Author Talk: Polina Chesnakova, Chesnok

Book Larder is thrilled to welcome back author Polina Chesnakova to the shop on Thursday, February 5th for an author talk to celebrate her new book, Chesnok: Recipes from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, Polina is the author of Everyday Cake (2022) and Hot Cheese (2020), is Book Larder's former culinary director, and this stunning book is a lovingly-documented collection of recipes and stories from growing up and cooking in the Soviet diaspora. Polina will be in conversation with Naoise McGee, Book Larder's events manager (and recovering Slavic Studies major).

Reservations are non-refundable and can include a signed copy of the $35.00 book. Applicable sales tax and a $0.75 transaction fee are also included. Can't attend but still want a signed book? Order here for shipping or in-store pickup.

About the book: 

A lovingly-documented collection of recipes and stories from growing up and cooking in the Soviet diaspora. Chesnok: Recipes with Love from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Beyond is Polina Chesnakova’s third cookbook, a love letter to the food of her childhood. Born in Ukraine to Russian and Armenian parents from Georgia, she grew up cooking and eating at the hip of her mother and aunts.  

From Georgian tkemali (sour plum sauce) and Armenian gata (butter pastry) to Ukrainian varenyky (dumplings) and Russian golubtsy (stuffed cabbage rolls) and medovik (honey cake), Chesnok showcases over 110 vibrant regional recipes. Essays, stories, and profiles of the amazing cooks in her life are peppered amongst recipes as diverse as the communities from which they blossomed and the immigrant experience they were subsequently passed down in.

Chesnok paints a potrait of the Soviet diaspora through food, and is for the children of that diaspora, but it is also for anyone looking to expand their palate and pantry and learn the rich history of a people through their most cherished recipes and traditions.