Father’s Day Cookbooks to Gift Every Type of Dad

You might know chef Enrique Olvera for his acclaimed fine dining Mexican restaurants, including Pujol in Mexico City. But he’s also a superfan of the humble, delicious and beloved taco, which he celebrates in his new cookbook Sunny Days, Taco Nights. Not only does he have classics like barbacoa tacos and Baja-style fish tacos, but he also gets funky with fillings like eggs and green beans and sea bass tataki al pastor. If Dad is always waxing poetic on the joys of Taco Tuesday, he will love this book.

I recently picked up this book in my neighborhood used bookstore, really not knowing much about Richard Olney (the forward by James Beard was enough for me to blindly buy it). But upon diving in, I see what an absolute expert he is on French cooking. Olney covers each subject in depth, but his recipes are simple and straightforward with very little room for error. From sautéed frogs’ legs to a classic garlic chicken, Dad will be turning the family dining room into his very own bistro.

No wheat, dairy, sugar, beef or pork. No, this isn’t some fad diet from TikTok, but rather a list of ingredients Indigenous Americans didn’t eat until the Europeans arrived. Sean Sherman, the three-time James Beard Award-winning author and chef of Owamni, celebrates the beautiful bounty of what they did eat in this excellent cookbook. Here, you’ll learn to smoke trout, fall in love with bison ribs and get very acquainted with the Three Sisters — aka corn, beans and squash. It’s a perfect read for dads who always want to learn something new. 

I turn to Kenji whenever I need super technical cooking advice because he loves to go deep in the science behind it all. That’s why The Wok has been in my regular cookbook rotation ever since it was released in 2022. Chapters cover everything from fried rice to simmering and braising, the latter of which is home to two recipes of which I can’t get enough — spicy Korean rice cake stew with kimchi and Thai-style tofu with green beans and red curry paste. The dad who loves to experiment with Asian ingredients and flavors will love this one.

Dad might already be a fan of Melissa Clark’s always-perfect NYT Cooking recipes (same here). But if he’s constantly juggling one million things and still finds time to cook, Dinner in One is a must. Each recipe is made in just one pan, pot or dish, and most come with the option to “veg it up” because more veggies are never a bad idea. And like all of Clark’s recipes, these are packed with flavor — think lemony baked rice with artichokes, white beans and caramelized leeks and spaghetti with tuna, capers and cherry tomatoes.

I think The Contemporary African Kitchen is the most beautiful cookbook I own. Not only does it have this extremely pleasing-to-my-eye Bauhaus design, but the photography is also stunning, done in a way that highlights the food on the plate and nothing else. And yes, and the food and storytelling is also ridiculously good. The book is broken down into Africa’s five main geographical locations and has recipes from chefs in each of its countries. Whether it’s beef cheeks from Egypt or a plantain frittata from Nigeria, each recipe tells a delicious story — and looks really good while doing it.

This iconic cookbook is celebrating its 51st birthday this year, and half a century later, it’s still one of the most influential cookbooks of our time. Packed full of seasonal, plant-based recipes, Katzen’s hand-written and illustrated Moosewood Cookbook is perfect for dad, whether he’s a vegetarian or simply wants to eat more greens this year. Dishes like polenta and spicy vegetables are hearty, flavorful and satisfying, and helpful drawings will show you the proper way to cut eggplant or fry your own tortilla chips.

When it comes to cooking meat, no one does it better than chef Angie Mar. She made waves at her hotspot restaurant The Beatrice Inn, where I first tried her tableside-flambéed cured, smoked and roasted duck — which, thanks to this cookbook, has become a staple on my Thanksgiving table. This is also a tome for the dad who loves a project. Don’t expect to cut corners when making the milk-braised pork shoulder with jasmine rice soubise and maitake mushrooms or find any shortcuts for the venison and trotter pie. It doesn’t matter anyway: Every delectable bite is worth the work in the end. 

I don’t know what I love more about this book: the gorgeous recipes highlighting my favorite season of eating or the beautiful and wanderlust-inducing illustrations by Kate Lewis. Together they make up a really lovely cookbook, centered around — you guessed it — Italian food made with summer produce. Fried squash blossoms stuffed with mozz and anchovies are the perfect bite before digging into spaghettini with garlic, clams and bottarga. Zucchini, peppers, eggplant and tomatoes are the stars of many dishes, and a risotto with cantaloupe and prosciutto brings to mind a favorite summer snack from my Nonna’s kitchen.

Anyone who’s traveled extensively around the Caribbean knows how different each island’s cuisine is, even if they all share similar ingredients and techniques. It’s exactly what Von Diaz explores in her book Islas, where she travels to tropical islands around the world to gather techniques, recipes and stories. If dad likes to cook with plantains, chile peppers and coconut milk, you’ve come to the right place. Think dishes like pumpkin fish curry from the Seychelles and jerk pork tenderloin from Jamaica.