The Seattle Sister Cities Association — a coalition of twenty citizen-led sister city organizations — has published a new cookbook highlighting recipes from across the globe. The International Table collects over 100 dishes suitable for the home chef, including hallmark dishes from Cambodia, Cameroon, China, France, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Korea, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.
In addition to the many amateur chefs of Seattle’s sister city associations who contributed their own recipes, many professional chefs contributed to the project, including Jp McMahon, author of The Irish Cookbook (Phaildon Press, 2020), Marialucia Luongo, author of Cucinaria: Lettere dalla cucina (Cucinaria: Letters from the Kitchen; 2018 ), Letizia Mattiacci, author of A Kitchen With A View (RDJ, 2016) and Festa Italiana (Madonna del Piatto, 2020), and Narin Seng Jameson, author Cooking the Cambodian Way: The Intertwined Story of Cooking and Culture in Cambodia (JSRC Printing House, 2016).
All recipes are accompanied by lush photography and a description of the city of origin.
The Seattle Sister City Association’s mission is to strengthen relationships between Seattle and its sister cities around the world. With this cookbook, the Association furthers its mission by sharing the food traditions of the paired cities, bringing the flavors of the globe to the tables of Seattle. Breaking bread with strangers has long been a cornerstone to building new relationships and strengthening existing ones.
Chef Kristi Brown, owner and executive chef of Communion in Seattle provides the book’s introduction and sums it up best: “In my opinion, Sister Cities are most important for one sole reason: to help us know that we are connected in very real ways. Traveling does that, but food … does it better …. Over a life-giving soup, that smile of agreement is all we need to feel connected to one another.” Chef Brown’s commitment to connection through food is evidenced in every delicious bite; Communion was named one of the world’s best new restaurants in 2021 by Condé Nast Traveler.
The book is the collaborative effort of all Associations, coordinated by a small, dedicated team of volunteers including the editorial team of Justin Allan-Spencer (Reykjavík, Iceland), June Cutler (Surabaya, Indonesia), Susan Kegel (Nantes, France), Patricia Lichiello (Perugia, Italy) and Thyda Ros (Sihanoukville, Cambodia). The book was designed by Justin Allan-Spencer, book designer at Fantagraphics Books, Inc.
The International Table will be available starting October 1 at book retailers, museums, and cultural organizations throughout Seattle. All proceeds benefit the Seattle Sister City Association and its affiliated organizations. 254 pages, 8” x 10”, $34.99. ISBN 978-1-68396-497-1
Contact:
Susan Kegel: susankegel@gmail.com | 425-869-5723
Justin Allan-Spencer: justin@justinallan.com | 206-324-4790
Stacey Jehlik: stacey.jehlik@seattle.gov | 206-229-5738
Download the October 9 press release.