Plus five that are perfect to give as gifts
The season’s best cookbooks are full of delicious stories as well as fail-proof recipes for entertaining.
Kwéyòl / Creole: Recipes, Stories, and Tings From a St. Lucian Chef’s Journey
By Nina Compton with Osayi Endolyn | Clarkson Potter
“It’s surprising that one of the South’s most accomplished chefs hasn’t published a cookbook before now,” writes Stephanie Burnette in our Summer 2025 issue. She sat down with chef Nina Compton to discuss the chef’s first cookbook and learned that, although Compton nearly set out to publish one after finishing as a runner-up on Top Chef in 2013, it took her another 12 years to take the leap. When she did, it was because she couldn’t find any other books offering a thorough look at Caribbean cooking. Compton, originally from St. Lucia, organized her book by the places she’s lived—Moulin à Vent, Montego Bay, Miami, and New Orleans—and her recipes are a love letter to the islands and cities that have shaped her cooking today. From jerk buttered corn and beef pepperpot to Creole stewed conch and (our pick) coconut-braised collard greens, Compton’s cookbook is a journey through her career and the flavors she’s collected and shared along the way.
Ghana to the World: Recipes and Stories That Look Forward While Honoring the Past
By Eric Adjepong with Korsha Wilson | Clarkson Potter
There are cookbooks to cook from and cookbooks to settle in and read through. Eric Adjepong’s first cookbook is the latter: a memoir as much as a travelogue as much as a collection of storytelling recipes. The chef grew up in both New York and his family’s home country of Ghana and writes from a first-generation perspective, which weaves his story between two cultures and identities. It also goes deep into understanding Ghanaian culture; Adjepong educates and reflects on the spirit of sankofa, which roughly translates into looking back in order to move forward with intention. The recipes aren’t meant to directly mirror West African cooking, but rather share his unique perspective of both traditional dishes, and those that capture how he eats and cooks today. There is curried corn bisque with salmon, stewed turkey wings, and paw paw salad, as well as abenkwan (palm nut soup) and banku, a swallow made with corn and cassava flour. Adjepong’s career has taken him around the world but he feels rooted in both Ghana and the United States—this book opens up the why and how he connects with these disparate worlds, and how food remains the connector.
What Can I Bring? Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life
By Casey Elsass | Union Square & Co.
There are countless ways you can show up for a dinner party or to a friend’s gathering—perky, exhausted, late. No matter how you arrive, if you’re carrying something, there’s a nearly 100 percent chance you’ll get invited back. Thanks to cookbook author and recipe developer Casey Elsass, now you have a cheat sheet. Elsass makes a case for being a good party guest, and is brimming with suggestions on just how to do it—including remembering to say thank you afterward and, for fun, bringing a disposable camera to capture the moment. As for the recipes, yes, they’re made for toting with you and serving on the spot (the “party trick” notes are great clif notes) but you can also try them on your own at home first (recommended), or just make them for a night in. Elsass is funny, which makes the book a breeze to read through, but also super-knowledgeable about what works and doesn’t work in each dish. Grab a copy for yourself and for your next hostess gift.
Cutting Up in the Kitchen: Food & Fun From Southern National’s Chef
By Duane Nutter | Gibbs Smith
Chef Duane Nutter has impressed countless diners with his cooking over the years, especially as executive chef of One Flew South in the Atlanta airport, and through his own restaurant Southern National, which opened in Alabama and now operates in Atlanta. He’s a prolific chef of Southern cooking—who also has a passion for stand-up comedy. (He’s known for being the “Mad Chef” who performs wearing a chef’s toque at open-mic nights.) His first cookbook taps into that spirit with comedic chapter headings like Open-Mikers (apps, salads, and soups) and Bit Parts (side dishes). While you will find a few dad jokes sprinkled throughout, he’s not kidding when it comes to the recipes. Fans of his restaurants will find familiar faves like his signature mussels and collard greens and Hoppin’ John made with yellow rice and bok choy. Nutter’s food trends toward his family’s Louisiana roots but he has a flair for French technique. Some recipes are built for easy, weeknight cooking (try the Asian meatloaf or lamb burger helper), while others get ambitious like a cornmeal-dusted trout with gnocchi and a carrot crab lemon cream sauce. However you cook your way through the book, you’ll find Nutter’s positive personality shining throughout.
Barbacoa: The Heart of Tex-Mex Barbecue
By Brandon Hurtado | Quarto
There is Texas barbecue, and then there is barbacoa. The difference is the influence of Mexican cooking traditions and ingredients, which pitmaster Brandon Hurtado gleaned while growing up as a Mexican American in South Irving, Texas. He and his wife started Hurtado Barbecue as a pop-up and have since grown it into a multi-unit restaurant where the smoked meats are served along with Mexican-influenced sides like elote on the cob and charro beans. With Barbacoa, Hurtado sets out to define the dishes that sit in the center of a Venn diagram of Texas barbecue, Tex-Mex, and comfort food. There are recipes for smoked brisket and pork ribs, of course, but also beef cheeks simmered in Big Red soda, smoked and fried quail, and pulled pork carnitas. A chapter called “Tacos y Mas” shares numerous tortilla-stuffing variations, including how to showcase birria (brisket trim simmered in consomme) in tacos and ramen. And the “Side Dishes” chapter is brimming dishes loaded up with hatch chiles and chorizo. Keep an eye out for essays from fellow pitmasters as well as practical know-how like how to reheat your barbecue.
Brunch Season: A Year of Delicious Mornings from the Buttermilk Kitchen
By Suzanne Vizethann | Gibbs Smith
Author and chef Suzanne Vizethann has one foot in Georgia and the other in Maine—in fact, she moved from the South to the Northeast while writing her first cookbook. Her breakfast and lunch spot, Buttermilk Kitchen, now has a location in each state as well. Whether or not you’re a brunch person, the cookbook is loaded with dishes that are fit for entertaining, all organized by the seasons, with recipes ranging from sweet to savory and light or hearty. You might even find a few late-in-the-day meals—I wouldn’t be mad about whipping up Vizethann’s summer squash omelet for dinner, nor the coddled egg with creamed kale. For the sake of the book’s theme, brunch in Vizethann’s world is an occasion; she includes beverage recipes as well as desserts. I also love that she brings both a Southern and Northern sensibility to the mix, with dishes that are clearly inspired by her two homes. Pimento cheese sandwiches with bacon crumbles speak to her Atlanta fanbase while the hot buttered lobster rolls are a callout to her new hometown in Maine. Would a Southerner appreciate her recipe for eggs poached in maple syrup? As she writes, “real maple syrup is king, and this dish really highlights the ingredient.” If you try it, let us know what you think.
Recipe: Pimento Cheese Sandwiches with Wild Leek Mayonnaise and Crumbled Bacon
Plus: 5 Cookbooks to Gift
These 5 titles are compact, full of flavor, and ready to wrap
For fans of Charleston Coffee Shop Scene
Harbinger & Harken: Stories and Recipes From Our Kitchen to Yours
By Greer Gilchrist | Mise En Place Publications
Even if you haven’t been to either The Harbinger or Harken, a pair of charming coffee shop-slash-cafes in Charleston, you can appreciate what they’re going for: comfort and really tasty food. Written by cafe co-owner Greer Gilchrist with a forward from her partner Cameron Neal, this petite, giftable book is full of Gilchrist’s scratch-made recipes pulled from both cafes’ menus (ricotta fruit biscuits, coconut corn salad, turmeric chai) plus nuggets of wisdom for making them work in your home kitchen.
For the Appalachian Home Cook
The Modern Mountain Cookbook: A Plant-Based Celebration of Appalachia
By Jan A. Brandenburg | University Press of Kentucky
Much like the region it reports from, this home-spun, no-frills cookbook is meant to be resourceful. There’s farmhouse stew, breakfast hash, and sloppy joe’s—all without the meat. Brandenburg’s wit and wisdom is carried throughout the book, too.
For Dad (or any lover of history and booze)
A Boozy History of Atlanta
By Caroline Eubanks | American Palate
This pocket-size book is packed with booze-related history and trivia related to Atlanta, including a look at the dive bars, saloons, people, and trends that have helped shape the story. If you’re nostalgic for spaces long gone or the story of beverages and their history, this is a good, easy read for the nightstand.
For the Amateur Bar Pro
Cocktails Southern Style
By Belinda Smith-Sullivan
“I like bars!” declares author Smith-Sullivan in the intro to this compact companion for any fellow bar lover. She shares a long list of Southern classics that also get gussied-up like a blood orange Texas margarita or a Paloma beer cocktail.
For the Budding Vegan
Make It Plant-Based! Southern
By Mehreen Karim | Workman
The depth and range of plant-based dishes continues to grow and this dainty book of recipes shares a collection of Southern variations. Look for creamy chickpea noodle soup, a vegan’s fried chicken sandwich, and spinach dip hand pies.
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Cookbook Club
Behind the Recipes
Behind the Recipes, presented by The Local Palate Cookbook Club, will bring together chefs and authors alike to celebrate the stories that inspire the South’s favorite cookbooks.
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Creole: A Coming Home
Nina Compton’s first cookbook explores a chef’s journey of Creole culture and cuisine from St. Lucia to New Orleans.
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Our list of 10 cookbooks for Spring entertaining will be your all-inclusive guide to both indoor and outdoor parties this season.
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Erin Byers Murray
Erin Byers Murray has been digging into stories about food and wine for more than twenty years. Based in Nashville, she is the editor-in-chief of The Local Palate and has authored or co-authored half a dozen books, including deep dives into oysters and grits, as well as several cookbooks. Her work has been published in multiple publications, including Food & Wine, Wine & Spirits, the Boston Globe, and three editions of Best Food Writing.