Bold Fork Books

Thursday May 21st at 7pm: Michael Carter Jr. & Michael Twitty Join us for a can’t miss conversation about the essential contributions to U.S. agriculture arising from the expertise and innovations of Black men and women. In his book Africulture, fifth-generation family farmer Michael Carter, Jr. has blended an eclectic brew of history, culture, African-centered perspectives, and African American farm realities. Throughout, he includes inspiring stories of innovators as well as sobering facts tracking the severe decline in the number of Black farmers in the United States over the last century. Descriptions of tropical crops that Carter grows, from jute to Nigerian spinach, enliven the text, as do anecdotes from his compelling family history and profiles of contemporary Black farmers and activists. Drawing on the lifecycle of a plant as a metaphor for both individual growth and the larger story of African American farming, Carter evokes the relationship between soil health (metaphorically, society and community) and plant health (i.e., the ability of Black farmers and families to thrive). Michael Carter Jr. will be in conversation with Michael W. Twitty, author of the James Beard Foundation Award-winning The Cooking Gene. Tickets are available on our website and at the link in our bio. Comment “TICKET” and we’ll send you the link directly.

We’re heading to Sicily! Summer travel season is right around the corner but we already have our sights set on fall. Join Bold Fork Travels on another unforgettable culinary adventure through Eastern Sicily, October 2nd-12th, 2026. From the volcanic landscape of Mt. Etna to the wind-swept vineyards of Vittoria, we’ll explore the food and wine-making traditions that make this part of Sicily one of our favorite places on earth. We’ll meet in Catania and travel northwards to the lower slopes of Mt. Etna. We’ll spend our days there visiting some of our favorite winemakers - from giants of the natural wine movement to young producers making their mark - and getting our hands dirty in the kitchen. We’ll forage and cook together, getting to know the seasonal rhythms of Etna’s cuisine, all against the backdrop of one of the world’s most active volcanoes. After our time amongst the chestnut trees and lava floes of Mt. Etna we’ll continue south to the region of Vittoria where some of Sicily’s most iconic wines are produced. We’ll visit vineyards buffeted by the Scirocco, meet cheesemakers, farmers, and chefs carrying Sicilian traditions forward. We’ll visit a local olive oil press at the height of the season - there is nothing like watching the silky, vibrant green oil decanted moments after it’s been pressed - and eat dinner together at a legendary seafood restaurant by the sea. We hope you’ll join us in embarking on a one-of-a-kind journey. You can find all the details at the link in our bio.

Some books feed you. Some help you understand the world. This week’s stack of new releases does both. 🥟 BAO by Loretta Liu | This book unlocks your bamboo steamer’s full potential with 65 recipes for bao, dumplings, steamed mains, and Asian street food. Fluffy, satisfying, and endlessly snackable. 🍷 PRESSING MATTERS by @alanramey100 | For anyone just getting into wine, this is your book. Terroir, farming, tasting, value — it lays out all the big debates fairly and lets you make up your own mind. 🍽️ SHE WHO TASTES, KNOWS by @durkhanaiayubi | Durkhanai Ayubi traces Afghan culture through its ingredients, each chapter following one food back into the histories and humanity that conflict and distance have tried to erase. 🌶️ KIMCHI by Jihyun ‘Kimmy’ Kim | From Seoul to Southeast London, Kimmy brings her family’s kimjang tradition to your kitchen. 80 recipes, plus the story of fermentation as memory, patience, and love. @kimchiradish 🇮🇹 CUCINA DELL’EMILIA-ROMAGNA by @ursulaferrigno | Even in a country that takes its regions seriously, Emilia-Romagna stands apart. Parmigiano. Prosciutto. Mortadella. Balsamic. 75 recipes highlighting the place Italians call the food valley. 🌸 ODETTE by @chef_julien | Odette is named for Julien Royer’s grandmother. It’s also one of the most celebrated restaurants in the world. This book brings both stories to the table. Come find your next favorite on our shelves!

DC friends! Would love to see you at my Spanglish book signing and Q&A at @boldforkbooks on May 28th! Ticket link in bio! ❤️🇵🇷🙏

🇵🇷 THURSDAY MAY 28th 🇵🇷 Join us in welcoming author Monti Carlo and moderator Gaby Montes de Oca as we spend an evening discussing the release of Monti’s debut Puerto Rican cookbook, SPANGLISH: Recipes & Stories. Keep reading to learn more about Monti & the book! Growing up, Monti Carlo felt like she was perpetually bridging the gap between worlds—one foot on her home island of Puerto Rico, and the other in the heart of Houston, Texas. In the space between, as a self-taught chef and eventual TV host and James Beard Foundation advisor, she’s carved out a cuisine all her own, one that’s a testament to a life spent bridging two cultures. It’s a mosaic of borrowed words and flavors, a reflection of the bittersweet beauty of connecting two very different ways of life. It’s pure Spanglish. Within these pages, Monti shares the dishes embodying that journey: continental American classics created with the bold flavors of Puerto Rico, a taste of two worlds merging on the same plate. There’s comfort food like her elementary school’s soupy chili with her Abuela Dora’s sweet and savory picadillo, golden bacalaíto-battered onion rings, and tangy tamarind roast chicken. There are nostalgia-laced Puerto Rican breakfasts like hearty sorullo waffles with pique honey. With flavor and heart, this cookbook is more than just recipes. It’s a beautifully written reflection on Boricua identity and a testament to the healing power of food. Tickets are LIVE and available on Bold Fork Books’ website & eventbrite page. Comment “TICKET” and we’ll send you the link!

It’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and we’re celebrating the way we know best by highlighting a sample of our favorite AAPI authors and cookbooks! From Japanese clay pot cooking to Filipino desserts to a vegan Korean kitchen, there is so much to discover. 🍜 SIMPLE THAI FOOD by leela.punya 🍮 MAYUMU by @theduskykitchen 🫕 SIMPLY DONABE by @mrsdonabe 🍲 ĐẶC BIỆT by @chefnininguyen 🌶️ HEARTLAND MASALA by Jyoti Mukharji and Auyon Mukharji 🥣 MORTAR AND PESTLE by @ediblewords 🥢 HOUSE OF NANKING by @chefkathyfang and Peter Fang from @houseofnankingsf 🍨 MALAI by @pooja_bavishi_ from @malai_icecream 🥬 THE KOREAN VEGAN by @thekoreanvegan 🇺🇸 PADMA’S ALL AMERICAN by @padmalakshmi These and so many more are on our shelves at Bold Fork Books. Come find your next favorite!

THURSDAY MAY 17th @ 7PM In OHANA STYLE, chef and two-time Top Chef fan favorite Sheldon Simeon’s food joyfully reflects Hawai’i’s flavors and cooking styles, a mixture of island influences including Native Hawai’ian, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and other cuisines. With creative plant-based spins (like swapping out raw fish with pan-seared ripe avocado for a delicious “tataki”, or using mushrooms to create the best “escargot”) and shortcut cooking techniques (like searing shoyu-marinated tuna in a hot wok or pan to mimic smoking, or using a Chinese dry wok cooking style to perfect fish sticks), the recipes in Ohana Style shows how quick, easy, and flexible Hawai’ian cuisine can be. Sheldon’s recipes show how to blend sweet, savory, and tangy Hawai’ian flavors into every day meals, all the while centering the cuisine’s legacy of communal-style eating, reminiscent of the traditions and memories of foods we all grew up with. In Ohana Style you’ll find umami-packed recipes meant for family—that’s what ohana means in Hawai’ian—weeknight dinners, quick lunches, snacks, cookouts, and barbecues. Join us for a can’t-miss conversation. Comment TICKET and we’ll send you the link!

Mother’s Day is around the corner 🌸 Pre-orders are now open for seasonal bouquets. Whether you’re celebrating your mom or a mother figure, we’ve got you. Take it up a notch by pairing your flowers with a beautiful box of macarons by @sweetestry . Pickup available at @lostsockroasters @boldforkbooks . Limited quantities available, order through the link in bio 🌸

🍕Bold Fork Books is excited to host THE BOOK OF PIZZA Co-Author Martin Philip and Grazie Hospitality’s Executive Chef and Partner Gerald Addison for a celebration and conversation on Monday, May 11th at 7pm. All tickets include a slice of pizza from @grazienonnaxoxo 🍕 Tickets are available now Bold Fork Books’ website. Keep reading to learn more about the book: “From the team behind the #1 New York Times bestseller The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread, comes the definitive book dedicated to the key elements of making pizza in any home oven, countertop pizza oven, or backyard oven or grill. The bakers at King Arthur Baking Company researched, tested—and tasted!—hundreds of pizzas and cooking methods to develop the most comprehensive book yet dedicated to the art and science of making pizza at home. Organized around twelve distinct styles—New York, New Haven, Chicago Tavern, Grandma, Neapolitan, and more—King Arthur Baking Company’s The Book of Pizza goes deep on every element of a great pie, from dough and sauce to the cheese and the bake.” Comment “TICKET” and we’ll send you the link. See you in Mount Pleasant on May 11th!

ITALIAN COOKIE SWAP + CONVERSATION Join us at Bold Fork Books this upcoming Monday, May 4th at 6:30pm for a very special cookie swap & conversation with ITALIAN COOKIES: Authentic Recipes and Sweet Stories from Every Region author Domenica Marchetti! This book is sure to spark joy in your kitchen and transport you to the Italy through cookie recipes and stories ranging from the ubiquitous Cantuccioni del Bar (Coffeehouse Biscotti) to Pastarelle di San Nicolò to “How a Butter Cookie Revived a Ligurian Town” and more. Tickets for this event are available on our website and eventbrite page. Interested in attending? Comment TICKET and we’ll DM you the link. Keep reading to learn more about author Domenica Marchetti and moderator Bonnie Benwick. Read our pinned comments on this post to learn more about Domenica and Bonnie!

Food Justice. Local Power. Nourishment. The Art of Gathering. How can we create a world where everyone has enough? What does it mean to truly nourish ourselves and our communities? In GATHER: Black Food, Nourishment, and the Art of Togetherness, author Ashanté M. Reese centers Black communities and explores the answers to these questions that are essential for real, sustainable change. We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Dr. Reese to Bold Fork Books in Washington D.C. where she will be in conversation with Anela Malik on Wednesday, May 6th at 7pm. Tickets are available on our website and eventbrite page + stories. Or, comment “TICKET” and we will send you the link. Keep reading to learn more about Dr. Reese and Anela! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ashanté M. Reese is a writer, anthropologist, and associate professor of African and African diaspora studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Raised in Cooper Settlement, Texas, she lives in Austin and is involved in food justice movements nationwide. ABOUT THE MODERATOR Anela Malik is a DC-based author, speaker, and host whose work centers Black women, curiosity, and the belief that a bigger, more meaningful life is not only possible, but worth claiming. Anela is the author of American Soul: The Black History of Food in the United States, published by National Geographic in 2025, and a 2x NAACP Image Awards nominee.

NEW BOOKS ❕❗️❕❗️Keep reading to learn more about the books we’re excited to welcome to our shop this week: 🍴EATERLAND by @eater is a region-by-region love letter to American food, covering 85+ dishes across eight regions, from funeral potatoes to Maryland crab soup, with essays on Indigenous recipes and immigrant influences. 🥒THE 29-MINUTE VEGAN by @isachandra delivers 100+ budget-friendly, comfort-food-energy plant-based meals that get dinner on the table faster than delivery. 🌞LA COPINE by Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill brings the cult High Desert restaurant near Joshua Tree @lacopinekitchen to your kitchen, with vegetable-forward California cooking and a queer love story baked right in. 🇹🇹SALT, SWEAT & STEAM by @withbrigid is a coming-of-age memoir about a young Trinidadian woman navigating one of the most elite culinary institutions in the country. The tension between where she came from and where she’s trying to go is the whole story, and it’s a great one. 🍷DRINKING THE WORLD by @vbrzez and @bertblaize hands the mic to winemakers across 20+ countries. The characters behind the bottles turn out to be as interesting as what’s in them. 💌CARE AND FEEDING by @lauriewoolever is now available in paperback. This NYT bestseller is a memoir about the food world that’s really about finding your place within it. Come find your next favorite on the shelf. We’ll be here at 3064 Mt Pleasant St NW and online!