Death & Co.'s Golden Age; Best of 2019
Just a million end of year listicles.
Howdy cookbook fans!
Just gonna get into it this week! As always, send me tips if you got ‘em. And subscribe to the paid edition for extra cookbookery content! Okay, let’s go.
Death & Co. Book #3
As mentioned in last week’s paid issue (subscribe, if you want!) the team behind the blockbuster Death & Co. cocktail books have signed a deal for their third book. Golden Age will be written by David Kaplan, Alexander Day, and Nick Fauchald for Ten Speed. I reached out to Fauchald for additional details, and here’s what he told me:
We're still developing the concept, but the book will be a continuation of Death & Co, with a deeper dive into the philosophies, techniques and ingredients that all of the D&C locations (NYC, Denver, LA, and more to come) use. Golden Age will also build on the concept laid out in Cocktail Codex. The book will contain all new recipes, of course (hundreds of new cocktails have been created since the publication of the first D&C), as well as a lot of content geared towards the home bartender and making great drinks for a crowd.
Cocktail Codex won the most recent James Beard Foundation Award for Cookbook of the Year, so cocktail nerds: get excited.
UK Chef Gary Rhodes Dies at 59
British celebrity chef Gary Rhodes has died, collapsing after a day of filming in Dubai. The folks at ckbk have written about his legacy, including the 20+ cookbooks he wrote over the course of his career, noting he was “regarded an ambassador for British cuisine.” And Jamie Oliver notes Rhodes was a huge inspiration to him, writing on Instagram, “He reimagined modern British cuisine with elegance and fun.” Rest in peace, chef.
Best of 2019 Bonanza!
Starting to notice trends? There’s one major fall release that’s on hardly anyone’s lists. 👀
The Chicago Tribune’s picks.
Observer Food Monthly’s picks (UK).
The Washington Post’s picks.
The New Yorker’s list, picks by Helen Rosner.
WBUR Boston’s list, picks by chef Kathy Gunst.
The Atlantic’s list, picks by Corby Kummer.
The Boston Globe’s list, picks by Devra First.
MarthaStewart.com’s picks.
Time Out LA’s list, picks by Stephanie Breijo (LA books only).
Chicago Magazine’s list, picks by Amy Cavanaugh (Chicago books only).
Check this out!
Some surprises in the most popular holiday books this year at New York cookbook shop Kitchen Arts & Letters. (Click through to watch the video.) [Insta]
Cookbook author Priya Krishna takes a look at Indian cuisine in contemporary food writing. [Gravy]
On legendary baking book authors: Alice Medrich talks about Paula Peck over at the Beard Foundation. [JBF via KAL]
Using a hand mixer in a world where most recipes are written for ($$$) stand mixers. [WaPo]
Susan Puckett reviews the very charming Pasta Grannies: “Through [author Vicky] Bennison’s vivid writing and interviewing skills, we pick up tips for bringing these methods into our own kitchens while learning the grandmothers’ fascinating life stories of resilience and resourcefulness told with humor and grace.” [AJC]
Austin chef Bryce Gilmoretells Eater Austin of his Odd Duck Almanac, “The almanac reflects what I want our style to be here: fun and interesting, not too serious, but done well.” [EATX]
Dinner party pointers from Questlove and his new cookbook, Mixtape Potluck. [AP]
LAist picks their favorite Los Angeles cookbooks, from this year and others. [LAist]
Fuchsia Dunlop stopped by Serious Eats to talk Sichuan cooking. [SE]
The secret family recipes of Northern Michigan. [Alpena News]
“So, whatever you are looking for, there is a cookbook for you” at Marion County Public Libraries. [WVNews]
That’s it for this issue! Send me TIPS! and see ya soon.
I can think of a few big titles that didn’t make waves on the year-end lists. Mark Bittman’s 20th Anniversary Edition of HTCE would be one (all the love instead is for the Joy Of Cooking reboot), and Michael Ruhlman’s From Scratch might be another, although that book is significantly more narrow in its focus. Those are two that jump out to me.