"The Kitchen without Borders" by The Eat Offbeat Chefs is a culinary journey showcasing recipes and stories from refugee and immigrant chefs. Through diverse cuisines, the book celebrates cultural richness and resilience, offering a glimpse into the lives and experiences of those who have resettled in new lands.

Combining the chef’s stories with their recipes and traditions is a unique and enjoyable format and added a special “ingredient” to each recipe. The section on sourcing ingredients is helpful as some items are not at my local grocery store. I enjoyed reading the chef’s stories as much as the recipes. The photography is phenomenal!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This one just didn't do it for me - maybe I was in a lifestage where unusual recipes/ingredients did not appeal. It was difficult reading a cookbook on a device, since the pictures are so integral to the experience, and I didn't really have the larger screen to accommodate that. I expect that it's a fine enough book for someone else.

The book is about chefs from different parts of the world, so you will have a great collection of international recipes. The recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients are simple. A very informative book.

I loved this cookbook and all of the stories that went with the recipes. I haven't tried to make any of the recipes but that is because I am lazy, they all sound fantastic.

While some of the recipes required substitutions in my area, they nevertheless worked out well. The cachapas in particular are now in regular rotation!

This book has excellent stories of survival and also includes recipes and traditions that need to be passed on. It is an excellent resource for learning about other cultures and learning about the experiences of people who are chefs. I like that the author has so many different shifts featured and great recipes that I cannot wait to try.

I had never heard of 'Eat Offbeat' before requesting 'The Kitchen without Borders' but was immediately onboard with the concept! Food is such an integral element of that elusive concept of "feeling home". When you're all collected around a table, or when your passing down recipes, or when you enter a kitchen that smells like your grandmother's cooking, it all helps to settle you into yourself and your traditions. So I was very intrigued by this cookbook!

There are amazing recipes in here, many of which were indeed surprising combinations. Sadly I haven't been able to try any out myself yet, since I'm having some issues finding some of the ingredients. That's the only "negative", if necessary, of this cookbook. These recipes will feel "non-traditional" to most Western cooks, which means you may have to search slightly for some of the ingredients. However, from what I could see in this cookbook, it will absolutely be worth it! I recognised elements of some recipes from restaurants I visited, pre-COVID, and my mouth is already watering!

Coming from a Middle Eastern background, I gravitate to recipes that remind me from my childhood. And although I am a way better cook than my mom I'm always looking for the next new family favorite. But this time I let my husband chose. I handed him this cookbook and said, "Here, pick one." The first night he chose Chari Curry. I had all the ingredients except for the curry leaves. Not sure if this was a make or break but in the end it did feel it was missing that little something extra. It was good, but not great. Our favorite had to be Chicken Karahi. Ingredients are easy to find at any grocer and the flavors are fantastic. It's a hearty stew and serves plenty. Some of the ingredients in this book are hard to find. I was surprised that there were no lamb dishes. Plenty of chicken and beef, but no lamb. Which I find odd considering that lamb is part of the food culture in these countries. IF you're looking for new and different this is a great book to try. Pick it up from your library before you commit, but I'm sure you'd find it a keeper after trying a few recipes. Special thanks to NetGalley or giving me the opportunity to express my opinions in exchange for a ARC.

Great recipes, interesting information on the origins of the recipes from the refugees. I liked the style of how the whole book was put together.

I loved the variety in this books. The chefs come from all over the globe. Most of the recipes aren’t going to be totally new to people who read a lot of vegan cooks books but the presentation is superb.

Kitchen Without Borders is a cookbook, but calling it that is really selling it short. It's so much more than that. It's an introduction to people and cultures from around the world. Stories of love and family, memories and tradition. The recipes are but the stars here are truly the chefs and their stories!

The recipes are delicious, clear, and easy to understand, and the photography is just gorgeous. I do wish every recipe had an accompanying photo (but most do). There is a helpful section offering suggestions on where to find harder to source ingredients.

I can't wait to get into the kitchen and travel the world... but honestly, even if you're not into cooking, this book is just a fantastic, inspiring read. Read it and expand your horizons without leaving home.

Thank you to Netgalley and Workman Publishing for the opportunity to read Kitchen Without Borders in return for my honest opinion.

An appealing cookbook with a fascinating premise, good stories, and tasty recipes. Photos are wonderful, recipes are clearly written and sound delicious.

Amazing cookbook! I would make almost every single recipe in this book! The photos are great, the recipes are well organized and easy to read and to follow! I love it and I can't wait to start cooking these recipes. I also enjoyed reading about the chefs. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

It feels like a bit of a strange thing to write a review of a cookbook without having even tried one of the recipes. But not if you have my obsession with cookbooks. I read through cookbooks the way I read fiction except with the constant stopping to sink into gorgeous beautifully-arranged pictures of food. I rarely make cookbook recipes (unless I’m baking) but I get many ideas to adapt things I already eat, and find so many influences in the recipes I study.

Enter in this cookbook which I was lucky enough to be able to get a review copy of (thanks to Workman Publishing and NetGalley for that) and was instantly intrigued by the concept of an international, multicultural cookbook by immigrants and refugees who were part of the International Rescue Committees programs and were now part of the Eat Offbeat catering company, a social enterprise initiative from Lebanese immigrants to New York, Wissam and Manal Kahi, that provides catering services with a menu from 15 countries with recipes brought in and adapted by the refugees and immigrants that join the initiative as chefs. It’s such a cool idea and a cool initiative and I thought to myself, “in which other cookbook would you experience so many different authentic food traditions?”

First of all the food photography in this book is stellar. Everything looks absolutely delicious. There’s a lot of great info on spices and specialty ingredients and what they are at the beginning but also more common alternatives if you can’t find these special items. The book is also filled with the immigration and food stories of all the chefs featured, which enriched the food because you have more of an insight into the person who brought the recipe. And, there are also lots of tidbits and short notes scattered about the pages with tips to make the cooking easier or little facts about the history and origins of the dishes. Like most cookbooks, this is divided into courses- Appetizers and Dips, Salads and Soups, Grain Dishes, Vegetarian Dishes, Meat Dishes and Desserts and Drinks. The food is Middle Eastern, South Asian, West and Central African and South American. Most enticing to me were:

- Chef Nasrin’s Kuku Sabzi from Iran but I’ll also be trying out her Borani Esfenaj and her Baklava Cake;
- Chef Larissa’s Red Pepper Soup from the Central African Republic, which like it would be l less spicy than Nigerian pepper soup;
- Chef Minata from Guinea’s Riz Gras, which is supposed to be close to Jollof Rice but seems more like a cousin by marriage than a sibling.
- Chef Rachana from Nepal’s Manchurian Cauliflower
- Chef Bashir’s Narges Kebab from Afghanistan which kind of seems like a much cooler version of a scotch egg.
- Chef Dhuha from Iraq’s Sumac Brownies because imagine replacing flour with Digestive biscuits.
- And of course, the recipe that birthed the idea for the whole initiative, Manal, the co-owner/founder of Eat Offbeat’s Hummus recipe from Lebanon.

Reading Chef Edafe’s recipe of Jollof Rice was a revelation for me because it kind of adapted how I saw this book and gave me more of an appreciation of the fact that the food in this cookbook was not necessarily traditional recipes. Because I’m Nigerian and that’s not how I would ever make Jollof Rice, it’s a modification or and adaptation. It’s not fusion so much as it is imagination and creative integration and exploration- letting travel and lived experience and experimentation fuel collaboration to influence traditional food. To quote the cookbook itself: “So what makes for an authentic recipe? At Eat Offbeat, it’s what the chefs bring to the kitchen from their own experiences and homelands- but it’s also the ways they adapt to their new customer base in New York and the ingredients that are available to them.”

For me, this gets 5 stars for the diversity of recipes but 3 stars for the number of recipes out of this I’m actually going to attempt or try to adapt. I think this cookbook has a lot of personality and heart and culture and emotion in it that makes it a necessary addition to my collection. I’m going to get a physical copy of this cookbook and highly recommend you do as well if you’re at all into food exploration.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this cookbook in exchange for honest feedback. I think I saw this book at my local library recently, but I could be wrong due to the publication date. Either way, I really, really liked this cookbook. It has a great offering of recipes and information. I love cookbooks that are a balance between educational./informative and inspiring/entertaining. The photographs are crisp and modern, and the food offered allows for a variety of choice. I really think this book would be a great gift or buy/borrow for any foodie.

Fusion with a purpose! I loved every moment of this book. So caught up in its story the recipes are almost secondary. Oh I hope millions of people read the story of these living and giving siblings called to a higher meaning. Giving so much joy. I did test several of the recipes I say test, I mean reveled in the difference in taste and the adventure of new insight into familiar ingredients. Do yourself a favor and buy this book.

Our library patrons would love this book - both for the recipes and the stories. I think it will make more of us willing to try new things and be more compassionate to those who are different for us. An excellent cookbook!

Thank you for providing an ARC of this cookbook. It is one I am especially interested in.

I have realized I can not download this book at all. I can only say the cover is especially inviting to want to review the recipes. The concept is also great.

The problem is if there is not a link to the NetGalley App or the Kindle App and only a Locked PDF Download button, that does not work on my iPad. They have upgraded their operating system. I have noticed this on several books I’ve gotten. All I get is a page w/code on it.

So, thank you for sending this. Good luck selling many copies and wanted to let you know the problem.

I really wanted to read this but it wasn't available for Kindle. Looks like a good one. Thanks for the ARC>.