My favourite hosting gifts to give are a new cookbook and a bottle of Canadian wine. I especially love to send new Canadian cookbooks to friends who live in the USA or Europe to send some love from my home country to theirs over the holidays. But being Canadian also means exploring our world and this comprehensive foodie list also involves Canadians presenting culinary travel from Italy to Alberta. So let’s dig into these Canadian foodie perspectives. Comment which cookbook you’ll be purchasing for yourself or a hosting gift.
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Soups, Salads, Sandwiches by Matty Matheson
Matty Matheson has a Youtube cooking channel, is a producer and actor on The Bear, and has numerous cookbooks that excel in both flavour and photography. Soups, Salads, Sandwiches is yet another and adds flavour bombs to your everyday cooking. This will be my favourite new Canadian cookbook for a hosting gift for its gorgeous vibrant colour and excellent recipes.
Who this cookbook is for: Home cooks who aren’t easily offended and love to watch The Bear. People who want to bring soups, salads and sandwiches to the next level. Youtube lovers who like a good (and funny!) cooking channel.
Jenna Rae Cakes At Home by Ashley Kosowan & Jenna Hutchinson
This is the second cookbook from the acclaimed Canadian bakery, Jenna Rae Cakes. Bringing the fanciful baked goods of you and your family’s dreams to your kitchen, this cookbook is colourful, vibrant and at the very least will look beautiful on the counter. The authors, Jenna and Ashely are known for breaking down their approach in an achievable way so don’t be intimidated!
Who is this cookbook for: The home cook who loves a challenge and colour! The baker who loves to impress the family and friends with bold flavours and towering cakes.
Eat Alberta First: A Year of Local Recipes from Where the Prairies Meet the Mountains by Karen Anderson
Eat Alberta First is brought to you by a local Alberta food tour operator, Karen Anderson. Her latest cookbook has 90 recipes celebrating Alberta produce and seasons with mini tutorial sections on bread, hosting feasts and foraging.
Who this cookbook is for: This would make a great hosting gift for any Albertan or someone who really loved visiting the Canadian province.
Salad, Pizza, Wine by Janice Tiefenbach
The popular Montreal pizza restaurant Elena brings their modern take to Italian cuisine with iconic dishes, many of which are available at the restaurant. More than just a recipe book, Salad Pizza Wine delves into Elena’s love for natural wines—the “wine” part of the title—while also sharing candid stories, humorous missteps, and reflections on leading a richer, more fulfilling life.
Who is this cookbook for: Anyone who loves Italian cuisine and pairing wine. Natural wine lovers as well as anyone who has been to Elena in Montreal, Quebec.
A Very Prairie Christmas Bakebook: Cookies, Candies, Cakes & More: Vintage Baking to Celebrate the Festive Season by Karlynn Johnston
I love this vintage bakebook by Canadian cookbook author and Youtuber of The Magpie Kitchen, Karlynn Johnston. Filled with gorgeous festive images with her own collection of vintage holiday decor, this bakebook will be a great coffeetable book over the holidays.
Who is this cookbook for: Those who love to bake vintage recipes for a trip down memory lane. Those who love classic baking recipes and want their family to taste something from your own or grandma’s childhood.
Okanagan Eats by Dawn Postnikoff & Joanne Sasvari
Okanagan Eats is my go to for a hosting gift here in the Okanagan wine region. This cookbook has recipes, with local drink pairings, by popular restaurants, chefs, farmers, wineries, breweries and familiar faces from the local farmers’ market. This cookbook really plays double duty in not only giving us professional next level recipes for our kitchen but Okanagan Eats also acts as a travel guide on where to eat and what to drink in the Okanagan.
Who is the cookbook for: Okanagan Eats is for anyone who loves to visit or lives in the Okanagan Valley. This is an excellent hosting gift with a bottle of Okanagan wine or beer.
Where We Ate: A Field Guide to Canada’s Restaurants, Past and Present by Gabby Peyton
A look at Canadian restaurants through history, Gaby Peyton provides a look at 150 iconic restaurants from pre-confederation to modern dining. From Tim Horton’s and small town Chinese restaurants, Donairs on the East coast and fine dining – this book takes a look at Canadian food and ourselves through the ages.
Who this cookbook is for: For the historian and foodie. Someone who loves a good coffee table book as well as new Canadian cookbooks.
Tahini Baby by Eden Grinschpan (2025 release)
I love Eden Grinschpan and follow her on Instagram. I have her previous veg forward cookbook, Eating Out Loud and have loved the flavours it introduces to my family. If you follow her you’ll see she does love tahini and it comes as no surprise to me that she has created an entire cookbook surrounding the versatility of this condiment made of hulled sesame seeds.
Who this cookbook is for: For the vegetable forward cook or someone who isn’t afraid to experiment.
Kitchen Bliss by Laura Calder (memoir with recipes)
I have always been a huge fan of Laura Calder. There was just something fun and quirky about the way she presented her Canadian perspective on French cuisine and the art of living, hosting and feasting. In her memoir with recipes she shares stories throughout her life where food and memories (good and bad) shake hands.
Who this cookbook is for: For someone looking to dig into a lighthearted memoir while also looking to cook alongside this Canadian legend.
Flavour with Benefits: Sicily & Calabria by Cathy Connally & Charley Best (travel guide)
Flavour with Benefits isn’t exactly a cookbook but more of a travel companion for those looking to plan a foodie trip to Sicily and Calabria.
Who this cookbook is for: For anyone looking for their next foodie destination.
