Other People's Bookshelves. Q&A with Kerry Faber.
Her sizable, color-coded cookbook collection is a conversation starter.
Q - Hello Kerry. Can you please tell us about yourself and your Substack publication?
A - My love for food started early, thanks to parents who loved cooking, dining out, and exploring diverse cuisines. I began baking cakes in my Easy-Bake Oven at age seven and moved on to more complex, indulgent desserts and other dishes as a teen. That’s when I got hooked.
Nine years ago, while building a successful marketing career and raising two young kids, I decided to pursue my culinary school dream and graduated from NYC’s Institute of Culinary Education. Since then, I've worked as a recipe tester for media outlets and recipe developers—a role I still enjoy. This hands-on experience, combined with my culinary training, has laid the foundation for creating my own delicious dishes.
My Substack, Dish Lister, was born from the many requests I've received over the years from friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors for my go-to recipes, favorite restaurants, and must-try food products. After receiving such positive feedback on my suggestions, I realized it would be more efficient (and fun) to share them more widely. My mission with Dish Lister is to provide curated food recommendations, honest reviews, and delicious, reliable recipes that inspire, inform, entertain, and delight—while always seeking out the next great bite.
Q - Please tell us about your bookshelves and cookbook collection. What does it consist of and how many do you have?
A- My cookbook collection, which I’ve been building since high school, now totals 522 books. While the number often surprises people, each one marks a step in my evolution as a cook and an important chapter of my culinary journey. Flipping through the pages of a cookbook from my past always transports me to the exact time and place when I relied on it most. The connection between food and memory runs deep and continues to inspire me. It’s something I’d love to explore further in a future post.
My cookbook-filled shelves attract attention. When my family and I moved from our small NYC apartment to a house in the New Jersey suburbs six years ago, I wanted to display my books without cluttering the space. My husband, with help from my super-organized sister-in-law, suggested treating them as a work of art and organizing them by color. Now, they’re the centerpiece of our living room!
Q - Which cookbooks do you love and use the most and why? Do any of them have sentimental value?
A - I love all my cookbooks, but I’ve had favorites during different stages of my culinary journey. When I was single in NYC, it was Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. Her recipes, like Coconut Cupcakes and Turkey Sausage Lasagna, were not only delicious but also helped win over my then-boyfriend, now-husband. As a mom with small kids in the city, I turned to cookbooks with quick, simple, and kid-friendly recipes, like Dinner A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach, Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman, and Small Victories by Julia Turshen. Now, as a suburbanite with teenage boys, I’m experimenting more and cooking healthier, turning to cookbooks like Make It Japanese by Rie McClenny, Dinner: Changing the Game by Melissa Clark, and the Weekday Vegetarians cookbooks by Jenny Rosenstrach (her Roasted Vegetable Reuben is special!). And then there are the timeless classics that have always been there for me—Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan (go for the Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter, stay for the Walnut Cake) and The Essential New York Times Cookbook.
My cookbooks with the most sentimental value are those that remind me of family. My dad used to make Steak Diane from Arthur Hawkins’ Steak Book, a dish that I loved growing up. My mom’s 1960s Betty Crocker Hostess Cookbook (which I now own) inspired my favorite meat fondue with the most dreamy dipping sauces. I still make that recipe today, and it’s the reason I bought my own fondue pot.
Q - Are there any rare or special editions in your collection?
A - My husband gifted me the most thoughtful cookbook, which I think qualifies as “special edition”. It’s filled with a collection of my favorite recipes up until that point, including many cherished family dishes. It also features beautiful photos of my kids eating and cooking alongside me. Every time I flip through it, I feel so much joy, and I love having so many of my most treasured recipes in one place.
Q - Can you remember your first cookbook? What was it and do you have it with you?
A - My very first cookbook (which I still own) was Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Cookbook, a gift from my parents when I was around 7 or 8 years old. I can still vividly recall making my very first recipes from it: Goofy’s Banana Milkshake and Piglet’s Pizza Muffins. And as I flip through its pages, I’m instantly transported back to the kitchen of my childhood home in Northern California, where my love for cooking truly began.
Q - What system do you use to organize or file your books?
A - To stay organized, I subscribe to Eat Your Books, an online cookbook cataloging site. With so many cookbooks, it’s impossible to remember where certain recipes live, and Eat Your Books has been an invaluable tool for quickly locating them. (It’s also how I was able to confirm the exact number of cookbooks I own!)
The color-coding is also helpful, though if I can’t recall the color of a cookbook’s spine, it might take me a minute or two to find it. Still, I never mind this small inconvenience, given how beautiful the shelves look.
Q - What is your oldest cookbook and when was it published?
A - The oldest cookbook in my collection is The Joy of Cooking. While I currently own a more recent edition, the first edition was published in 1931. I’m always amazed at how this classic book has stood the test of time. Its title resonates with me, perfectly capturing the pleasure that cooking brings to my life.
Last year, while cleaning out my parents' basement, I came across a box of recipes from my grandmother, which I’m guessing are pretty old (she lived to 103!). The collection includes lots of recipes with lard, margarine, canned cream-of-everything soups, and other ingredients that aren’t as common these days.
Q - Which cookbooks would you recommend and why?
A - As a professional recipe tester, I’m drawn to cookbooks with clear instructions, foolproof recipes, and rigorous testing that guarantee great results for any skill level. That’s why I love recommending reliable cookbooks like Cook’s Illustrated’s The Best Recipe (wide recipe range), Kenji Lopez-Alt’s The Food Lab (perfect for food science lovers), and Jenn Segal’s Once Upon a Chef (with the motto “tested and perfected”). The French Toast from The Best Recipe is still one of the best I’ve made!
For busy friends, I often recommend What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking. Even I need quick meals sometimes, and this book delivers. Most recipes take 30 minutes or less, are easy to make, and are consistently delicious. Try the Peanutty Pork with Brussels or Chicken Parm Sliders, and you’ll see what I mean.
For aspiring bakers, A Good Bake by Melissa Weller is a must. A former chemical engineer turned baker, Weller offers flawless recipes for everything from sticky buns to layer cakes—and even a chapter on fried doughs!
Lastly, I would probably suggest a book focused on intuitive cooking, like How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson, No-Recipe Recipes by Sam Sifton, or the recent What Goes With What by Julia Turshen. These books teach the fundamental building blocks of recipes, while encouraging personalization to suit your taste.
Q - Do you prefer cookbooks by famous chefs, regional cuisine, or specific themes?
A - I like them all! However, when it comes to cookbooks from famous chefs, I prefer those that focus on their accessible, everyday recipes rather than the elaborate dishes from their restaurants. For example, I like Alex Guarnaschelli’s Home Cook (with the yummiest Broccoli Cheddar Soup) and Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc, which, although inspired by his restaurant, showcases his more casual home-cooking style.
I also love picking up cookbooks after traveling, as they inspire me to recreate the local cuisine from the places I’ve visited. For example, after a trip to Hawaii, I found a cookbook called A Taste of Aloha, featuring a collection of authentic Hawaiian recipes from the Junior League of Honolulu. It serves as a wonderful reminder of the amazing food we enjoyed on that vacation.
Q - Which cookbook authors have you met or would like to meet? Tell us about them.
A - During culinary school, I had the opportunity to meet some amazing and talented cookbook authors. While interning at the Good Housekeeping test kitchen, I had the pleasure of meeting Dorie Greenspan, who was really kind and down-to-earth. She was promoting her book Dorie’s Cookies, and of course, I had to get a signed copy. Her cookie recipes from that book are the best!
I also briefly worked with Mindy Fox, a talented recipe developer and cookbook author, right after culinary school. I tested recipes for Bringing It Home, a cookbook she collaborated on with Top Chef’s Gail Simmons. It was a great learning experience, and I even contributed the idea for a pickled pineapple recipe that ended up in the book!
Thank you for sharing your bookshelves and cookbooks with us
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This was so fun to read, and I love all your recs!! 🤩💕
Gorgeous Kerry! I wish my cookery book shelves looked that organised and beautiful!