Ina Garten Memoir Scandal?

Howdy cookbook fans!

Thank you, all of you, for bearing with me as I navigated both my dog and cat dying within two weeks of each other. It’s been a rough start to 2024. And thanks to those of you who conveyed your condolences. <3

At least all of the Beehiiv migration issues should be ironed out by now. (Knock on wood, throw salt over shoulder, spit, etc. etc.) Let me know if you see any funny business. Known problems that are hopefully fixed:

• Some folks didn’t get last week’s issue, that was my bad, change is hard, etc etc. You can read it here.

• Bookshelf Club members have been migrated.

• There is an ongoing issue with links not working for some folks, if this happens to you, email me what browser you use and if you have any anti-virus software running. We’re trying to figure it out.

Anyway, as you may have noticed, I never sent out a January or February book preview. Selections from those months are at the bottom of this issue, as a bit of catch up. As usual, we’re skipping all the health and wellness books that tend to pop-up at the beginning of the year, but that still leaves…quite a lot of books for winter, actually! This used to be the slow season? No more! (Who is buying all these books?)(I know the answer, the answer is y’all.)(And also British people.) Apologies to all of you Jan/Feb authors for the short shrift. Sometimes life gets in the way.

OKAY COOKBOOK NEWS!

Ina Garten Changed Publishers for Her Upcoming Memoir

Well, this is a bit odd. In 2019, Ina Garten sold a memoir to Celadon, an imprint of Macmillan….which will be published this fall by Crown, which is part of Penguin Random House and, notably, not Celadon. Why move? Well, for one, Clarkson Potter, also part of PRH, has been Garten’s longtime cookbook publisher. But it still has be a blow to Celadon, as Garten moves absolute tons of books. Not to mention it does sound like at least some work was done on the book before the move: Celadon editor Deb Futter told the New York Times, “Ina and I worked really well together, and I’m really proud of the work I did on the book.” My guess is there was some sort of existing contract language that ties Garten to PRH, and not any kind of actually salacious scandal, but I am just a lowly cookbook blogger, what do I know. (It is a bit odd to me that I can’t find this book on Bookshop, Amazon, or Edelweiss, though…) [NYT]

Help Fund BEM, a Bookstore Featuring Black Authors

Y’all remember sister Gabrielle and Danielle Davenport? I interviewed them (wow, almost exactly) two years ago when they launched BEM | Books & More, their culinary pop-up and online bookstore that focuses on Black authors and foodways. WELL yesterday Danielle emailed me (hi Danielle!) to let me know they have launched a Kickstarter to help fund their brand new brick-and-mortar bookstore in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn! They have a ton of details on their project page, but the build-out sounds pretty epic, with a coffee shop and demo kitchen (!) included. Check it out!

London Chef to Open Restaurant Based on 1846 Cookbook

Before Charles Elmé Francatelli was Queen Victoria’s personal chef, he was the chef at Crockford’s Club in London. And now William Drabble, the current chef in the same space, now called Althoff St James’s Hotel & Club, is opening a restaurant in his honor. Called Francatelli, the restaurant will feature dishes from the 19th century chef’s book The Modern Cook, including “a Scotch broth combining root vegetables with mutton, shepherd's pie made with Lune Valley lamb, root vegetables, mashed potatoes and crispy lamb crumbs, and fillet of plaice in crisp crumb with Francatelli's tartar sauce,” per The Caterer.

Coming Attractions: Colbert! Peloton! Lucie! Sugar Taco! Marc Vetri! Subtle Asian Baking! MORE!

• The big news this week is that nightshow host/America’s dad Stephen Colbert has written a cookbook with his wife Evie McGee Colbert have written a cookbook called Does This Taste Funny? that will be coming out in September. (Brag: I actually knew about this awhile back but had nothing I could report on lol.) A project born of the pandemic, the book features a lot of inspiration from the couple’s hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. I spy pickled shrimp! Also, this is with Celadon, which should at least help (financially) with the loss of the Garten memoir. September 17.

• This is the first Peloton-instructor cookbook I know of: Callie Gullickson is writing an NA cocktail book called Mocktail Hour. I’ve never taken a class with Callie (I only do spin, she does strength I think? Peloton folks friend me if you wanna, alualaluap), but hopefully this is exciting for some of you! DK, December 2025.

• Spoke too soon: Robin Arzón, someone I have acutally taken classes with, is also developing a (likely vegan) cookbook. [Pelobuddy]

• The founder of the uber-popular Facebook group Subtle Asian Baking and the author of 2022’s Modern Asian Baking at Home Kat Lieu to write 108 Asian Cookies, which is pretty much the gist of it! Voracious, pub date TBA.

• New York City baker Lucie Franc de Ferriere to write an as-yet untitled book featuring recipes from her bakery, From Lucie. The book will also feature “tutorials for baking and decorating with flowers and herbs.” Clarkson Potter, pub date TBA.

• Philadelphia chef Marc Vetri to write an untitled pasta book with longtime collaborator David Joachim, which, fine. Clarkson Potter, pub date TBA.

• And last but not least, the folks behind LA taqueria Sugar Taco—Alan Campos, Nia Gatica Campos, and Jayde Nicole—to write Sugar Taco at Home. The book will “[champion] traditional dishes in an eco-conscious and animal-friendly way, from carne asada and meaty mushroom enchiladas verdes to tofu chilaquiles and a deluxe tres leches cake.” Countryman, pub date TBA.

• The legacy of Julia Child. [The Smart Set]

• Cookbook author Julia Turshen talks about her other passion: power lifting! [People]

• Food writing as a salve for grief. [ABC RN]

• Around the world in 8 cookbooks. [Post and Courier]

• In India, a publishing trend: children’s books that focus on regional cuisines. [The Hindu]

Introducing the Cookbooks of January and February 2024!

January

• Baking for Pleasure: Comforting Recipes to Bring You Joy by Ravneet Gill. Pavilion, January 2.

• Simply Chinese Feasts by Suzie Lee. Hardie Grant, January 2.

• The Vegan Dairy Cookbook: Make Your Own Plant-Based Mylks, Cheeses, and Kitchen Staples by Marleen Visser and Nina Woodson. Skyhorse, January 9.

• 15 Minute Meals: Truly Quick Recipes that Don’t Taste like Shortcuts by Ali Rosen. Mango, January 9.

• Vegan Chinese Food by Yang Liu and Katharina Pinczolits. Hardie Grant, January 16.

• The Flavour Academy: Creative Cooking for Family Mealtimes by Zenia Deogan. Meze, January 16.

• Plants Taste Better: Delicious Plant-Based Recipes from Root to Fruit by Richard Buckley. White Lion Publishing, January 16.

• Come Hungry: Salads, Meals, and Sweets for People who Live to Eat by Melissa Ben-Ishay. William Morrow, January 16.

• Supper With Love: Vibrant, Delicious, and Comforting Plant-Forward and Pescatarian Recipes for Every Day by Michelle Braxton. Harvest, January 16.

• Catalogued Ideas and Random Thoughts: A Cookbook by Stuart Ralston. Kitchen Press, January 18.

• Seafood Journey: Tastes and Tales from Scotland by Ghillie Basan. Birlinn, January 18.

• 5 Ingredients Mediterranean: Simple Incredible Food by Jamie Oliver. Flatiron, January 23.

• Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks by Crystal Wilkinson. Clarkson Potter, January 23.

• Middle Eastern Delights: 60 Delicious, One-of-A-Kind Treats You Need to Try by Lamees Attar-Bashi. Page Street, January 23.

• Cool Food: Erasing Your Carbon Footprint One Bite at a Time by Robert Downey Jr. and Thomas Kostigen. Blackstone, January 23.

• African-American Heritage Cookbook: Traditional Recipes and Fond Remembrances from Alabama’s Renowned Tuskegee Institute by Carolyn Q. Tillery. Dafina, January 23.

• Mother Tongue: Flavours of a Second Generation by Gurdeep Loyal. Fourth estate, January 30.

• Imad’s Syrian Kitchen: A Love Letter from Damascus by Imad Alarnab. Interlink, January 30.

• Zaatari: Culinary Traditions of the World's Largest Syrian Refugee Camp by Karen E. Fisher. Goose Lane, January 30.

February

• A Seat at My Table: Philoxenia: Vegetarian and Vegan Greek Recipes by Kon Karapanagiotidis. Hardie Grant, February 6. 

• Better Cooking: Life-Changing Skills & Recipes to Tempt & Teach by Alice Zavlasky. Appetite by Random House, February 6.

• Desified: Delicious Recipes for Ramadan, Eid & Every Day by Zaynah Din. Interlink, February 6.

• High Spirits: Easy, Elegant Cocktails by Sam de Teran. Clearview, February 6.

• Totally Luscious Cupcakes: Inspirational Recipes for Every Occasion and Taste by Benjamin Wong. Michael Cavendish, February 6.

• At the Table in Paris: Recipes from the Best Cafés and Bistros by Jan Thorbecke Verlag. Haride Grant, February 6.

• Second Helpings: Transform Leftovers into Delicious Dishes by Sue Quinn. Quadrille, February 6.

• Bahari: Recipes from an Omani Kitchen and Beyond by Dina Macki. DK, February 6.

• The Farm Table by Julius Roberts. Ten Speed, February 13.

• A Book about Bread: A Baker’s Manual by Issa Niemeijer-Brown. Helene Lesger, February 13.

• The Ramadan Cookbook: 80 Delicious Recipes for Ramadan, Eid, and Celebrating Throughout the Year by Anisa Karolia. Countryman, February 13.

• Roots, Heart, Soul: The Story, Celebration, and Recipes of Afro Cuisine in America by Todd Richards with Amy Paige Condon. Harvest, February 20.

• Tempted to Taste It by Cierra Johnson Terry and Esa Hughes. Muse, February 20.

• Code Noir: Afro-Caribbean Stories and Recipes by Lelani Lewis. Tra, February 20.

• Misunderstood Vegetables: How to Fall in Love with Sunchokes, Rutabaga, Eggplant and More by Becky Selengut. Countryman, February 20.

• Natural Cakes: Cakes Made with Unrefined, Whole & Delicious Ingredients by Giovanna Torrico. Hardie Grant, February 27.

• At My Italian Table: Family Recipes from My Cucina to Yours by Laura Vitale with Rachel Holzman. Clarkson Potter, February 27.

• Wild Sugar: Seasonal Sweet Treats Inspired by the Mountain West by Lindsey Johnson with Chase Reynolds Ewald. Gibbs Smith, February 27. 

• Tiffy Cooks: 88 Easy Asian Recipes from My Family to Yours by Tiffy Chen. Ten Speed, February 27.

• Vegan Mob: Vegan BBQ and Soul Food by Toriano Gordon with Korsha Wilson. Ten Speed, February 27.

• Greatest Cuisines from the East and West Bengalby Moumita Bhattacharyya. Global Collective, February 29.

Okay that’s all for today! Off to Fort Worth to eat some barbecue. Have a great week/end!