Sun-Kissed Cooking: Vegetables Front and Center

In her much-anticipated first cookbook, the culinary superstar and Top Chef winner reimagines the role produce plays in everyday meals, moving it from side to center in enticing easy recipes that add fun and complex flavor to veggie-forward eating—the kind of food we want to enjoy today.

A prodigy who started cooking as a teenager, master chef Brooke Williamson has already carved out a résumé full of leading roles and professional achievements in her young career. She won Bravo’s Top Chef Season 14, and on Food Network, was crowned the first winner of Tournament of Champions, and debuted as one of the three titans on the new cut-throat hit competition, Bobby’s Triple Threat.

Sun-Kissed Cooking is her much-anticipated first cookbook—a remarkably fresh look at produce-forward, seasonal cooking that combines a deep love of ingredients, a respect for seasonality—which also incorporates preserved and canned vegetables—and an unexpected flair that makes cooking with produce inventive, fun, and incredibly delicious. Williamson inspires home cooks to follow their imagination and build dishes from whatever vegetables or fruits capture their fancy in the moment. With over 100 fresh and unexpected recipes, arranged by the ingredient at the center, from mushrooms and tomatoes to peas and pods to starch and greens—accompanied by sixty enticing photos—she shows how to get the most out of items from the farmer’s market or the produce aisle.

Though vegetarians will find plenty of recipes to love, Sun-Kissed Cooking is for everyone who wants to eat better without compromising flavor or skimping on ingredients they love—many dishes feature meat, poultry, and seafood. Williamson’s cooking style is wonderfully original without being fussy or complicated, and following her helpful guidance home cooks of every level can adopt her joyful attitude in the kitchen at the dinner table.

Inside this essential guide to veggie-forward eating, you’ll discover:

• How to Cook Vegetables: Master techniques that make produce the star of every meal, moving it from a simple side to the center of the plate.
• Farmer’s Market Recipes: Explore over 100 creative dishes organized by ingredient, showing you how to transform fresh finds into unforgettable meals.
• Flexible for All Diets: While vegetarians will find dozens of new favorites, many recipes also feature meat, poultry, and seafood for the perfect balanced dish.
• A Top Chef Winner Cookbook: Learn the secrets behind Brooke Williamson’s joyful, flavor-packed approach that made her a Food Network champion.

“This book provides an intimate tour of Chef Brooke’s creative process. It is sure to spend more time on kitchen counters than coffee tables. It’s a perfect road map to a destination of deliciousness.” - Michael Voltaggio, chef

“Brooke cooks exactly like I want to eat. Seasonal, veggie-forward, and full of flavors. Sun-Kissed Cooking will teach you the techniques to get the most out of your vegetables and have them shine at your next meal.” - Tom Colicchio, chef and owner, Crafted Hospitality

“Brooke Williamson is one of America’s best chefs, period. I find her dishes constantly inspiring my restaurant’s menus and the meals I cook at home. Lucky for us all, she’s penned the next important cookbook. In Sun-Kissed Cooking, she showcases her passion and soul-searching thoughtfulness, and delivers straight-up deliciousness. Make room on your shelf—Brooke is here!” - Bobby Flay, chef

“Creatively organized and beautifully shot, this cookbook highlights Chef Brooke’s dedication to balanced flavors and the importance of cooking with the seasons. Sun-Kissed Cooking will make a delightful addition to your cookbook collection and will invite you to get comfortable with the recipes as you taste and adjust them, making them your own.” - Jacques Pépin, chef and author of Cooking My Way