Year after year, we never cease to be amazed by the sheer quality and creativity found in Canadian cookbooks. No matter how difficult our culinary conundrum may seem, we are always confident we can rise to the challenge with a little help from the ever-expanding community of great Canadian cookbook authors.
From the long-awaited English publication of Lesley Chesterman’s Chez Lesley and the highly anticipated Where the River Narrows from St. Lawrence chef J-C poirier to classic recipes from decades past in Canada’s Best New Cookbook and Caesar Country, here are eight of our favourite Canadian cookbooks from 2022.
Make Every Dish Delicious (Lesley Chesterman, Simon & Schuster)
After becoming a bonafide Canadian culinary cookbook classic in its own right, renowned food writer Lesley Chesterman officially signed a deal in the spring to publish her bestselling Chez Lesley cookbook in English.
The iconic cookbook was renamed for English publication, but Make Every Dish Delicious is the same cookbook that French-speaking Canadians first fell in love with. The cookbook is priced at $40 and can be purchased online.
You are Human and You Need Cake (Julie Van Rosendaal, self-published)
After doing the unthinkable by showing support to first responders during the pandemic, Julie Van Rosendaal was bombarded with online hate from self-professed freedom fighters. She decided to transform the hateful messages into blackout poetry, and her latest cookbook You Are Human and You Need Cake was born.
The cookbook is priced at $19.95 and can currently be purchased exclusively through Van Rosendaal's website.
Where The River Narrows (J-C Poirier, Appetite By Random House)
After blowing diners away since opening in 2017, chef J-C Poirier of Vancouver’s Michelin Starred St. Lawrence Restaurant released his highly anticipated debut cookbook back in early November. Where the River Narrows is the award-winning chef’s loving homage to timeless French and Quebecois cuisine.
The cookbook is priced at $45 and can be purchased online.
A Bartender's Guide to the World (Lauren Mote, Appetite By Random House)
When it comes to creative cocktail-making in Canada, few bartenders can match the knowledge, experience, or accolades that Lauren Mote has achieved in her more than 20-year career.
As such, we were thrilled to get our hands on her debut book A Bartender’s Guide to the World. In addition to some seriously slick and delicious cocktail recipes, Mote’s book comes complete with a collection of stories that took us on a vicarious journey through the many restaurants and bars she’s tended around the world.
The cookbook is priced at $35 and can be purchased online.
Canada's Best New Cookbook (Amy Rosen, IndigoPress)
We don’t envy the person(s) who had to narrow down the best dishes from the past 20 years of Canada’s Best New Restaurants, but the new cookbook from Air Canada enRoute and Destination Canada managed to do so in impeccable fashion.
The book features recipes from more than 30 former Top 10 winners, along with beautifully written descriptions and stories from a powerhouse lineup of Canadian food writers.
Canada’s Best New Cookbook is currently on sale for $21 and can be ordered online.
Yawd: Modern Afro-Caribbean Recipes (Adrian Forte, Appetite by Random House)
We were already big fans of Top Chef Canada alum Adrian Forte after his time on the show, but when we had a read through his first book Yawd this summer, we became superfans. The Toronto-based chef’s debut cookbook offers up a wealth of inventive Afro-Caribbean cuisine that we constantly find ourselves going back to again, again, and again.
Yawd is priced at $35 and can be purchased online.
Caesar Country (Aaron Harowitz and Zack Silverman, Appetite By Random House)
It’s no secret that we love to get creative with our Caesar cocktails, so we were pretty excited to add to our Caesar-making repertoire with the release of Caesar Country. The book is written by the co-founders of Walter Craft Caesar and features contributions from Canada’s top bartenders, chefs, and in some cases, celebrities.
Caesar Country can be purchased online for $40.
Five-Bottle Bar (Jessica Schacht, Touchwood Editions)
With a collection of recipes using any combination of gin, whisky, sweet and dry vermouth, and Campari, Ampersand Distilling Company co-founder Jessica Schacht’s The Five-Bottle Bar is an excellent guide for aspiring home bartenders. While the recipes are relatively simple on paper, the final products will leave at-home sippers impressed.
The cookbook is priced at $28 and can be purchased online.
