Page Turners

Cooks Cupboard

Fiction and Nonfiction books about food – everything you ever wanted to know and probably some things you never wanted to know.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
Anthony Bourdain

What the world of restaurants and kitchens is really like. Gossipy, dirty and at time unbelievable, Bourdain shows that the restaurant world is not what we hope it would be.

Heat: an Amateur’s Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany
Bill Buford

A journalist for The New York, Buford befriends chef Mario Batali, and learns what it’s really like to work in a busy New York City kitchen.

Best Food Writing (series) Edited
Holly Hughes

This annual series assembles extraordinary gastronomic writing from the past year’s books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and Web sites.

Cornbread Nation 1: the Best of Southern Food Writing Edited
John T. Edge

Includes original and previously published pieces, Cornbread Nation focuses on the people, places and recipes of the American South; an exciting glimpse into regional Foodways.

Cod: a Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
Mark Kurlansky

A staple of medieval diets, a catalyst for exploration and war; Cod is the definitive story of the fish that changed the world forever.

Bacchus & Me: Adventures in the Wine Cellar
Jay McInerney

In this funny and easy to read guide, novelist Jay McInerney tackles his new love – wine.

Murder Most Delectable: Savory Tales of Culinary Crimes Edited
Martin H. Greenberg

An anthology of 18 short crime stories whose common elements include food, restaurants, and cooking. Also includes recipes for some of the dishes mentioned in the stories. Contributors include Joyce Carol Oates and Rex Stout.

In the Devil’s Garden: a Sinful History of Forbidden Food
Stewart Lee Allen

Using the seven deadly sins as a framework, Allen discusses foods that have been avoided or banned throughout history.

The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell
Mark Kurlansky

New York City was the oyster capital of the world until industrial pollution closed the bed permanently in the 1920s. Kurlansky tells the story of the oyster and its role in shaping the social and economic history of New York City.

Goldy Bear Mysteries (series)
Diane Mott Davidson

Follow caterer Goldy Schulz as she serves up food and murder throughout the series. Series begins with Catering to Nobody (1990).

Like Water for Chocolate: a Novel in Monthly Installments, With Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies
Laura Esquivel

Set in turn-of-the-century Mexico, Tita struggles against family and cultural traditions. This first-rate example of Magical Realism was the number one best selling novel of Mexico in 1990.

Chas Wheatley Mysteries (series)
Phyllis C. Richman

Restaurant critic and amateur detective Chas Wheatley is on the case in this series of restaurant based mysteries. Series begins with The Butter Did It (1997).