I didn’t know anything about Vivian Howard, but the title and description of this new cookbook were intriguing. I now know she owns several restaurants, has starred in two award-winning PBS cooking shows, she’s married and lives with her husband and twins (a boy and girl) in North Carolina, and this is her second recipe book.

But it’s her personality that makes this book an enjoyable read, even if you don’t end up trying any of the recipes. Vivian goes beyond the recipes and writes candidly about her life, the challenges and lessons she has learned. I felt like I was having a conversation with a girlfriend, not a celebrity chef. I actually liked reading about her more than about the recipes, though there are plenty of recipes, with encouraging notes and full color photos.

The concept of this book is her special flavor tricks to “Make It Taste Good” as the title promises. I’m not sure I’ll try those large batch specialty “flavor heroes,” but there are several recipes that I’m motivated to try.

With humor and honesty, she shares about her professional life and also confides about the efforts of juggling all the plates (children, running a household, operating a few restaurants, dealing with the pandemic shutdown, etc.). As she shares in the beginning of the book, “Food is the language I use to talk about the fabric of my life, and that’s what these recipes do. There are stories too, because I like to write them. They are a glimpse at the people, challenges, triumphs, and lessons learned that stock the pantry of who I am. Put it all together, and this is what makes my life taste good.” ( )