If you’re not yet familiar with the Food Gays, they’re Jeremy and Adrian, a Vancouver-based couple that launched their website in 2012 with a focus on food prep, presentation and recipes. Have a look through their Instagram feed (@foodgays) to see just how gorgeous their dishes can be!
Over the years, their brand – and recipe collection – have grown to include collaborations with giants Martha Stewart Living, feedfeed, Gusto, Food & Wine and more.
I sadly missed their cookbook launch party (one that I’d been hoping to attend for months) due to being out of town, so their Canadian publisher, HarperCollins Canada, graciously sent us a copy to leaf through and to feature on Vancouverscape.
A result of over a year of hard work, research and testing, their beautifully-presented Cooking in Color showcases global flavours, presented in easy-to-follow steps. Gone are the days of complicated recipes requiring hours of kitchen time.
These two can appreciate busy lifestyles, so many of their recipes require only 10 ingredients (and in some cases, even less).
Cooking in Color is divided into a mix-and-match of chapters: Pantry Superstars (think flavoured salts, pickled red onions and rubs), Morning Meals, Eat with Your Hands, Bowls and Salads, Small Plates and Cocktails, Vegetable Love, Company, and Sweets, running the gamut from holiday entertaining to weekend brunch with boozy sips.
[My modified version of their Open-Faced Brie, Peach and Prosciutto Sandwich, swapping seasonal pears for peaches]
At the start of each recipe are helpful tips, inspirations, food pairings and introductions that nicely lead into the step-by-step and ingredient list. Food photography buffs can geek out over the styling notes and settings/angle information in coloured circles beneath the recipe.
The book opens with a guide to styling, props, lighting, composition and hardware, giving readers an overview at what goes into creating a Food Gays photo shoot.
Although Cooking in Color offers a great range of culinary styles, the duo showcase plant-forward dishes, celebrating both the versatility and bounty of local, fresh produce while incorporating the gorgeous colours contained within vivid fruits, crisp vegetables and garden-fresh herbs.
On the other end of the scale (pardon the pun) are their Pretzel Bagel Doughnuts and Chocolate Cherry Skillet Brownies (to be served with vanilla ice cream of course!).
Hopefully you’ll be inspired to create many enjoyable meals to share with family and friends.
[From Cooking in Color, L to R: West Coast Eggs Benny, Bulgogi Beef Waffles]
Adrian and Jeremy have definitely got an eye for making food look fabulous. Whether or not I’ll achieve the same results, I’m now inspired to try some of the veggie-based recipes such as Indian-Spiced Squash, Roasted Five-Spice Cauliflower and Grilled Cantaloupe Salad with Burrata and Asparagus.
With the holidays just around the corner, I can’t think of a better gift for a food lover than a recipe book of this caliber. With so much of our world online, it’s comforting to simply hold a book in your hands and leaf through its pages for inspiration.
And I get hungry every time I just look through this one! With a return to cold, damp weather, now’s the time to get inspired by some of these tried-and-true recipes.
Cooking in Color is available in Canada via Indigo and Amazon, in the USA via Barnes & Noble and Amazon and in the UK via Waterstones and Amazon.
