Cookbook Club

Cookbook Review: South of Somewhere

By: The Local Palate
South of Somewhere Cover Image

Born and raised in South Africa, Dale Gray set her sights on building a life for herself across the world. She writes in her new cookbook, South of Somewhere (Simon & Schuster 2023), “I still remember my words as if they were spoken yesterday: ‘My future husband lives across the oceans and that’s where I’ll start a family one day.’” Sure enough, she moved to South Korea to teach English and met her Louisiana-born husband, who was stationed there in the Army. They moved to El Paso, then Mississippi, and the whole time, Gray explored her new surroundings through ingredients available in the markets and the recipes around her. 

Her new cookbook about the intersection of her South African roots, life in South Korea, and now living in the American South (aptly titled South of Somewhere) particularly resonated with me. While my cooking practices are steeped in the Southern recipes I grew up with, I love traveling through food, whether it’s via a tiki drink that transports me to the beach or scouring the H&L Market for those chewy fish cakes I love in my takeout yaki udon. This range of ingredients and dishes falls between the covers in South of Somewhere. 

Join the Cookbook Club

lock

Members Only Content

This page is for Cookbook Club members only.

If you are a member, please sign in and try again.

If you are not a member, click the button below to sign up.

trending content

More From Cookbook Club