David Prior

Author

Biography

David Prior, Food and Travel WriterDavid Prior is an internationally published food and travel writer. He is a Contributing Editor at Condé Nast Traveler and Vogue Living and regularly contributes to T: The New York Times Style Magazine, WSJ Magazine, Bon Appetit, British Vogue and Italian Vogue. After attending the University of Gastronomic Science in Bra, Italy on scholarship, David worked closely with iconic American restaurateur, author and activist Alice Waters as Director of Communications at Chez Panisse and the Edible Schoolyard Project. He continues to collaborate with Waters on creative projects as well as consulting on major hospitality projects globally. David’s curiosity in the traditions and evolution of food culture around the world sees him hitting the road on a perpetual search for the best in taste and travel.

The Book of Jewish Food

Claudia Roden

As much a masterwork of anthropology as it is of food writing. Roden's tracing of the Jewish diaspora via its recipes is an extraordinary work of scholarship that is never dry. An important work that will stand the test of time and should not only sit in every kitchen but in every library.

Chez Panisse Fruit

Alice Waters

I could have nominated all of Waters and her Chez Panisse team's books but it is Fruit (and its companion Vegetables) that best encapsulates Waters influential philosophy of purity and provenance.

Thai Food

David Thompson

Like Roden, Thompson is a cultural conduit. A fascinating, meticulously researched masterpiece that beautifully celebrates one of the world's most complex and captivating cuisines.

A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes

David Tanis

Tanis is as gifted a poet as he is chef. The descriptions that accompany each recipe are wise, wry and a delight to read again and again.

The Zuni Café Cookbook

Judy Rodgers

The quiet rigor of Rodgers and the timelessness of Zuni is evident on every page. She only wrote one cookbook, good thing it is a perfect one.

The French Menu Cookbook

Richard Olney

Olney was opinionated, puritanical and incredibly stylish, all qualities I want in cookbook writer. The French Menu Cookbook is his best.

The Cook's Companion

Stephanie Alexander

A legendary restaurateur in Australia, Alexander first trained as a librarian and in The Cook's Companion this pedigree shows. An invaluable resource arranged by ingredient from A-Z with a dizzying array of accompanying recipes.

A Year in my Kitchen

Skye Gyngell

Gyngell has a singular story, voice and way with food. The 'toolbox' section of A Year in My Kitchen is brilliant and her writing is deeply personal.

How To Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food

Nigella Lawson

Nigella's first book is a reminder that she is so much more than her storied beauty. A brilliant writer and fierce intellect, the way in which she articulates the comforting power of food and its power to help us survive each day will be her enduring contribution.

Sydney Food

Bill Granger

In his sunny evocation of his seminal cafe's casual food, Granger did more than write a cookbook he sold the Australian lifestyle to the world.