FOOD CURIOUS: A PERSONAL DIARY OF PLANT-FORWARD RECIPES BY MARIANNA FARAG Hardcover – October 19, 2024

After five years of running a restaurant with a daily-changing menu, Marianna Farag—former owner, head chef, and operator of the acclaimed vegan restaurant “Marianna’s Kitchen” in Kingston, Jamaica—has released her debut cookbook, Food Curious. This book encapsulates what it truly means to be food curious.Written during a pivotal moment in her life, Food Curious pays homage to ingredients she fell in love with in Jamaica, but also showcases a vibrant, hyphenated cuisine that reflects the eclectic cultural mix Marianna grew up in and her belief in food as a bridge between cultures.Many of the recipes are inspired by customer favorites from her “Kitchen” days, while others draw from the wide range of influences that shape Marianna’s cooking. Her Middle Eastern heritage blends seamlessly with European flavors and a decade spent in the Caribbean—specifically Jamaica. The recipes are also sprinkled with the things she loves most: Asian, South American cuisines, and inspiration from her travels.Featuring over 80 recipes, some simple and accessible and some a bit more complex, Food Curious is a self-published project born out of Marianna’s commitment to encourage people from different cultures to meet in the middle—on a plate. This is expressed in creations like Upside Down Jackfruit Sumac Cake, Comforting Ackee Shakshuka, Decadent Mushroom Pasta in Walnut-Cardamom Cream Sauce, and Habibi Hummus—a Jamaican twist on hummus made without chickpeas, celebrating the local variety of sweet potato instead.Believing the kitchen is more than just a place for cooking, she includes recipes for personal skincare products made from high-quality ingredients you might already have in your pantry. Additionally, Food Curious encourages parents and children to bond through cooking, inspiring food-curious kids to play with colors, textures, and flavors while exploring plant-forward cuisine.Marianna’s culinary work has been celebrated both in Jamaica and abroad, having been featured on Gaz Oakley’s platform and Ras Kitchen’s popular YouTube channel. She has also developed recipes for Jamaican food companies like Island Grill, Goldfinger Honey and Gold Seal Flour, as well as collaborating with Baker’s Creek Seed, the largest heirloom seed company in the Western Hemisphere, to highlight rare ingredients. Her vegetable-focused contributions to Lifehacker, including tips for cooking often-overlooked veggies like okra, have further solidified her reputation. Read more