Why I Cook - Hardcover

by Tom Colicchio (Author), Joshua David Stein (With)

Winner, IACP Award, Best Book of the Year in Literary Food Writing

From Emmy Award-winning chef Tom Colicchio--a cookbook and memoir that shares an exclusive look inside the mind and kitchen of the beloved restaurateur and TV personality * Named a Best Book of 2024 by Amazon and Barnes & Noble * Named a Best New Cookbook / Gift Book by Food & Wine, Harper's Bazaar, The New York Post, and more

Tom Colicchio cooked his first recipe at 13 years old--a stuffed eggplant from an issue of Cuisine magazine that he picked up out of boredom--and it changed his life. Now for the first time ever, Tom recounts the extraordinary personal journey that brought him from his working-class Italian background in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to the award-winning kitchens of New York City's best restaurants, to the set of Top Chef and the stage of the Emmy Awards.

Through 10 memoir chapters and 60 recipes, Why I Cook shares Tom's personal reflections of more than 40 years behind the stove. From pre-dawn fishing excursions with his grandfather to running the flat-top at the snack shack of the local swim club, to finding his way as a young chef in New York City, Tom chronicles the dishes and memories that have shaped him as a person and chef.

Through these meaningful dishes, gorgeous recipe shots, and images from Tom's childhood, Why I Cook is the most personal look into Tom's life yet.

Author Biography

Tom Colicchio is an 8-time James Beard Award-winning chef, and the owner of Crafted Hospitality, which includes New York City's Craft, Temple Court, and Vallata; Las Vegas' Craftsteak; and Small Batch in Garden City, New York. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Tom made his New York cooking debut at prominent restaurants including The Quilted Giraffe, Gotham Bar & Grill, and Gramercy Tavern before opening Craft in 2001.

A vocal and outspoken social justice advocate, Tom executive produced the 2013 documentary A Place at the Table about the underlying causes of hunger in the United States. This eye-opening experience led Tom on a journey to Washington, D.C. where he has been a mainstay in our nation's capital in the years since. From holding members of Congress accountable on their voting records around food to working with former FLOTUS Michelle Obama on the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, Tom has established himself as the leading "Citizen Chef" advocating for a food system that values access, affordability, and nutrition over corporate interests.

Tom is a frequent contributor on several television shows and networks, including MSNBC, CNN, ABC, and Bloomberg and is the host of the iHeart Radio podcast, Citizen Chef. Tom is the head judge and executive producer of the Emmy-winning Bravo hit series, Top Chef. He is the host and executive producer of a new interactive cooking show, The Pantry, on Spirits Network.

Tom lives in Brooklyn with his wife and their three sons. When not in the kitchen, Tom can be found tending his North Fork, Long Island garden, fishing, or playing guitar.
Joshua David Stein is a writer based in New York City. He is the author of Cooking for Your Kids: At Home with the World's Greatest Chefs and the coauthor of Notes from a Young Black Chef and My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef, both with Kwame Onwuachi; The Nom Wah Cookbook, with Wilson Tang; Il Buco: Stories and Recipes, with Donna Lennard; Vino: An Essential Guide to Real Italian Wine, with Joe Campanale; and Food & Beer, with Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø and Daniel Burns. He is also the author of To Me He Was Just Dad: Stories of Growing Up with Famous Fathers and a number of award-winning children's books, including Can I Eat That?, What's Cooking?, and Solitary Animals.