Cooking from Scratch : A Careful Selection of Useful Recipes

From the charismatic author of Cooking for the Culture, a collection of heritage recipes inspired by the oldest-known published cookbook written by a Black woman.

Cooking from Scratch is chef and storyteller Toya Boudy’s most personal—and most irresistible—cookbook yet. Written during a transformative chapter in her life, it’s infused with the warmth, humor, and grit that have made her a morning-show favorite. Drawing inspiration from Malinda Russell’s groundbreaking 1866 cookbook, A Domestic Cook Book, Boudy reimagines simple, soul-satisfying dishes designed to bring people together. In the wake of divorce and deep self-reflection, she has returned to the kitchen—the place that saved her nearly 30 years ago as a teenage single mom. Cooking from Scratch includes 70 family-loved recipes shaped by the cultures that define her: Mini Crawfish Pies, Jamaican Curry, African Spinach Stew, homey Salisbury Steak, and more. Beyond the table, she shares 20 natural remedies—from herbal cough syrup to “Detox” Lentil Soup—that nourish body and spirit alike.

With every page, Boudy shows how healing, joy, and resilience can begin with something beautifully simple: cooking from scratch.