2025 Indy Indie Book Crawl: 4 Essential Cookbooks According to these Local Bookstores

This year’s Indy Indie Book Crawl is back Thursday, March 20th through Sunday, March 23rd with 27 bookstores and 7 literary organizations across the Indianapolis metropolitan area. In collaboration with organizations like Indiana Humanities and the Indianapolis Public Library, Jake Budler, event organizer and owner of Tomorrow Books on Massachusetts Avenue, is bringing this event back for its second year.

“Along with the independent bookstore renaissance in Indianapolis, I wanted a way to build community and awareness for bookstores in Indy, both new and existing,” said Budler. “Other cities have launched similar book crawls, and I thought that it would be a great format to create in Indy.”

Participants are encouraged to collect stamps from bookstores around the city for a chance to win prizes. Some locations are also hosting events in collaboration with the weekend-long event, including an after hours party at Golden Hour, a garden-themed children’s book launch and storytime at Kid Ink, and a book signing with local author Chris Jensen at Black Dog Books.

For the home chef and cookbook hoarder, we’ve collected some recommendations to add to your kitchen this weekend. Check out these cookbooks from the shelves of Indianapolis booksellers:

For The Best Cookies and Crusts: Treasury of Southern Baking

Tiffany Phillips, owner of Wild Geese

“My cookbook recommendation is Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking which holds the superlatives in my mind for best chocolate chip cookies, best pie crust, best everything of all bakes.”

Cheryl Day’s collection of baking recipes won her a number of awards and accolades, including “New York Times Bestseller”, but the book itself is more about the heritage of baking in her Georgia kitchen, alongside multiple generations of women in her family. The stories behind these recipes are as cherished as the delectable bites they create.

For The Home Chef Foodie: The Contemporary African Kitchen

Bee, bookseller at Tomorrow Bookstore 

“I was sold on this cookbook the moment I saw that it included a few recipes from my favorite Celebrity Chef, Chef Eric Adjepong. This is a compilation of multiple culinary voices across the continent, split into 5 regions. These are Home Chef-approved recipes from the leading chefs across Africa. 33 chefs and 120 exciting, vibrant recipes.”

The wide variety of recipes in this book takes you across five regions of the African continent, exploring the diverse meals prepared in under-represented cultures. This cookbook allows for showstopper dinner parties and comforting meals for one and offers up a taste of world-class chefs you otherwise might never get to experience. It’s also been praised as an instructive and accessible read, a rare case of chef recipes successfully bridging the gap into home cooking. 

For The Classic Cook: Martha: The Cookbook

Brooke, co-owner at Chapter Book Lounge

“We love the Martha cookbook! Who doesn’t love her? She’s unapologetically in control and at the top of her game. Bonus! Her books always combine a full experience— food, decor, and beverages.”  

Martha Stewart fans will know that she’s made a career and craft out of direct, simple, and entertaining instruction. This cookbook was released back in November, but it includes many of her popular recipes from over the years, as well as the stories behind them. 

For The Hungry Explorer: Koreaworld: A Cookbook

Charlie, bookseller at Golden Hour

Koreaworld explores the modern flavors of Seoul, a corner of the world that is having its time in the sun at the moment. If the Kimchi Wedge salad doesn’t catch your interest, the Smoked Giant Short Ribs are sure to have you hooked. Exploding with colorful flavor, it’s hard to go wrong with this collection of recipes. 

BONUS: The Condiment Book

Bailey Shelton, Senior Editor at Edible Indy

“Personally, I don’t think there’s anything a good sauce can’t do for a dish.”

Author Claire Dinhut got her start from recipe videos on TikTok, but her condiment-focused cookbook reads similarly to the recent sensation Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat with its colorful illustrations, infographics, and fundamentals. Dinhut doesn’t teach you to make specific sauces so much as she explains the building blocks of what makes the perfect condiment.

For more information on the Indy Indie Book Crawl, check out their Google form or stop in at one of the 27 participating locations.