Miles Thompson's Bookshelf. Credit: Darin Bresnitz

Miles Thompson’s 10 Favorite Cookbooks

12 Minute read

07 Apr 2026

Darin Bresnitz

Journalist

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A curated look at the books that continue to influence the Baby Bistro chef’s cooking, from foundational techniques to enduring sources of inspiration.

For anyone with a collection, whether it is cookbooks, records, or watches, there are always the heavy hitters, the must-have pieces that give it weight. A first edition of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, an original pressing of Otis Redding’s Pain in My Heart, a Patek Philippe 2533J Vintage Calatrava. These are the signifiers that allow one collector to recognize another.

A true collection, one that reveals the curator’s point of view, is defined just as much by its more personal selections, the books that reflect curiosity, obsession, and a deeper pursuit of knowledge. Miles Thompson’s 300-plus cookbooks represent that balance. Here are ten that stand out.

Strudel, Noodles and Dumplings: The New Taste of German Cooking

Author: Anya Dunk
Release Date: September 6, 2018
Purchase Year: 2023

Why Miles Loves It: I got this book from Akira Akuto, co-owner of Konbi, who was giving away a bunch of cookbooks. I don't have any books that really speak about Eastern European cooking besides Ashkenazi Jewish cooking. It was really interesting to learn about that whole genre of cooking through the lens of a person living in London, cooking food from another place.

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Strudel, Noodles and Dumplings: The New Taste of German Cooking

The River Cottage Cookbook

Author: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Release Date: March 25, 2008
Purchase Year: 2010

Why Miles Loves It: Essentially, this book is all about using good ingredients and just cooking perfect food. Focusing on farm fresh and everything about his approach to life, it’s something to aspire to. I feel like all of his books have become such staples now.

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Fäviken

Author: Magnus Nilsson
Release Date: October 25, 2012
Purchase Year: 2018

Why Miles Loves It: This book tells the story of the lauded Swedish restaurant. An incredible approach of how to utilize products and to grow things in a place where you can't grow them most of the year. It’s a really honest depiction of cooking in a place that's hard to cook in.

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The Four Horsemen Cookbook: Food and Wine for Good Times

Author: Nick Curtola with Gabe Ulla and James Murphy
Release Date: October 22, 2024
Purchase Year: 2025

Why Miles Loves It: Four Horsemen is an incredibly inspiring restaurant for me. I ate there with my sister several years ago. To see into Nick Curtola’s process, how he cooks food that is oftentimes deceptively simple, but other times actually simple, is fascinating to me.

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The Four Horsemen Cookbook: Food and Wine for Good Times

Rintaro: Japanese Food from an Izakaya in California

Author: Sylvan Mishima Brackett and Jessica Battilana
Release Date: October 10, 2023
Purchase Year: 2023

Why Miles Loves It: Rintaro is a restaurant I haven't been to, but a place I really respect. The real izakaya kind of approach to cooking has always been fascinating to me. The fact that they are doing yakitori-style cooking, making udon noodles, and making traditional Japanese desserts, through the lens of California produce, is amazing.

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Rintaro: Japanese Food from an Izakaya in California

Coi: Stories and Recipes

Author: Daniel Patterson
Release Date: October 14, 2013
Purchase Year: 2011

Why Miles Loves It: I remember getting it, and I gave it away to someone, so I had to get another copy because I love this book. I've been able to cook a couple of dinners with him, and eaten his food. I love the way that Daniel talks about his cooking, how there are no accidents, but a lot of discoveries in this cooking.

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Catalan Home Cooking

Author: Equipo Susaeta
Release Date: March 8, 2010
Purchase Year: 2022

Why Miles Loves It: This collection of Catalan home cooking recipes and stories comes from a group of contributors writing together. I got this book when I was in Barcelona at a little bookstore, and was eating a lot at La Cova Fumada. A lot of dishes from that spot are in this book, and it’s my favorite restaurant in the world.

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Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes

Author: Jeffrey Hamelman
Release Date: April 6, 2021
Purchase Year: 2015

Why Miles Loves It: This is the Bible for bread making. If you have any questions about how to do anything with bread, it's in this book. The beginning is the story about how Jeffrey became a baker, and that just dovetails into the story about how to make bread. I learned a lot from this book, from shaping to proofing to cutting it to how to handle the dough.

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Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes

The Dooky Chase Cookbook

Author: Leah Chase
Release Date: April 30, 1990
Purchase Year: 2022

Why Miles Loves It: These are Leah Chase’s recipes from her legendary restaurant in New Orleans, Dooky Chase. My favorite part about that book is the approach more than any specific recipe. I love the way she wrote about her cooking and the food there. And my sister gave it to me, so it's special.

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The Philadelphia Orchestra Cookbook

Author: Anne M. Krout
Release Date: January 1, 1980
Purchase Year: 2020

Why Miles Loves It: If you want a good regional, era-specific cookbook, this is the one. What I love about these types of books, you don't know if things are going to be good, but then when things are good, they're really good. And you can't really tell when you read the recipes. One thing that I find really fascinating is some recipes will be like, buy a puff pastry shell, and others are like, make puff pastry, all in the same book. There's no rules.

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The Chef

Los Angeles chef Miles Thompson brings precision, seasonality, and curiosity to Baby Bistro, where his evolving, ingredient-driven cooking reflects a deeply personal and disciplined approach shaped by experience and craft.

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