Sarah Tansley

Calling all vegetarians and veggie lovers; the inspiration you have been looking for might be found in these new cookbooks out in May.

From bagels to liángbàn dòufu and from hand pies to moghrabiyeh the best cookbooks of 2022 offer delicious food alongside stories, history, and cultural journeys.

The restaurant cookbook is a classic subgenre. This menu of titles is designed to highlight recent restaurant cookbooks that include a true sense of place and impressive recipes. The books evoke memories of restaurant visits past with their beautiful photography, and also share their locale, as they center the communities that influenced them. Steeped in the inspiration that chef-authors used to open their restaurants and create signature recipes, these books will motivate readers to recreate wonderful meals in their home kitchens.

The art and craft of cookbooks take the cake in LJ’s first preview focused on this beloved subject.

Andrea Pons is a Seattle-based production manager and food stylist. She has worked for restaurants and companies including Le Creuset and Starbucks. Born in Guanajuato, Mexico, and raised in the United States, Pons creates recipes that encourage readers to share a meal around the dinner table and that raise awareness about immigration. Sarah Tansley, chair of ALA's award committee which selects the best cookbooks of the year, asks Pons about making food and what is missing from cookbooks.

Take pleasure in the joy of making something nourishing and the comfort of convivial authorial company with these go-to cookbooks from the likes of Ina Garten and Edna Lewis.