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Barrow, Cathy. Bagels, Schmears, and a Nice Piece of Fish: A Whole Brunch of Recipes To Make at Home. Chronicle. ISBN 9781797210551.

Barrow has cracked the code to making bagels at home in this gem of a book. The process is unpacked in step-by-step instructions to ensure make-them-again-please results. Also on the menu are schmears, fish toppings, deli salads, and pickles. Readers will marvel at how simple Barrow makes such astoundingly great food. Bake the New York–style bagel.

Bhatt, Vishwesh. I Am from Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern Chef. Norton. ISBN 9781324006060.

Bhatt, a James Beard Award–winning chef, shares the secret to his unique, delectable fusion cooking in intimate, lively detail. Recipes vary their foundations, drawing on the cuisines of India and the Southern United States, but all showcase his creative, exciting, ingenious flavor combinations. Ginger, fennel, mint, basil, and a touch of heat, all in shrimp salad? It’s amazing.

Che, Hannah. Vegan Chinese Kitchen: Recipes and Modern Stories from a Thousand-Year Tradition. Clarkson Potter. ISBN 9780593139707.

Che’s beautiful, captivating compendium reflects her culinary training and is rooted in the traditions of thousands of years of vegan cooking. Though respectful of history, it’s designed for a modern audience, with dishes that readers will devour. Alluring photography and personal stories add to the pleasures of this go-to cookbook. Try Che’s liángbàn dòufu.

Holland, Tanya. Tanya Holland’s California Soul: Recipes from a Culinary Journey West. Ten Speed: Crown. ISBN 9781984860729.

Story-filled, image-rich, and grounded in history, Holland’s radiant cookbook is a tour de force. She offers dishes centered in local, seasonal ingredients that draw upon culinary touchstones of Black culture, plus profiles of the people who make, grow, brew, harvest, and cook the ingredients so central to her mix of heritage, flavor, and sustenance. This constellation of content is as vital to read as to cook from. Bake the Gravenstein apple hand pies.

Martínez, Rick. Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico. Clarkson Potter. ISBN 9780593138700.

Part cookbook, part travelogue, Martínez’s book details the seven regions of Mexico and their cuisine, with bright and welcoming recipes, photography, and stories. Beyond the dishes, those who read cookbooks for pleasure will especially appreciate Martínez’s reflections on authenticity and migration, quest to bring his favorite fare to home cooks, and account of a road trip across Mexico. Make the esquites.

Massaad, Barbara Abdeni. Forever Beirut: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Lebanon. Interlink. ISBN 9781623718534.

This gorgeous ode to Lebanon provides a glimpse of the country and its famous cuisine. It was created in part to preserve Lebanon’s culinary heritage, and thus offers 100 classic recipes, delivered with history, personal narratives, and lavish photography. Cookbook readers, armchair travelers, food historians, and home chefs will delight. Try the moghrabiyeh.

Pons, Andrea. Mamacita: Recipes Celebrating Life as a Mexican Immigrant in America. Princeton Architectural. ISBN 9781648961717.

In this deeply personal and reflective offering, Pons shares three generations of her family’s recipes, creating a collection of essential dishes from Mexico. Appetizing traditional dishes, simplified for busy home cooks, are paired with Pons’s immigration story in this unique and resonant offering. The book is designed with both cooking and reading in mind, and each easy-to-follow recipe is accompanied by a preface that provides context and hints. Try the molletes.

Schmitt, Sally. Six California Kitchens: A Collection of Recipes, Stories, and Cooking Lessons from a Pioneer of California Cuisine. Chronicle. ISBN 9781797208824.

Schmitt, cofounder of the original French Laundry and a pioneer of California cooking, penned this exquisite debut cookbook in her 90th year (she died in March). It is a book of rigor and delight, filled with stories, photos, and recipes drawn from every place she has cooked. The offerings are eclectic and somehow electric too, from cheese drop-biscuits to cauliflower soufflé with browned butter. Make Schmitt’s peach chutney.

Serpico, Peter. Learning Korean: Recipes from Home Cooking. Norton. ISBN 9781324003229.

Join a James Beard Award–winning chef on his journey to discover his heritage through food, with dishes that reflect the traditions of Korean cooking but also provide unique interpretations and support home cooks with simpler preparations. Serpico delivers this food as he feels it should be eaten: from the heart of a kitchen, made with love. His own kitchen is a place readers will want to visit again and again. Sample the whole BBQ chicken with glaze.

Voloshayna, Anna. Budmo!: Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen. Rizzoli. ISBN 9780847872565.

This informative and delicious glimpse into the culinary history and culture of Ukraine offers warm rustic recipes and beautiful photography. Cooks will delight in reading Voloshayna’s childhood memories and learning more about Slavic foodways. The cookbook delivers a glimpse into the kitchens of this wartorn land, offering, as all good meals do, a touchstone for connection. Try Voloshayna’s recipe for buckwheat soup with wild mushrooms.