As the current condition of the Canadian hospitality industry continues to present challenges to our favourite food and drink providers, we’ve been steadily stressing the importance of supporting local establishments whenever possible.
And one of the best avenues to do so is by purchasing restaurant-made cookbooks.
Canadian cookbooks not only provide recipes for some of the nation’s quintessential restaurant offerings, they explore the country’s vast and diverse flavour profiles, techniques, and traditions through the eyes of our most beloved chefs and restaurateurs.
Whether you’re a beginner baker, a part-time prepper, or a guru of gourmet, there’s always room to grow and advance your culinary capacity. Here are eight more of our favourite Canadian cookbooks from chefs and restaurateurs across the country.
Mandy’s Gourmet Salads: Recipes for Lettuce and Life - Mandy and Rebecca Wolfe
Montreal’s favourite gourmet salad sisters, Mandy and Rebecca Wolfe, guide readers through the process of recreating an array of their popular offerings, from salads and dressings to grain bowls, smoothies and sweets.
The Mandy’s Gourmet Salads cookbook is vibrant, engaging, and packed with easy-to-follow instructions on how to create healthy and visually stunning meals.
Although the cookbook won’t be officially released until July 7, pre-orders can now be made online.
Maenam: A Fresh Approach to Thai Cooking - Angus An
Award-winning chef Angus An takes readers on a culinary journey through more than 100 flavour-driven Thai recipes built on balance, tradition, and innovation. The Maenam cookbook incorporates seasonal West Coast ingredients into classic Thai dishes like noodle bowls, soups, salads, stir fries, and more.
True North: Canadian Cooking from Coast to Coast - Derek Dammann
True North features more than 100 recipes of what chef Derek Dammann simply refers to as Canadian food. The B.C.-born, Montreal-based chef of the award-winning Maison Publique restaurant highlights the boundary-pushing chefs, farmers, fishers, winemakers and foragers who comprise Canada’s ever-evolving culinary community.
The book is broken down into eight chapters, organized by region, with each chapter offering a selection of recipes for a wide range of cooking backgrounds.
Vij’s Indian: Our Stories, Spices and Cherished Recipes - Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala
Vij’s Indian cookbook features 80 original recipes, crafted by Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala for both new and experienced home cooks. Dhalwala, who was one of the first high profile restaurateurs to advocate for Canada’s hospitality industry during the pandemic, adds her signature healthy and delicious vegetable-forward style to an array of offerings from the celebrated restaurant group.
French Pastry 101: Beautiful Baking Classics that Take One Hour or Less - Betty Hung
Beaucoup Bakery’s Betty Hung simplifies the typically complex art of French pastry in an approachable, easy-to-follow way. From basics like pastry cream and pâte sucrée to classics like crème brûlée, eclairs and lady fingers, French Pastry 101 provides multiple recipes that, as the title suggests, take one hour or less to make.
Tawâw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine - Shane Chartrand
River Cree Resort and Casino’s renowned chef Shane Chartrand delivers more than 75 recipes in Tawâw, including Chartrand’s award-winning dish, “War Paint”. Tawâw, which loosely translates to, “Come in, you’re welcome, there’s room,” traces Chartrand’s lifelong journey through personal stories, interviews, and emphasises the importance of culinary influences like friends, family, and culture.
Butter Celebrates!: A Year of Sweet Recipes to Share with Family and Friends - Rosie Daykin
The follow-up to Rosie Daykin’s famous debut cookbook, Butter Celebrates! provides more than 100 recipes for sweets to celebrate almost every occasion, from birthdays and weddings to Christmas and Hanukkah. Daykin’s warm and jovial style is present throughout, allowing readers to follow along with ease and amusement.
The Juice Truck: A Guide to Juicing, Smoothies, Cleanses and Living a Plant-Based Lifestyle - Zach Berman and Ryan Slater
The longtime duo behind Vancouver’s popular Juice Truck teaches readers how to make juicing fun, approachable, healthy, and imaginative. In addition to more than 110 drink recipes with stunning photography and illustrations, The Juice Truck provides information on personal health, the science behind juicing, and the benefits of each specific ingredient.
