This beautiful and mouthwatering cookbook is Top Chef star Claudette Zepeda’s culinary journey along the Mexican-American border, having grown up there herself! Vibrant, well-crafted recipes, Mexican-American food history, and personal narrative combine seamlessly! After foundational elements, the sections are organized geographically, with sweets sprinkled throughout. Highlights include: Chinese-Mexican fusion, a whole section dedicated to her family matriarchs’ recipes (including a family birria recipe), and salsas galore. I’m also hoping to achieve my lifelong dream of making the perfect chile relleno with Zepeda’s guidance. This book will make you hungry!!
Cooking the Borderlands by Claudette Zepeda, (List Price: $35, Clarkson Potter, 9780593796139, June 2026)
Reviewed by Julia, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA