Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking

A James Beard Award-winning writer shares a richly detailed and inventive memoir exploring life under Soviet communism through the lens of food, family, and history. Growing up in a communal Moscow apartment and fleeing to Philadelphia as a child, the author portrays her journey across two contrasting worlds—her childhood memories of the USSR and her experiences in the American culinary scene. Through storytelling and culinary exploration, she vividly recounts three generations of her family’s life, highlighting the humor, hardship, and resilience woven into their Soviet experience. The book features a bonus PDF with recipes that bring these stories and flavors to life.