Cookbook Club with Cookbook Courtyard
It's the July edition of the Graza Cookbook Club! Bringing you our favorite bookstores' favorite reads :-) This month, we turned to our pals at Cookbook Courtyard for their summer picks!
Jaicel Asegurado, a Filipina immigrant and community-builder, is the force behind Cookbook Courtyard, a rapidly growing movement that’s redefining what it means to break bread together. What began as a simple idea of gathering people to cook from the same book has exploded into an incredible community of over 2,300 members, monthly sold-out events, and features in local media. It may just be the biggest cookbook club in the country
Summer Reads
If you're anything like us, you know a good cookbook is more than just a stack of recipes - it's a source of inspiration, a peek into someone's world, and sometimes, the thing that gets dinner (or dessert) on the table when nothing else will.
These are a few of our tried-and-true favorites - the ones we keep coming back to, whether we're cooking for comfort, learning something new, or just in the mood to feel inspired. Plus, there’s one upcoming release we already know will be a must-have.
Recent Favorites
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
This remains one of my most recommended cookbooks for a reason. It’s more than just a recipe collection, it’s a masterclass in how to cook. With simple yet powerful techniques and a focus on the essential elements of flavor, this book is perfect for beginners and seasoned home cooks alike. We featured Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat as our very first “Cookbook of the Month” and brought it back for our anniversary this year - because it’s just that good.
Go-to recipe: The buttermilk roasted chicken. Foolproof. Flavor-packed. A forever favorite.
A stunning deep dive into Eastern European cooking, Kapusta is vegetable-forward, heartfelt, and refreshingly flexible. Alissa weaves personal stories with beautifully rustic recipes, bringing new life to dishes often overlooked. It was our March pick and felt like a gentle, grounding welcome into springtime cooking.
What we love: It celebrates heritage while inviting customization - ideal for weeknight meals or weekend project like fermenting and pickling.
Written by Makenna Held - one half of the couple behind the beloved Courageous Cooking School. Mostly French is a gorgeous, heartfelt celebration of French cooking with a modern, playful twist. You may recognize Makenna and her wife from their HBO Max show La Peetch, which gives a peek into their life teaching, hosting, and living at Julia Child’s former home in Provence. The book is just as charming as the show: full of unfussy French recipes, personal stories, and encouragement to cook with courage and joy. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about cooking with heart.
Why we love it: It captures the magic of slow living, good food, and shared meals whether you’re in Provence or your own cozy kitchen.
July Favorite
Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz
Our July pick and an instant favorite! Dessert Person is perfect for the precision-loving, detail-following types and for anyone just dipping their toes into baking. Claire Saffitz has a gift for making even the most technical recipes feel manageable, thanks to her calm tone, clear instructions, and smart tips along the way. It’s the kind of book that builds confidence - whether you're mastering galettes or just learning how to not overmix your batter.
Upcoming New Release
We are so ready for this. Samin Nosrat’s next book, Good Things, is on the horizon and if Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat taught us anything, it’s that she knows how to write a game-changing cookbook. We’re expecting big flavor, big heart, and recipes you’ll want to make forever.
