Cookbook Club

Cookbook Review: Gather & Graze

By: Erin Byers Murray
Gather & Graze cover

I always know when I’ve got my hands on a good cookbook when I crack it open and immediately start folding the corners of the pages I want to cook from. With Gather & Graze (Skyhorse Publishing, 2024), the count was nearing a dozen after my first peek. We typically reserve this space for books of the South, by Southern authors or about the South. But I’m straying slightly outside the lines here because this book is all about easy, modern entertaining, and as a Southerner, I’m always in need of new ideas to pull out of my back pocket when I’m gathering with friends and family. Plus, grazing for dinner has become an art form and captures the zeitgeist of how we’re eating today. This book hits on all levels.  

The authors, Mumtaz Mustafa and Laura Klynstra, met while working in the book publishing world and established a 20-year friendship, where gatherings and brainstorming menus for those gatherings was a constant. This cookbook, which offers a range of dishes organized by loosely defined geographic regions, also honors the pair’s vastly different lives. Mustafa grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, and her touchstones included faloodas, or ice cream with rose syrup and vermicelli noodles, and halwa puri and channa for a big Friday breakfast. Klynstra was raised in Michigan, where Dutch ancestors instilled the tradition of potlucks and casseroles. Together, the two bonded over a shared love of gathering around food and setting beautiful tables. In the book, both of their voices shine through in head notes and sidebars and both of their pantries are represented—the book’s recipes and stories provide a quiltwork of their combined passions.  

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Date Published: 07.29.24
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About The Author

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.

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