25 Best Giftable Cookbooks by Black Chefs
By: Patricia Joseph
Tags: Cooking, Recipe, Food, Recipes For Cooking, Culture

If you’re a food lover, you know you can never have too many cookbooks. A good cookbook is a guilty pleasure — I have stacks of them. Some of my cookbooks I enjoy skimming through more than others. I’m especially fond of those written by Black chefs because I can relate to the lessons many of them learned from their mothers and grandmothers in the kitchen.

This list of 25 amazing cookbooks by Black chefs [each one special in its own way] has a universal message which tells a story of how Black folks connect with food. This connection isn’t just about the physical act of eating food, but there’s a spiritual and emotional connection as well. The stories reflect the uniqueness of the Black experience and how the food was/is used to express cultural identity.

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list of the many cookbooks by Black chefs and authors, but it’s a sampling of the talented chefs in the culinary industry, who rarely get the recognition they deserve. If you’re looking to add a few cookbooks to your collection or looking to buy a cookbook for a foodie on your gift list, check out the list below — you won’t be disappointed:

Stories From My Grandmother’s Kitchen by Darius Williams

A collection of 100 recipes and stories inspired by Darius’s Southern upbringing. The Soul of a New Cuisine by Marcus Samuelsson

Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson shares recipes, and stories inspired by the cuisine of Ethiopia — his birthplace. Brown Sugar Kitchen: New Style, Down-Home Recipes from Sweet West Oakland by Tanya Holland

Executive chef Tanya Holland of Brown Sugar Kitchen, in West Oakland, shares 86 recipes of the restaurant’s favorites. Meals, Music, and Muses by Chef Alexander Smalls

As an iconic chef and world-renowned opera singer, Smalls blends together his two passions: food and music, and shares with readers his love for Southern cuisine. Mastering the Art of Sous Vide Cooking by Justice Stewart

Chef and founder of the popular blog: Gourmet De-Constructed takes readers through the techniques of sous vide cooking — the process of sealing food in a vacuum-sealed bag and then cooking in temperature-controlled water. The Brown Betty Cookbook: Modern Vintage Desserts and Stories from Philadelphia’s Best Bakery by Norrinda Brown Hayat and Linda Hinton Brown

Delectable and mouth-watering recipes from the three-generations of Black women, who opened the Brown Betty Dessert Boutique in Philadelphia. Vibration Cooking: or, The Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl by Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor

A cookbook/memoir of Smart-Grosvenor with stories of her international travels, her thoughts on social issues affecting African-Americans, and recipes that encourage sensory/vibration cooking, rather than measuring ingredients. A Date With A Dish: Classic African-American Recipes by Freda DeKnight

Written for the average cook, the cookbook offers a complete collection of classic African-American recipes. The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael Twitty

A provocative food memoir about Southern food, race, and Black ancestral traditions. The Back In The Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl and Griffith Day

Savannah bakeshop owners share customer favorites of down-home, decadent desserts, and rustic bread recipes. Down Home Wholesome: 300 Low-Fat Recipes from a New Soul Kitchen by Danella Carter

An eclectic collection of healthy, soul-food recipes. Turn up the Heat with G. Garvin

Celebrity chef and Cooking Channel TV host, G. Garvin shares simple and flavorful recipes for the everyday cook. Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Every day and Celebration by Carla Hall

Celebrity chef Hall shares her Nashville roots recipes of Southern comfort food. Cooking Solo: The Fun Of Cooking For Yourself by Klancy Miller

Miller, a French-trained pastry chef, shares 100 delicious recipes to cook when dining alone. The Taste Of Country Cooking: The 30th Anniversary Edition of a Great Southern Classic Cookbook by Edna Lewis

Chef Lewis shares family memories and her love of nature in the recipes and menus for the four seasons. Soul: A Chef’s Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes by Todd Richards

Chef Richards shares his passion and creativity with his Southern and soul food recipes. Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes by Bryant Terry

Food justice activist, author, and James Beard chef, Terry shares 100 simple recipes exploring the basics of cooking vegan meals. Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen by Zoe Adjonyoh

Chef Adjonyoh transforms traditional Ghanian recipes for the mainstream kitchen. Earthcandy: Vibrant, Versatile, Vegan by Jamila Crawford Pécou

Celebrity chef Pécou shares her simple approach to cooking tasty vegan cuisine. The New Low-Country Cooking by Chef Marvin Woods

Chef Woods, owners of Diaspora Foods in Charlotte, North Carolina, offers an innovative approach to the Low-Country foods native to the cities of Charleston and Savannah. Son of a Southern Chef: Cook with Soul by Lazarus Lynch

Chef Lynch shares his love and passion with family recipes from his Southern and Caribbean roots. Taste of Solitude: A Culinary Journal by Nadege Fleurimond

Chef Fleurimond offers lessons of gratitude, inspiration, and hope along with her passion for food, fashion, and color. The Dooky Chase Cookbook by Leah Chase

Chef/owner Chase shares stories and Creole recipes from the Dooky Chase Restaurant, a New Orleans landmark. The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem by Marcus Samuelsson

Celebrity Chef Samuelsson shares Southern comfort food and multi-ethnic recipes from his Harlem restaurant. The New Way to Cake: Simple Recipes with Exceptional Flavor by Benjamina Ebuehi

Former The Great British Bake Off contestant and baker, Ebuehi shares with readers her innovative techniques used in her signature cakes and baked treats.

Do yourself or someone on your holiday list a favor by adding one or a few of these cookbooks to your collection — they’re the perfect gifts to nourish mind, body, and soul!