The Best Cookbooks to Gift This Holiday Season

Since 1976, women in the food industry have come to know the organization Les Dames d’Escoffier as one of their best allies, advancing the educational and professional opportunities of women food professionals, and in the process building a membership that reads like a who’s who of the restaurant world. Edited by Dames Silvia Baldini and Sharon Frank, with a foreword by Lidia Bastianich, and dedicated to Les Dames’ late founder Carol Brock, this volume is like a community cookbook of the Les Dames village, with recipes offered by seventy-six of its members (including our own EIC, Kat Craddock, whose Rhode Island-style Clam Stuffies make an appearance, as do photographs styled by SAVEUR’s own Jessie YuChen and Matt Taylor-Gross). The cookbook also pays forward Les Dames’ central mission, with all profits going to benefit the organization’s New York Scholarship fund for culinary education.

Ellie Krieger writes about Melissa Rodriguez Fennel Salad In the Washington Post

This fennel salad is an escape from the ordinary, an exceptional dish that takes a bit more effort than you might put into everyday greens, but that’s what makes it worthy of a special occasion.

The dressing employs two ingredients that need to be prepared ahead of time — toasted, ground fennel seeds and roasted garlic. Torn leaves of tender greens and thinly sliced fresh fennel are tossed with the dressing, then sprinkled generously with a crisp, nutty breadcrumb topping, and shavings of sharp pecorino Romano cheese (you could substitute parmesan).

Cook This Now! Melissa Hayden’s potato latkes

Who would have guessed that astar member of the New York City Ballet was known not only for her portrayal of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, but also for her potato latkes.

“l don’t care if you criticize my Swan Lake,” proclaimed the late Melissa Hayden in the circa 1966 tome The Ballet Cook Book (Stein & Day) written by her fellow ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq, “but not my potato latkes, because they are the lightest and fluffiest!”

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August 22, 2023, New York, NY: The History Press, an imprint of Arcadia Publishing, is publishing Les Dames d’Escoffier New York Cookbook: Stirring the Pot by culinary experts Silvia Baldini and Sharon Franke on September 18, 2023.

Proceeds from sales benefit Les Dames d’Escoffier New York’s Scholarship Fund.

Les Dames d’Escoffier New York (LDNY), comprising some of the most influential and accomplished women (Dames) in the food, wine and hospitality world, share their remarkable stories and their personal recipes from simple weekday meals to spectacular party dishes.

Authors Silvia Baldini and Sharon Franke skillfully curate seventy-six family recipes alongside wine pairings from Pascaline Lepeltier, MOF. There’s a dedication by Lidia Bastianich to LDNY founder Carol Brock and a foreword by Carla Hall. They organize Stirring the Pot into eight user-friendly and easy-to-follow chapters: “Breakfast,” “Appetizers and Salads,” “Soups,” “Pasta, Noodles and Grains,” “Mains,” “Sides,” “Desserts” and “Cocktails.” At the back of the book, they include intriguing bios and photos of the sixty-one contributing Dames. With comforting pasta dishes such as Lidia Bastianich’s Cavatappi with Asparagus and Spinach Pesto, weeknight standouts like Ellie Krieger’s Family Favorite Minestrone and stunning salads like Radicchio Salad with Radishes, Basil and Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette by Melissa Rodriguez, chef of a two–Michelin star restaurant, this book includes recipes for every occasion and every skill level. Baldini and Franke share some of their own family favorite recipes but the bulk of the recipes were contributed by other Dames.

“Stirring the Pot is more than just a compilation of recipes, it’s a book about cooking with a purpose. It empowers women and supports the hospitality community through the LDNY Scholarship program. It combines stunning recipes with useful cooking tips and celebrates visionary women who have influenced the food and beverage industry,” explains Silvia Baldini. “When we cook, we don’t only nourish bellies, we also empower communities and support and advance one another’s careers and dreams. This is the reason why I wrote Les Dames d’Escoffier New York Cookbook: Stirring the Pot.”

Notes Sharon Franke, “Anyone who wonders what the food pros cook at home will love this book. In Stirring the Pot, some of the biggest culinary names share the treasured dishes they serve their own families and guests along with their secrets for getting perfect results.”

Stirring the Pot gifts the reader with gorgeous and tasty recipes. It also delivers a look inside the kitchens of many of the female culinary talents we all admire. It features not only famous and beloved chefs but also recognized Instagram influencers, TV personalities, farmers, product developers, nutritionists, professors, wine authorities, authors, journalists, recipe developers, tech and equipment experts, visual artists, restaurateurs and even a hospitality tax expert. Baldini and Franke showcase a diverse and star-studded group, including Lidia Bastianich, Carla Hall, Pascaline Lepeltier, Melissa Rodriguez, Ellie Krieger, Surbhi Sahni, Tara Bench, Kat Craddock, Ariane Daguin, Julie Hartigan, June Hersh, Rita Jammet, Marisa May, Maria Loi, Francine Cohen and Wanda Mann to name a few.

“Reflecting New York itself, the women and recipes within this mouth-watering cookbook hail from diverse backgrounds and culinary traditions, joining together in a celebration of how women continue to shape the culinary landscape in the greatest city in the world,” says Banks Smither, Acquisitions Editor for The History Press.

Stirring the Pot will appeal to aspiring young chefs as well as culinary professionals, celebrity food enthusiasts, food lovers and anyone with a genuine interest in cooking and learning how Dames from every area of the NY culinary world broke the Pyrex ceiling.

Printed in a stunning full color edition, Stirring the Pot includes beautiful photographs by Matt Taylor-Gross & Chloe Zale to accentuate many of the recipes and original illustrations.

Stirring the Pot can be purchased everywhere cookbooks are sold and online at Bookshop and Amazon. For more information visit StirringthePotNY.

Silvia Baldini is a classically trained Italian-born chef. Following an award-winning career as an art director on Madison Avenue, Silvia pursued a master in restaurant management at ICC and Cornell, and a culinary degree at Cordon Bleu. She worked as chef in London, NYC and CT restaurants, including the Ritz and Ottolenghi. She is a Chopped champion on Food Network. Silvia’s recipes and stories have been published in Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Saveur, the New York Times, La Cucina Italiana and Forbes.

Sharon Franke is a journalist and product tester specializing in kitchen equipment. Prior to beginning her freelance career, Sharon worked at the Good Housekeeping Institute for 30 years, serving as Director of the Kitchen Appliances Lab. Sharon began her culinary journey by working as a cook and chef in New York City restaurants for 7 years, most notably the 3-star Market Bar & Dining Rooms in the World Trade Center.

About Les Dames d’Escoffier New York (LDNY)

LDNY is the founding and largest chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI), an experienced 501c3 non-profit organization. Its mission is to advance and support aspiring professional women in food and beverage, as well as to champion critical industry issues. LDNY’s vision is guided by three objectives: Education, Advocacy and Philanthropy. Since 1977, LDNY has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to over 1,000 recipients.

About Arcadia Publishing

As the nation’s leading publisher of books of local nonfiction and rarely explored pockets of history, Arcadia’s mission is to connect people with their past, with their communities and with one another. Arcadia has a remarkable catalog of 17,000 titles exploring the story of America one town or community at a time.

Food & Beverage Magazine

I grew up in Rhode Island, but it wasn’t until I left that I really appreciated just how special my home state’s food culture really is. With a history of fishing, shipping and manufacturing, New England’s coastline has been a cultural melting pot for generations. Today, Rhode Island’s cuisine is still shaped by a wide range of international influences: global foods like French Canadian meat pies, Cape Verdean cachopa, fresh Italian pastas, Portuguese custard tarts, Syrian stuffed grape leaves, and Lao sour sausage abound in restaurants, bakeries, and homes….

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