Smoke & Pickles
Part cookbook, part memoir, Smoke and Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen ($20) is a must read for any fan of Southern food. Penned by award-winning chef Edward Lee, the book chronicles his story from Brooklyn to Louisville, Kentucky, while offering up over 130 recipes that blend Southern comfort food with Korean traditions. Highlights include ramen-crusted, chicken-fried pork steak, collards and kimchi, and even Tobacco cookies, but all of them are approachable, letting you test out Lee's inventive methods yourself.