NEW ORLEANS FAMILY COOKING

Besh, John (1968– )

My Family Table: A Passionate Plea for Home Cooking (Volume 2)

Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2011. First Edition, First Printing.

A New Orleans chef’s celebration of traditional family cooking and shared meals.

A warm and accessible cookbook by acclaimed New Orleans chef John Besh, emphasizing the restoration of traditional home cooking through approachable family-centered recipes. Rooted in Southern Louisiana culinary traditions, the volume encourages readers to reconnect with foundational kitchen techniques often displaced by convenience food and restaurant culture.

Organized around the rhythms of family meals, the book presents 130 recipes ranging from roasts and braises to breads, soups, and desserts. Illustrated throughout with color photography, it blends practical instruction with personal reflections on food, family, and regional identity. Besh’s emphasis on gathering around the table reflects the broader revival of home cooking that emerged in post-Katrina New Orleans and early 21st-century American food culture.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION / CONDITION: Hardcover with dust jacket. 11.5 inches tall. 265 pages with index. Illustrated throughout with color photography. Fine in a Fine Dust Jacket. No flaws or blemishes but minimal shelf handling; still gift quality.

John Besh became one of the most visible culinary ambassadors for New Orleans in the years following Hurricane Katrina, positioning regional cooking as both cultural preservation and community rebuilding. My Family Table shifts from restaurant-centered cuisine toward domestic cooking, emphasizing techniques and meals intended for everyday life rather than formal presentation.

The book reflects the broader movement toward ingredient-driven, comfort-oriented cooking that characterized American culinary publishing in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Its appeal lies not only in recipes but also in its evocation of hospitality, ritual, and continuity through shared meals.

SUBJECTS: John Besh, New Orleans cuisine, Southern cooking, home cooking, Louisiana food culture, family meals, contemporary cookbooks, Cookery, Southern Cooking, Food Writing

Item #21986
ISBN: 9781449407872

Price: $24.00