Why We Cook : Women on Food, Identity, and Connection
- Downloads：7658
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-07 11:51:43
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Lindsay Gardner
- ISBN：1523509740
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
An inspirational and powerful book that celebrates women's stories， passions， history， and trailblazing achievements in the culinary world， with personal essays， recipes， Q&As， illustrated quotes， and more from over 100 women in the world of food - restaurateurs， sommeliers， food producers， activists， writers， and home cooks。
Inspiring， empowering， beautiful， and moving， Why We Cook explores the place where food meets feminism。 In it， artist Lindsay Gardner brings together stories， essays， kitchen profiles， interviews， and more， featuring 112 women restaurateurs， food producers， activists， writers， professional chefs， and home cooks—all of whom are dedicated not only to their craft but to changing the world of food。
There are profiles on changemakers， like Cristina Martinez， a chef who emigrated from Mexico and who brings her Philadelphia community together through food while using her platform to champion immigrants’ rights; and Leah Penniman， who describes a day in her life on Soul Fire Farm， which she co-founded to combat racism in the food system。 Evocative reflections on food and memory， like Rachel Khong's ode to her mother's love of fruit。 And narrative recipes， like restaurateur Nicole Ponseca's Bibingka。
With her rich visual storytelling gifts—the book is filled with beautiful watercolour illustrations and portraits—Gardner not only captures a sense of what is unique about each of the women， bringing them to life but adds layers of nuance and insight to their words and their work。 Together， their voices reveal the power of food to uplift and nourish， reveal complex questions， and effect change， and offer us all the opportunity to learn about each other and about ourselves。
Inspiring， empowering， beautiful， and moving， Why We Cook explores the place where food meets feminism。 In it， artist Lindsay Gardner brings together stories， essays， kitchen profiles， interviews， and more， featuring 112 women restaurateurs， food producers， activists， writers， professional chefs， and home cooks—all of whom are dedicated not only to their craft but to changing the world of food。
There are profiles on changemakers， like Cristina Martinez， a chef who emigrated from Mexico and who brings her Philadelphia community together through food while using her platform to champion immigrants’ rights; and Leah Penniman， who describes a day in her life on Soul Fire Farm， which she co-founded to combat racism in the food system。 Evocative reflections on food and memory， like Rachel Khong's ode to her mother's love of fruit。 And narrative recipes， like restaurateur Nicole Ponseca's Bibingka。
With her rich visual storytelling gifts—the book is filled with beautiful watercolour illustrations and portraits—Gardner not only captures a sense of what is unique about each of the women， bringing them to life but adds layers of nuance and insight to their words and their work。 Together， their voices reveal the power of food to uplift and nourish， reveal complex questions， and effect change， and offer us all the opportunity to learn about each other and about ourselves。
Reviews
Annie
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Giving any less appreciation for all of the women’s stories would feel mean， but I AM disappointed there wasn’t a section titled Cheesemakers & Mongers In Conversation ！！
Sarah
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If you like cooking， baking， food， eating， reading about food， beautiful illustrations， or any combination of these things then you'll find something to like in this book。 Profiles of chefs and food industry women， home cooks， recipes， essays， memorable meals， and more。 There's something for everyone and you can dip into this book randomly to find something beautiful that will make you hungry for something you've never heard of， or something you've had a thousand times - just without that new de If you like cooking， baking， food， eating， reading about food， beautiful illustrations， or any combination of these things then you'll find something to like in this book。 Profiles of chefs and food industry women， home cooks， recipes， essays， memorable meals， and more。 There's something for everyone and you can dip into this book randomly to find something beautiful that will make you hungry for something you've never heard of， or something you've had a thousand times - just without that new description。There's something so pleasing， I think， in reading about food and cooking。 Especially when the content is all coming from or about women。 I liked this book a lot。 I know I didn't capture everything in my first read/glance through， and I'm looking forward to getting to know the book and the women inside a little more。Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Terri
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I admit it， I am one of those people who read cookbooks for fun， and I am addicted to shows like “Great British Baking”。 There is something so heart-warming and wholesome about the act of doing， or even thinking about， food preparation for the people you care about - to me it really is a “food is love” thing。Enter this lovely book。 The best way to describe it is a beautifully illustrated series of conversations， short essays， recipes and musings from the contributors， who represent a broad and i I admit it， I am one of those people who read cookbooks for fun， and I am addicted to shows like “Great British Baking”。 There is something so heart-warming and wholesome about the act of doing， or even thinking about， food preparation for the people you care about - to me it really is a “food is love” thing。Enter this lovely book。 The best way to describe it is a beautifully illustrated series of conversations， short essays， recipes and musings from the contributors， who represent a broad and inclusive set of women across the food industry。 You can read it straight through， or pick up and read a section at a time as you would any coffee table book。 I read this book more casually， over the course of several days and found the comments provided touched all the right notes。 Many of the stories emphasized the way we all would love to eat - based on the traditional cultural focus of locally sourced or harvested food and fresh herbs and their preparation in season。There’s a lot of content， nicely laid out， and some of the highlights for me included: - What preparing food means to women and how our roles in food preparation within the family are evolving。- How culture is reflected in cooking and how deeply intertwined our memories/emotions from our homelands and our childhoods are to food。 - The contributors reflect the ever-growing appreciation for diversity and inclusivity in the cooking industry。 I for one am so grateful for all the multi-cultural ingredients， recipes and videos that are out there now， and am looking forward to trying several of the recipes in this book。 4 wonderful stars。A big thank you to NetGalley， the publisher Workman Publishing Company， and the author for an advance review copy of this book。 All thoughts presented here are my own。 。。。more
Kimberly Tierney
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This is an eclectic mix of stories by and about real women and their motivations behind what gets them into the kitchen。 While everyone has a different story， many of the components were the same。 It was interesting， but I don't feel like I would have missed out on anything if I hadn't read it。 This is an eclectic mix of stories by and about real women and their motivations behind what gets them into the kitchen。 While everyone has a different story， many of the components were the same。 It was interesting， but I don't feel like I would have missed out on anything if I hadn't read it。 。。。more
Stephanie Spafford
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Why We Cook is an important contribution to the food cannon。 Lindsay does a beautiful job of getting over 100 women to share their stories about food in all its forms and iterations。 I enjoyed the snapshots into these women's lives and learning more about their relationships with food。 This book is for passionate foodies and people who want to learn more about the way in which women relate and identify with food and cooking。 Why We Cook is an important contribution to the food cannon。 Lindsay does a beautiful job of getting over 100 women to share their stories about food in all its forms and iterations。 I enjoyed the snapshots into these women's lives and learning more about their relationships with food。 This book is for passionate foodies and people who want to learn more about the way in which women relate and identify with food and cooking。 。。。more
Monica Villas Boas
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𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐍 “𝗪𝐇𝐘 𝗪𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐊”𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫: Lindsay Gardner 𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: March 2nd， 2021𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: last month I made the decision of reading at least one food and beverage related book a month， to keep learning and being inspired in my field of work。 This month’s choice was “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘞𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘬”， a collection of POVs， recipes， essays from women of hospitality around the world。 I learned so many things with this book！ It’s not a surprise to me that the high positions of this field are mostly occupied by man and i 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐍 “𝗪𝐇𝐘 𝗪𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐊”𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫: Lindsay Gardner 𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: March 2nd， 2021𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: last month I made the decision of reading at least one food and beverage related book a month， to keep learning and being inspired in my field of work。 This month’s choice was “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘞𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘬”， a collection of POVs， recipes， essays from women of hospitality around the world。 I learned so many things with this book！ It’s not a surprise to me that the high positions of this field are mostly occupied by man and it was inspiring to hear stories of how women are opening the path for more female voices in the industry。 I loved reading how these women （chefs， restauranteurs， sommeliers， etc） identified the problems and overcame them。 The way the book was put together is very dynamic - mixing interviews with essays， profiles and storytelling。 One of my favorites phrases of the book was: “𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 （𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦） 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 - 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺” - Jude Rodil （Master Sommelier）Unfortunately my reading experience was a bit ruined by the format that the book took on my kindle， mixing up phrases and paragraphs - but the version for sale is a beautiful table coffee book with a hardcover and Gardener’s beautiful illustrations。 I will definitely buy this book once released and recommend it to my female colleagues in the hospitality and F&B fields！ Thank you @netgalley and @workmanpub for gifting me this eARC in exchange of an honest review。 。。。more
Amanda
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3。5 stars。 Beautifully illustrated compilation celebrating women in food。 The book contains essays on Memorable Meals， Kitchen Portraits showing them in their kitchens and giving their backgrounds， essays， Home Cooks in Conversation （q&a with home cooks）， a handful of recipes， Profiles， and Contributors in Conversation （q&a with chefs）。 There's a lot of info in here on food， cooking， the planet， and difficulties women in the restaurant industry and related food associated professions encounter。 3。5 stars。 Beautifully illustrated compilation celebrating women in food。 The book contains essays on Memorable Meals， Kitchen Portraits showing them in their kitchens and giving their backgrounds， essays， Home Cooks in Conversation （q&a with home cooks）， a handful of recipes， Profiles， and Contributors in Conversation （q&a with chefs）。 There's a lot of info in here on food， cooking， the planet， and difficulties women in the restaurant industry and related food associated professions encounter。 There were lots of great quotes。 The recipes were unique and included because of a story from the creator。 This would be a good gift for a woman who is very interested in food or hoping to make it a career。I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jenn Adams
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Honestly a work of art and something I would like to own some day。 Exploration of women and their relationship with food/cooking through all different lenses: chefs， activists， reviewers; recipes， quotes， stories。 Love the illustration style as well。 Thanks to Edelweiss/NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review。
Kaitlyn
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I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I enjoyed that this was a book about famous chefs/cooks， but I was hoping that it would at least have one recipe by each woman。
Brianna
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This book was a delight！ The paintings are beautiful and provide a beautiful backsplash to the inspiring and entertaining stories， quotes， and recipes of home cooks， professional chefs， activists， and others。 If you love to cook and also have a penchant for justice and equity， you will certainly enjoy this book。 It would also make a great gift for the feminist cook or baker in your life。 I'm glad I read this and would wholeheartedly recommend it to others。 *I received this book via NetGalley in This book was a delight！ The paintings are beautiful and provide a beautiful backsplash to the inspiring and entertaining stories， quotes， and recipes of home cooks， professional chefs， activists， and others。 If you love to cook and also have a penchant for justice and equity， you will certainly enjoy this book。 It would also make a great gift for the feminist cook or baker in your life。 I'm glad I read this and would wholeheartedly recommend it to others。 *I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Katherine
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In most homes， the female role more often than not is the family household cook; but many of the famous chefs around the world are male。 This book's concept and showcase of this book are beautiful in highlighting women。 In a world where photos are so prevalent in social media， it is great to take a step back and process the illustrations for the chefs and food displays， especially when so many of the recipes come from a traditional 'comfort food to me' perspective。 The questions and statistics f In most homes， the female role more often than not is the family household cook; but many of the famous chefs around the world are male。 This book's concept and showcase of this book are beautiful in highlighting women。 In a world where photos are so prevalent in social media， it is great to take a step back and process the illustrations for the chefs and food displays， especially when so many of the recipes come from a traditional 'comfort food to me' perspective。 The questions and statistics featured throughout are thought provoking。 。。。more
Margaret Roberts
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I love to cook， so I was excited to receive Why We Cook as an e-ARC through NetGalley。 This beautifully illustrated book was a compilation of essays， recipes， Q&As， and more from over 100 female professional and amateur chefs。 What I Liked:The illustrations were the best part of this book。 They were absolutely stunning and I ended up reading this on my phone to be able to see them in color （versus reading on my Kindle）。 I also love books have recipes inside that aren't a straight up cook book an I love to cook， so I was excited to receive Why We Cook as an e-ARC through NetGalley。 This beautifully illustrated book was a compilation of essays， recipes， Q&As， and more from over 100 female professional and amateur chefs。 What I Liked:The illustrations were the best part of this book。 They were absolutely stunning and I ended up reading this on my phone to be able to see them in color （versus reading on my Kindle）。 I also love books have recipes inside that aren't a straight up cook book and I will be trying out some of the recipes。 What I Disliked:I didn't care for the structure of this book。 It felt like it jumped around a lot and there did not seem to be cohesion from one essay， Q&A， etc to the next。 For foodies or those who watch food shows （Food Network， Netflix， etc） this book is an easy， entertaining， impressive read into the lives of female chefs。 。。。more
Cozy Book Spot
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It's a nice book about some women chefs and their stories。 I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review It's a nice book about some women chefs and their stories。 I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review 。。。more
Vaiomo ♡
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Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 This book was very enjoyable。 I was very intrigued by this book because I read something about it online and then I also read the blurb after so i felt like i had to read it！It took me a little time to read it since I'm in a bit of a reading slump but I ended up finishing it in the end。 it was not because the book was shit but because I didn't feel like reading most of the time。 The book itself wa Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 This book was very enjoyable。 I was very intrigued by this book because I read something about it online and then I also read the blurb after so i felt like i had to read it！It took me a little time to read it since I'm in a bit of a reading slump but I ended up finishing it in the end。 it was not because the book was shit but because I didn't feel like reading most of the time。 The book itself was actually pretty good。 I really liked how everything was formatted in this book when it comes to text and picture wise because it made it very calm but still fun to look at。 I also really enjoyed the style of writing since it didn't use too many complicated words that I would possibly have to look up since I'm sadly not a walking dictionary。 I think this book was pretty good :D 。。。more
Janet
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