Iron Stef Approved Gifts: Non-Cookbook Food Books

Last week I posted a gift guide list of my favorite cookbooks. But not all books about food are cookbooks. I am so food obsessed that most everything I read is food-related. Here are some of my favorite books (novels and non-fiction both) that are filled with scrumptious prose and knowledge.



Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Pie
I wrote about this book and it's ham balls here a few months ago. I recently went to meet the author, Beth Howard, and learn to make apple pie from her! At The American Gothic House!! I have a post in the works, but please check out my friend Kelly's post about the experience.



Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Blogs, Reviews, Memoir, and More (Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Blogs,)

The author Diane Jacob was a guest speaker/teacher at this year's Food Media Forum! This is an essential book for anyone interested in any kind of food writing.



The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection


Ya'll know I love me some Ruhlman.



Kitchen Confidential Updated Edition: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.)
What can I say. I am Tony OBSESSED. I have even read his novels. Check out all his books, including:
A Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines

The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook (P.S.)



The Art of Eating
I'm in the middle of this tome right now. MFK Fisher is one of the best food writers of all time. This has 5 of her books in one. I love her wit and style. The range of subjects is really interesting, too!



Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany
About working in Mario Batali's kitchen and other culinary jobs. A really good and fun read.



By Julia Child, Alex Prud'Homme: My Life in France
Duh.



How to Cook a Tart
A fun novel to get your trashy novel fix in... but well-written!



Bento Box in the Heartland: My Japanese Girlhood in Whitebread America
I love memoirs, I love bento boxes.



A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition
Classic. If Julia's life story doesn't make you want to move to Paris, Hemmingway will.



The Scavenger's Guide to Haute Cuisine
This book about hunting, foraging and cooking is ahead of it's time! This stuff has gotten trendy and keeps on getting more popular.



The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice (P.S.)
This book will make you a sushi expert. It is packed with info, yet easy to read. I need to read it again, because I know I forgot some of the awesome knowledge Trevor Corson dropped. I wrote about him and the book in this post. Also check out his Lobster book. Superb!
The Secret Life of Lobsters: How Fishermen and Scientists Are Unraveling the Mysteries of Our Favorite Crustacean (P.S.)



Crescent: A Novel
Another Novel, about love, Middle Eastern food and... well what else is there.

Previous Gift Guides:
Cookbooks
Gadgets
St. Louis Local Gifts