Thai Fresh

I fundamentally don’t believe Thai, or Indian, or Somalian, or Persian cookbooks need to offer ingredient substitutions to be deemed ‘approachable’ enough for Americans, but the forty-plus possible substitutions in here certainly make this book a boon for beginners, or anyone without access to a great and varied market. (Epicurious) The gorgeous tome’s packed with easy-to-follow recipes from Thai Fresh, including many of Sanitchat’s family classics…the whole thing’s illustrated with full-color, food-as-rockstar photography from James Beard award-winner Jody Horton. If we found this bright hardbound volume beneath our tree, we’d kiss Santa right on his mask. (Austin Chronicle, “Gift Guide: Homegrown Food and Beverage Favorites!”)

Born and raised in Thailand, Jam Sanitchat hails from a family of skilled cooks. She learned the craft from her grandmothers and mother beginning at the age of five. Jam moved to the United States to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Texas, then fell in love with Austin and the local food culture. She has fed the community ever since-through her farmers market stand, her cooking classes, and her popular restaurant, Thai Fresh. Her dairy-free ice cream parlor, Gati, is set to open in 2020.

Kim Lane was the editor of the James Beard award–winning magazine Edible Austin for over a decade. A commentator for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and a contributor to Mothering magazine, Pregnancy magazine, Green Prints, and Salon and Salon’s printed anthology Life as We Know It, Lane lives and works in Austin, Texas.

Jody Horton is an award-winning food and lifestyle photographer.