9 food books by Minnesota authors you might have missed

What’s one more book? It’s what many book lovers ask (and answer) as they pluck another title from the bookstore shelf, eager to add it to their home collection.

Minnesota is rich with both literary and culinary talent. And when those two worlds collide, we are treated not only to mouthwatering cookbooks, but also fascinating memoirs and inspirational messages for kids and adults. As we weather topsy-turvy temperatures, gray skies and winter doldrums, make time for these food-related books you might have missed over the past year and change.

After all, what’s one more book?

“On the Curry Trail,” by Raghavan Iyer. The late author’s final cookbook traces the complex history of India’s spices and their effect on global cuisine, while encouraging readers to put their own stamp on the spice mixture. “I wanted to do a companion story to the ‘660 Curries,’” Iyer said last year about his 2008 groundbreaking cookbook. “I thought what better way to look at curries than through the lens of the Indian diaspora? It was propelled primarily through colonialism, with Indians as indentured servants and slaves.” The result is a fascinating read that’s part history lesson and part cookbook filled with colorful illustrations and recipes like Ethiopian red lentils with ginger and Prawn Curry With Darkened Cinnamon. Side note: If you haven’t explored the rich and saucy stews in his seminal “660 Curries: The Gateway to Indian Cooking” (it clocks in at an impressive 800 pages), what are you waiting for? (Workman)

“Smoke on the Waterfront: The Northern Waters Smokehaus Cookbook.” This North Shore gem marked 25 years of business with a new location and a cookbook, unlocking its culinary secrets by teaching the masses how to prepare their beloved Cajun Finn sandwich and make good use of a backyard smoker. “We’ve been talking about making a cookbook probably ever since the shop opened,” former general manager Mary Tennis told the Star Tribune at the time. “But like most food businesses, we didn’t have time to sit down and write this.” Thank goodness that changed. The result is a group project from the Smokehaus crew that touches on all manners of food preservation, from smoking to pickling and canning. There are plenty of recipes for those who don’t own a smoker (ham meatballs, Swedish meatball gravy), and it makes a great gift (or hint) for your favorite backyard chef. (University of Minnesota Press)

“At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Cafe 20th Anniversary Cookbook,” by Jillian Forte. This Duluth gem has been a fixture in the city’s Chester Park neighborhood for more than 20 years, and it, too, celebrated the milestone with a cookbook, written by its executive chef. The book traces the “her-story” of the cafe and its current owners, Barb Neubert and Carla Blumberg, and features more than 90 recipes, from a long list of breakfast favorites to more global offerings like Moroccan Chicken Tagine. The cafe is known for its farm-to-table approach, working with area farmers and using produce from its onsite garden. The cookbook features culinary and illustrative contributions from Forte’s co-workers past and present. Cooking tips and trivia are sprinkled throughout, making it the cookbook version of a community gathering spot, just like the cafe. (Forte self-published the book in late 2022.)

“Company: The Radically Casual Art of Cooking for Others,” by Amy Thielen. The Park Rapids chef, Food Network personality and award-winning author is one of Minnesota’s treasures, so it’s no surprise that her book landed on several year-end lists across the country. Thielen’s welcoming words and comforting recipes make us feel right at home. Each of the four chapters — Saturday Night, Holiday, Perennial Parties, Casual Walkabouts — has several menus, encouraging cooks to try a new spin on Easter, make a fish fry an event or cook like she does for her brother’s annual birthday bash. Her tell-it-like-it-is approach to recipe writing makes for a breezy read, with tips and advice on equipment, entertaining costs and pantry staples. No need to earmark recipes; you’ll want to make them all. (W.W. Norton)

“The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer,” by Dan Buettner. The Minnesota longevity expert doesn’t sit still for long. His most recent book revisits the five designated Blue Zones, pockets where the lifestyle and environment combine to create areas where the world’s longest-living people reside: Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, Calif. He reveals a new one, too. That comes just months after the release of “The Blue Zones American Kitchen,” which took Buettner across the country searching for cooks who naturally adhere to the dietary habits found in the Blue Zones. Need a reading break? Buettner’s work is also the topic of a Netflix documentary, “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones.” (National Geographic)

“The Essential Dear Dara,” by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl. So much more than simply describing restaurant dishes or observing participants at a dog show, Moskowitz Grumdahl takes us on narrative journeys through the how and why we should care about her subjects. In this collection of some of her favorite works, we look back at stories she has loved to tell. Plus, the award-winning author shares never-before-told stories of how the writer was formed: through personal tragedy and the queens who lifted her up, and the chilly Midwestern city, seasoned with hot dish and ’90s gritty rock music, that became home. Her book is an opportunity to peek behind the curtain — and the wigs — to better know the woman who has turned her pen on our corner of the world for more than 25 years. (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

“The Last Supper Club: A Waiter’s Requiem,” by Matthew Batt. If you’re fascinated by the inner workings of restaurants or the Twin Cities dining scene, you’ll tear through this memoir. Batt, a University of St. Thomas professor, found work as a server when he needed money while on a yearlong sabbatical. “I needed a job and I needed one now and it had to pay quick,” he writes. “That meant only one thing to me: a restaurant job.” He landed at the much-lauded Brewer’s Table inside Surly Brewing Co., working there from its debut through the sudden closure. Batt genuinely loved the work; that he stayed on long past his sabbatical is a testament to that. At its core, the book is an ode to restaurants and the dedicated (and colorful) people who work in them. (University of Minnesota Press)

“Sam and the Incredible African and American Food Fight,” by Shannon Gibney, with illustrations by Charly Palmer. Six-year-old Sam’s parents have put him in a tough spot. Dad is African from Liberia, and wants to eat food from his homeland. Mom is African American and grew up in Minnesota; she wants to eat the food she grew up eating. Sam is caught in the middle, exclaiming: “American or African, any kind of meat, all I really want to do is eat, eat, eat!” Which food would he choose? Which food would you choose? Gibney includes recipes for the dishes at play: Torbogee, a Liberian soup, and homemade pizza. Spoiler alert: You don’t have to choose. (University of Minnesota Press)