Cookbooks with New Jersey Roots

Winter means spending a little more time indoors—and cozying up to a hearty, home-cooked meal. Whether you’re searching for the perfect holiday gift or want to expand your own cooking repertoire, these cookbooks written by chefs and cooks with New Jersey roots are a great choice. —Julia Mullaney

✅ DOES THIS TASTE FUNNY?: RECIPES OUR FAMILY LOVES

Late-night show host Stephen Colbert and his wife, Evie McGee Colbert, started cooking more as a family during Covid lockdowns. Now, the Montclair-based couple are putting their favorite recipes from family and friends on display in their new cookbook. The two tackle everything from happy hour drinks to dinners and party foods, including crabmeat quiche and cowboy caviar.

(Celadon Books, 2024)

✅ THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO COLLEGE COOKING

It wasn’t too long ago that Julia Kuzman was a college student. Now, she’s a successful recipe developer who is showing college students that cooking doesn’t have to be complicated (though her cookbook is suitable for all ages). It’s loaded with easy, tasty recipes like three-ingredient taquitos, “better than boxed” mac and cheese, and a cookie mug cake.

(Page Street Publishing Co., 2024)

✅ HOG CANDY

Peter J. Fischbach’s passion for New Jersey and barbecue led him to create this cookbook, which blends NJ’s rich history with regional USA barbecue styles and culminates in what he calls “Coastal Jersey BBQ.” It includes a rundown on everything from cooking with wood versus a smoker to recipes for rubs, sauces, and delicious sides.

(Fischbach Enterprises, 2021)

✅ MODERN JEWISH COMFORT FOOD

Beyond cooking, Shannon Sarna loves storytelling—and “Modern Jewish Comfort Food” combines the best of both. This cookbook explores Jewish cooking techniques from all over the world and how influences from the Middle East to North Africa made them what they are. Plus, her creative recipes offer exciting twists on traditional Jewish dishes.

(Countryman Press, 2022)

✅ POW! MY LIFE IN 40 FEASTS

Chef Jesse Jones hails from Newark, and his memoir-meets-cookbook offers not only his elevated recipes but also his story of how North Carolina summers with his grandparents shaped his southern cooking style. In the book, French techniques meet southern flavors, and it features everything from haricot verts (French-style green beans) to Hennessey chicken wings.

(Outskirts Press, 2017)

✅ FOOD OF THE ITALIAN ISLANDS

New Jersey is no stranger to Italian cuisine, but Katie Parla’s cookbook takes readers to lesser-known Italian islands, from Sardinia to Sicily, to explore the traditional coastal fare. It’s loaded with 85 recipes bursting with flavor and stories, including Venice’s bigoli in salsa—pasta in a white wine sauce with cured fish—and pane fratteau, made with Sardinia’s popular extra-thin crispy bread.

(Parla Publishing, 2023)