Pandemic Cookbook: Comfort Food for Desperate Times

In general, cookbooks almost always have a theme. The theme is often about the cuisine of a certain region, the food of a famous restaurant, or the specific expertise of a single chef. All these books are intended to sell something, be it copies of the book, a brand, or a personality. I don't really want to sell you anything. This book does not have a consistent culinary theme, and Evan Salim is not a restaurant or a chef of great public interest.

The Pandemic Cookbook is a personal reflection of one family's experience of the COVID-19 pandemic told through the lens of the food cooked through that time. The book explores home-cooked comfort food from many cultures, and is a delicious collection of food that could be prepared in minutes in some cases, and days in others. Beautifully photographed by the remarkable Leigh Salim, this book is a delight for all of the senses