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I ❤ L.A. : Cookbooks from Local Favorites

Baco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles 

 by Josef CentenoBetty HallockDylan James HoJeni Afuso 

Visually stunning and conceptually fresh, this is the cookbook of the season from Josef Centeno, the chef credited with capturing the myriad tastes of Los Angeles on the plate. Recipes span from simple to show stopping, exploring sauces, soups, mains, salads, and desserts, too. More than 130 vivid photographs convey the beauty and excitement of Chef Centeno's extraordinary cooking. Buy


Ama: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen

by Josef Centeno, Betty Hallock, Ren Fuller

Ama finds inspiration from regional Mexican cuisine and beyond with influences from the American South, Germany, Poland, and Morocco to help you bring more diverse and delicious flavors into your kitchen.


Bring big and bold Tex-Mex flavor to the table: Tex-Mex is a delicious, irreverent cuisine that combines the deep traditions of Texan and Mexican cooking. Think meaty stews, breakfast tacos, tres leches cake, crunchy salads, slow-cooked meats, and fresh cocktails—home cooks will learn how to make them all. Buy

Everything I Want to Eat: Sqirl and the New California Cooking

by Jessica Koslow 

Jessica Koslow and her restaurant, Sqirl, are at the forefront of the California cooking renaissance, which is all about food that surprises us and engages all of our senses—it looks good, tastes vibrant, and feels fortifying yet refreshing. In Everything I Want to Eat, Koslow shares 100 of her favorite recipes for health-conscious but delicious dishes, all of which always use real foods—no fake meat or fake sugar here—that also happen to be suitable for vegetarians, vegans, or whomever you’re sharing your meal with. Buy


Bestia: Italian Recipes Created in the Heart of L.A.

by Ori Menashe, Genevieve Gergis, Lesley Suter

This debut cookbook from L.A.'s phenomenally popular Bestia restaurant features rustic Italian food that is driven by intense flavors, including house-made charcuterie, pizza and pasta from scratch, and innovative desserts inspired by home-baked classics. Buy

Night + Market: Delicious Thai Food to Facilitate Drinking and Fun-Having Amongst Friends

by Kris YenbamroongGarrett Snyder

Kris is the chef of Night + Market, and this cookbook is the story of his journey from the Thai-American restaurant classics he grew eating at his family’s restaurant, to the rural cooking of Northern Thailand he fell for traveling the countryside. But it’s also a story about how he came to question what authenticity really means, and how his passion for grilled meats, fried chicken, tacos, sushi, wine and good living morphed into an L.A. Thai restaurant with a style all its own. Buy


American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta

by Evan FunkeKatie ParlaEric Wolfinger

A comprehensive guide to making the best pasta in the world: In this debut cookbook from Evan Funke, he shares classic techniques from his Emilia Romagna training and provides accessible instructions for making his award winning sfoglia (sheet pasta) at home. With little more than flour, eggs, and a rolling pin, you too can be a sfoglino (a pasta maker) and create traditional Italian noodles that are perfectly paired with the right sauces. Buy


Baking at République: Masterful Techniques and Recipes 

by Margarita Manzke & Betty Hallock 

A stunning instructional from beloved Los Angeles baker Margarita Manzke, who teaches the key doughs, batters, recipes, and clever ways for creating wow-factor and bakery-quality results at home. Buy


Gjelina: Cooking from Venice, California

by Travis LettMichael GraydonNikole Herriott

Travis Lett's new American cuisine from Los Angeles's most talked-about restaurant.

Standout cookbook featuring 125+ rustic and delicious dishes: Gjelina in Venice Beach is lauded by critics from London to New York to San Francisco. It is beloved by stars, locals, and out-of-towners alike for its seductive simplicity and seasonal New American menu created by talented chef Travis Lett. Buy


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