Celebrate the rich culinary heritage of Black culture with this curated list of cookbooks by Black chefs. From classic soul food to innovative fusion dishes, these cookbooks highlight the flavors, stories, and traditions that have shaped Black cuisine for generations. Whether you're craving comforting Southern meals or exploring bold new flavors from the African diaspora, these chefs offer something for every palate. Get inspired to cook and celebrate Black food traditions with these must-have cookbooks!
For your convenience, we've included publisher's descriptions with each book.
Kardea Brown, the breakout star of Food Network's hit show Delicious Miss Brown celebrates the Gullah/Geechee culinary traditions of her family in this spectacular cookbook featuring 125 original mouthwatering recipes and gorgeous four-color photos.
The Way Home brings a taste of the Lowcountry South home, offering flavor-packed dishes everyone will enjoy. Kardea shares her multi-generational "passed down" recipes and innovative takes on Gullah classics with home cooks everywhere. "Gullah" and "Geechee" refer to a distinct group of African Americans living in the coastal areas of South Carolina and Georgia who have preserved much of their West African language, culture, and cuisine.
The Way Home is an unabashed love letter to her family's roots, packed with dishes that combine West African herbs, spices, and grains with traditional Southern cooking. "Gullah people laid the foundation for Southern cooking. Before farm-to-table was a fad, it was what Gullah people did," Kardea explains. "I want to show the world that soul food is not monolithic. It's so much more than fried chicken and vegetables cooked in pork. It's seasonal, fresh and delicious! "
Flavoring her recipes with cherished family anecdotes, memories, and helpful tips, The Way Home is a perfect blend of the modern and the traditional. Kardea honors her proud heritage and shows off her own signature class and sass. The result is a marvelous, big-hearted collection of recipes and stories that will nourish you, body and soul.
Still We Rise is a tribute to the glories of flour, butter, and buttermilk baked tall, tender, and flaky. Erika Council is the founder and head baker of the renowned Bomb Biscuit Company in Atlanta, Georgia. The granddaughter of legendary soul food chef Mildred (Mama Dip) Council and a teacher and activist who cooked and baked to support the civil rights movement, Erika knows all about the power of the persistent biscuit.
Here, Erika has perfected traditional biscuit types alongside inventive new creations. Her recipes connect readers to stories of the family, friends, and Southern culinary icons who instilled in her a love of baking.
Through over 70 unique recipes for biscuits, spreads, sandwiches, and a convenient home biscuit mix that will have you whipping up fluffy biscuits and bis-cakes in minutes, Erika takes us on a journey through Black excellence, resilience, and heritage in the American South. Step into her world and enjoy her classic Bomb Buttermilk Biscuit, the lightest Angel Biscuits, and new favorites like Corn Milk Biscuits, Everything "Bagel" Biscuits, Hominy Honey Butter, and the Glori-Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwich, (plus a mind-blowing Cinnamon Sugar and Pecan Biscuit).
Tabitha Brown, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Feeding the Soul, presents her first cookbook--full of easy, family-friendly vegan recipes and stories from the spirit, inspired by her health journey and love of delicious food.
Sometimes people say to Tabitha Brown, "I've never eaten vegan before." As Tab says, "Have you ever eaten an apple?" After living with a terrible undiagnosed illness for more than a year and a half, Tab was willing to try anything to stop the pain. Inspired by the documentary What the Health, she tried a thirty-day vegan challenge--and never looked back. Wanting to inspire others to make changes that might improve their own lives, she started sharing her favorite plant-based recipes in her signature warm voice with thousands, and now millions, of online fans.
Tab's recipes are flexible, creative, and filled with encouragement, so you trust yourself to cook food the way it makes you happy. If you're already a "cooking from the spirit" sort of person, you'll love how much freedom Tab gives to make these delicious vegan dishes your own. If you're newer to cooking--or to vegan cooking--Tab will help you get comfortable in the kitchen and, most important, have fun doing it!
Cooking from the Spirit is for anyone interested in plant-based eating and all lovers of food, plus anyone who wants a little warm inspiration in their lives. As Tab says, "Honey, now let's go on and get to cooking from the spirit. Yes? Very good!"
Black Food tells a global story of creativity, endurance, and imagination that was sustained in the face of dispersal, displacement, and oppression."--Imani Perry, Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University
In this stunning and deeply heartfelt tribute to Black culinary ingenuity, Bryant Terry captures the broad and divergent voices of the African Diaspora through the prism of food. With contributions from more than 100 Black cultural luminaires from around the globe, the book moves through chapters exploring parts of the Black experience, from Homeland to Migration, Spirituality to Black Future, offering delicious recipes, moving essays, and arresting artwork.
As much a joyful celebration of Black culture as a cookbook, Black Food explores the interweaving of food, experience, and community through original poetry and essays, including "Jollofing with Toni Morrison" by Sarah Ladipo Manyika, "Queer Intelligence" by Zoe Adjonyoh, "The Spiritual Ecology of Black Food" by Leah Penniman, and "Foodsteps in Motion" by Michael W. Twitty. The recipes are similarly expansive and generous, including sentimental favorites and fresh takes such as Crispy Cassava Skillet Cakes from Yewande Komolafe, Okra & Shrimp Purloo from BJ Dennis, Jerk Chicken Ramen from Suzanne Barr, Avocado and Mango Salad with Spicy Pickled Carrot and Rof Dressing from Pierre Thiam, and Sweet Potato Pie from Jenné Claiborne. Visually stunning artwork from such notables as Black Panther Party creative director Emory Douglas and artist Sarina Mantle are woven throughout, and the book includes a signature musical playlist curated by Bryant.
With arresting artwork and innovative design, Black Food is a visual and spiritual feast that will satisfy any soul.
Throughout her career, Toni Tipton-Martin has shed new light on the history, breadth, and depth of African American cuisine. She's introduced us to black cooks, some long forgotten, who established much of what's considered to be our national cuisine. After all, if Thomas Jefferson introduced French haute cuisine to this country, who do you think actually cooked it?
In Jubilee, Tipton-Martin brings these masters into our kitchens. Through recipes and stories, we cook along with these pioneering figures, from enslaved chefs to middle- and upper-class writers and entrepreneurs. With more than 100 recipes, from classics such as Sweet Potato Biscuits, Seafood Gumbo, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, and Pecan Pie with Bourbon to lesser-known but even more decadent dishes like Bourbon & Apple Hot Toddies, Spoon Bread, and Baked Ham Glazed with Champagne, Jubilee presents techniques, ingredients, and dishes that show the roots of African American cooking--deeply beautiful, culturally diverse, fit for celebration.
These cookbooks by Black chefs offer a deep connection to Black food traditions and are sure to inspire your next meal. For more culinary reads and other book recommendations, visit our bookshop and continue exploring the richness of Black culture through food and stories. Happy cooking!
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