About Bread by Issa Niemeijer-Brown
• Soups, Salads & Sandwiches by Matty Matheson
• Anything’s Pastable by Dan Pashman
• Frontières by Alex Jackson

Appetite for Books (Montreal) – owner Jonathan Cheung

• Zaytinya by José Andrés
• Bethlehem by Fadi Kattan
• Thuraya by Nadeem Mansour
• Bahari by Dina Macki 
• Flour is Flavour by Dawn Woodward
• I’ll Bring Dessert by Benjamina Ebuehi
• Bodega Bakes by Paola Velez
• Mediterra by Ben Tish
• The Farm Table by Julius Roberts
• Big Vegan Flavor by Nisha Vora

Good Egg (Toronto) – owner Mika Bareket

• A Thousand Feasts by Nigel Slater
• How to Butter Toast by Tara Wigley
• Bright Cooking by Camille Becerra
• Bethlehem by Fadi Kattan
• Nature’s Candy by Camilla Wynne
• Sift by Nicola Lamb
• Flour is Flavour by Dawn Woodward
• Zao Fan: Breakfast of China by Michael Zee
• Justine Cooks by Justine Doiron
• The Chinese Way by Betty Liu

UNITED KINGDOM

cookbookbake (Brighton) – owner Julie Haylett

• A Whisper of Cardamom by Eleanor Ford
• So Good by Emily English
• The Food for Life Cookbook by Tim Spector
• Greekish by Georgina Hayden
• Sebze by Ozlem Warren
• For the Love of Food by Paul Ainsworth
• Seasoning by Angela Clutton
• Tenderheart by Hetty McKinnon
• A Plant-based Farmhouse by Cherie Hausler
• Kin by Marie Mitchell

EUROPE

De Kookboekhandel (Amsterdam) – owner Daan van Kooten

• Sift by Nicola Lamb
• Briljante Bonen (Brilliant Beans) by Bloeme Burena
• Hokkai by Joris Vermeer, Marinus Noordenbos & Kuniyoshi Ohtawara
• Rendang by Maureen Tan
• Moroseta Kitchen by Giorgia Goggi
• Koreaworld by Deuki Hong & Matt Rodbard
• Sebze by Ozlem Warren
• Patisserie Coucou by Enzo Pérès-Labourdette
• Persian Feasts by Leila Heller
• Agak Agak by Shu Han Lee

Cook + Book (Netherlands) – owner Riejanne Schimmel

• Maaltijdsalades (Salad Meals) by Emily Ezekiel
• Ottolenghi Comfort by Ottolenghi team
• Visvoer by Tobias Camman
• Solo by Emma de Thouars
• Grieks! (Greekish) by Georgina Hayden
• Bloem, suiker, boter (Sift) by Nicola Lamb
• Sebze by Ozlem Warren
• Rumi by Joseph Abboud
• A Thousand Feasts by Nigel Slater
• Bij Meera aan tafel (Dinner) by Meera Sodha
• Turkuaz Kitchen by Bëtul Tunç

Goldhahn und Sampson (Berlin) – co-owner Andreas Klöckner

• Cuisine on Screen by Sachiyo Harada
• Easy Wins by Anna Jones
• Ottolenghi Comfort by Ottolenghi team
• Buchingers Kochbuch by Michael Buchinger
• Fungipedia by Lawrence Millman
• Sake by Yoshiko Ueno-Müller
• Das Inoffizielle Ghibli-Kochbuch by Thibaud Villanova
• Einfach Chinesisch by Sissi Chen
• Jeongkwan Snim: Eine kulinarische Biografie by Hoo Nam Seelman
• Hier fließt die Liebe: Persische Küche by Forough & Sahar Sodoudi

Cookbooks.hu (Budapest) – owner Antonio Fekete

• Aponiente by Ángel León
• XOK: Chocolate Bars, Turrones & Snacks by David Gil, Ingrid Serra, Ramon Morató, Jordi Roca & Ángel Velasco
• Echaurren by Francis Paniego
• Essence by Jesús Escalera
• Eleven Madison Park – The Plant Based Chapter by Daniel Humm
• Inspirations Chocolat by Stéphane Glacier
• Aura & Anima by Alexander Herrmann & Tobias Bätz
• How to Make My Own Recipe by Eric Kim
• Burnt Ends Cookbook by Dave Pynt
• The Elements of Baking by Katarina Cermelj

AUSTRALIA

Scrumptious Reads (Brisbane) – owner Julie Tjiandra

• Salad for Days by Alice Zaslavsky
• Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class by Tony Tan
• Good Cooking Every Day by Julia Busuttil Nishimur
• Tipo 00: The Pasta Cookbook by Andreas Papadakis
• Beatrix Bakes Another Slice by Natalie Paull
• Love Crumbs by Nadine Ingram
• Ottolenghi Comfort by Ottolenghi team
• Some of My Best Friends are Cookies by Emelia Jackson
• The Elements of Baking by Katarina Cermelj
• Nights out at Home by Jay Rayner

Books for Cooks (Melbourne) – owner Tim White

• The Irish Bakery by Cherie Denham
• Uses for Obsession by Ben Shewry
• Good Cooking Every Day by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
• Ottolenghi Comfort by Ottolenghi team
• Kitchen Sentimental by Annie Smithers
• Cold Kitchen by Caroline Eden
• A Bit on the Side by Virginia Trioli
• Broccoli & Other Love Stories by Paulette Whitney

NEW ZEALAND

Cook the Books (Auckland) – owner Felicity Driscoll

• Kai Feast by Christall Lowe
• Ottolenghi Comfort by Ottolenghi team
• Tasty by Chelsea Winter
• Good Cooking Every Day by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
• LP’s Quality Meats by Luke Powell
• Seriously Delicious by Polly Markus
• Ela! Ela! by Ella Mittas
• Two Raw Sisters – More Salad by Margo Flanagan & Rosa (Flanagan) Power
• What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci
• Bake with Brooki by Brooke Bellamy