I just reviewed The Kitchen without Borders by The Eat Offbeat Chefs. #TheKitchenWithoutBorders #NetGalley

Reading a cookbook is a pleasure to me. I choose one with a lot of stories, instead of techniques on how to do this and that to your dishes. Because the stories behind each dishes tell a lot about a culture, or in this book: a lot of cultures. It brings stories from many lands I never put my feet on: Syria, Lebanon, Nepal and more. Love it when the authors wrote on how to prepare the dish, when would they eat it, why and more than a glimpse to their culture. I even read the preface!

This is an amazing recipe collection. Kitchen without Borders brings the culinary traditions and recipes from fourteen chefs from around the world including Syria, Iran, Eritrea, and Venezuela. This resource includes tips and over 70 recipes!
Amazing collection!

*I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

What a wonderful cookbook— the stories along with culturally rich recipes are so unique and I have been enjoying challenging myself in the kitchen! The sumac salad will be on our menu rotation for the foreseeable future and the Egyptian Moussaka was a showstopper! Thank you Netgalley and Workman Publishing Company for the opportunity to cook!

This is a very important book. Whether you love cooking or not, whether new recipes excite you or scare you, whether your friend pool is ethnically diverse, you need to own this book and display it on your coffee table as a reminder that we are all human beings and - underneath it all - we're all the same. The Kitchen Without Borders - it's more than a cook book, it's a dogma.

My favourite quote from the book: "Food is love". You cook for your family, you share meals with friends, you accept strangers by adding their recipes to your culinary repertoire.

My favourite recipes from the Kitchen Without Borders:
- Kuku Sabzi (Persian frittata)
- (the humble) Lentil Soup
- Lafiri (chicken thighs with okra)
- Doogh (salty yoghurt)

I love the idea behind this cookbook and catering company. It’s so true that people find connection through food, and sharing tradition and culture through recipes is a great way to foster this connection. The photography is gorgeous and inviting, and the recipes are clear and easy to understand.

I learned many years ago that food needs to be cooked with love in order for it to taste great and this book confirms that. In these days of fast food, processed food and eating on the go, none of which promote health and wellbeing, it is heartening to read such an inspiring account of people coming together to share the recipes that mean so much to them. As a vegan I found several recipes in the book that I want to try, starting with the hummus. This is a dish I make regularly but next time I will try the version in The Kitchen without Borders.

One of the most powerful and moving cookbook reading experiences of my career! We know that food brings people together but this is an example of what can happen when you take that idea even further. The immigrant experience becomes a gastronomical entrepreneur endeavor feeding hearts, minds and souls and giving purpose and livelihood that secures and deepens the American experience.

This book both touched me in the heart and in the stomach. Beautiful photographs and very personal recipes and background made me want to read this a second time. I really enjoyed the title and I hope there is a second book from this group of talented chefs.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I love to read cookbooks as well as stories about real-life people who find happiness in life.  This cookbook combines both, giving us the back-story of a host of chefs from far-flung places such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Venezuela, Nepal, Central African Republic, Algeria, Nigeria and Guinea.  These are people who had the courage to take charge of their lives, moving around the globe to settle in New York with hopes for a better life. Founded in November 2015, Eat Offbeat is a unique catering company staffed by those refugee and immigrant chefs,

Everything sounds absolutely delicious!  Love that photos of the chefs and the dishes are included.  I’m not sure I’m quite up to the task of some of the more labor-intensive dishes, but I will definitely be trying a few.  No matter, it was inspiring to read about the chefs striving to make a life in a new country while keeping some of their homeland culture and traditions alive.  Food has always been a means of sharing our cultures, and Eat Offbeat preserves those traditions by sharing.

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Loved the diversity, the beautiful chefs and their stories. Definitely trying out some of the recipes!

With all the recipes available online, it’s hard for avid cooks to find a cookbook worth owning. The Kitchen Without Borders is one of these rare exceptions. From the stories to the recipes, the entire book was enjoyable, educational and ever-inspiring. Being a third generation American with European and Middle Eastern ancestry, I was excited to try the hummus recipe since it was the beginnings of Wissam and Manal’s dream of sharing food With others as well as helping immigrants and refugees. They share in the introduction, “They raved about it so much that we asked ourselves, “Why not share this hummus with everyone?”. I made a batch for a group of women who declared it was the best hummus they had ever eaten, and they all plan on buying the book for themselves. If you want to be encouraged and inspired by the stories of these amazing cooks, or just want a cookbook full of amazing recipes, be sure to get your copy of The Kitchen Without Borders.

This short cookbook features recipes made the chefs of The Eat Offbeat Kitchen in New York. Most of the staff are refugees from South East Asia, the Middle East as well as West and Central Africa. Their stories and pictures are featured alongside their favorite recipes which was so delightful. It provide human faces and links to the current state of refugee in the world rather than just the statistics we get in the news. As a vegetarian living in Kenya I am very excited about trying out the various recipes that furiously highlighted on my kindle. I was a bit anxious about getting some of the ingredients but most of them seem pretty accessible. I am looking forward to trying out the recipes with eggplants, red dhal and chickpeas which are not supposed to be rocket science but I can never get the flavors to blend right. .
This is a great, non-intimidating cookbook for anyone wanting to diversify their palate by taking baby steps..

This is different from what I would usually review but I very much enjoyed this book. I haven't tried any of the recipes but I might in the future.

I do recommend

I love food. I love flavor. While there are individual ingredients and dishes I don’t care for, I have yet to meet a cuisine I disliked. I love people and learning their stories. I especially love when people are sharing something about which they are passionate. The Kitchen Without Borders ticks a lot of my boxes. I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Eat Offbeat is a catering company in New York City started by and employing immigrants and refugees. The cookbook features recipes the from the catering repertoire and profiles of 14 of the chefs. Because of time constraints, I only tested a couple of recipes, but they worked well. I am a big fan of appetizers and small plates, so that’s what I made. I made momos (Nepali dumplings) with cabbage filling and with carrot and ginger filling. They were so good. I particularly liked the carrot and ginger filling. I don’t think I do enough with carrots. They were not pretty because I am not adept at making dumplings, but they tasted really good. I also made samosa. I’m not really set up for deep frying (also I hate the way the house smells after deep frying) so I used empanada wrappers and baked them. I loved the filling, but when I make them again I will either try it in an air fryer, or use phyllo dough. Or make them at someone else’s house. The point is, the baked empanada wrappers lack the crispness of fried. Which I expected.

I really have enjoyed exploring this book. I also like the idea of supporting organizations that support refugees and immigrants. I didn’t have to publish this review today, but I chose to because the governor of my state is now refusing to accept refugees for resettlement. We should be welcoming refugees and immigrants for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is because people have inherent worth.

For the first year of publication, a percentage of the purchase price will be donated to the International rescue Committee.

This is a cookbook focusing on the catering company chefs Eat Offbeat, founded siblings who came to New York from the Middle East. The included chefs are from 14 countries.
I have friends from all over and they always eat so interesting things and multiple times I have asked - how do you make that or where does it come from.
This book is amazing, because they talk about the background of these chefs and also bring you all these great recipes that I often feel are difficult to find. At the same time
This cookbook is so much more than just recipes, it also welcomes us to the cultures of these different countries, but also teaches so much about food. Absolutely a great gift, also for oneself :)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The images were great as well as the recipes. I still have yet to try a recipe but I definitely will. I'm a food lover and I'm always seeking new cookbooks with refreshing ideas.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this little gem prior to the publication date!

I really enjoyed reading the stories of the chefs. I was heartened by the number of chefs who didn't have formal training., but instead learned from family. The recipes are well-written & descriptive & so many of them sound amazing. I can't wait to try the shawarma, the rolled baklava, & especially the chari curry chicken. A great volume from an even greater endeavor.

The Eat Offbeat Chefs have created a masterpiece with recipes that are fairly easy to the average person looking to add some diversity in their lives and food. With incredible photography of the food and stories of the chefs, this is a very heartwarming cookbook. In addition, the section on ingrediants that are less familiar to the western audience is extremely helpful especially with substitutions available. I would highly recommend.

It's amazing just reading this book, connecting the stories to places and people and culture through food. This gives an insight into how much the little things matter...just by tasting a spice, or a dish and you are reminded of all the moments you had miles away from your current location.
I love this collection, so bummed there wasn't a story from East Africa- Kenya especially.

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This cookbook looks so beautiful! The images, ingredients and recipes look so unique and complicated, but the authors break down the steps and information so it feels so accessible. The concept is so unique, as well. I would definitely be interested in owning this cookbook, and experimenting with the recipes and ideas in the book. Thanks for the preview!