A Culinary Cabaret: Graphic Novels about Foodies and Cooking, by Angela Frederick

I am especially delighted by graphic novels that explore topics related to food, whether it be baking, cooking, becoming a chef, or learning how to love new tastes and cuisines. I’m always on the lookout for new titles covering these subjects. 

I also follow a couple of fun Instagram accounts that feature food art. One of them is @condimentraccoon, which is drawn by Lucy Knisley, and stars a raccoon who is obsessed with making soup and bread, among other recipes.. The other one I love is @artmakesmehungry, who curates their Instastories to include food featured in picture books and other media. If you have any others to recommend, please comment below. 

Now, on to the book list. All summaries are from the publishers.

Middle Grade

Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte and Ann Xu (ISBN-13: 9780062973870 Publisher: Harper Alley Publication Date: 10/27/20, Ages 8-12)

Twelve-year-old Cici has just moved from Taiwan to Seattle, and the only thing she wants more than to fit in at her new school is to celebrate her grandmother, A-má’s, seventieth birthday together. Since she can’t go to A-má, Cici cooks up a plan to bring A-má to her by winning the grand prize in a kids’ cooking contest to pay for A-má’s plane ticket! There’s just one problem: Cici only knows how to cook Taiwanese food. And after her pickled cucumber debacle at lunch, she’s determined to channel her inner Julia Child. Can Cici find a winning recipe to reunite with A-má, a way to fit in with her new friends, and somehow find herself too?

Tasty: A History of Experiments by Victoria Grace Elliott (ISBN: 9780593425329 Publisher: Penguin Random House Publication Date: 12/05/23, Ages 8-12)

Have you ever wondered how some of our favorite foods came to be? How was cheese created and who realized it belonged on everything? Was soda always meant to be a drink? A team of whimsical food sprites are excited to show you the yummy history of food experiments from all over the world! 

Learn about the true stories behind pickles! Get a recipe for how to make your favorite pizza! With a story and recipe for every chapter, this graphic novel will give you something to read and taste.

Yummy: A History of Desserts by Victoria Grace Elliott (ISBN: 9780593124376 Publisher: Penguin Random House Publication Date: 11/30/21, Ages 8-12)

Have you ever wondered who first thought to freeze cream? Or when people began making sweet pastry shells to encase fruity fillings? Peri is excited to show you the delicious history of sweets while taking you around the world and back! The team-up that made ice cream cones! The mistake that made brownies! Learn about and taste the true stories behind everyone’s favorite treats, paired with fun and easy recipes to try at home. After all, sweets—and their stories—are always better when they’re shared!

Young Adult

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez, Hank Jones, Danica Brine, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. (ISBN: 9781620109045 Publisher: Oni Press Publication Date: 4/12/22, Ages 14-18)

Now that college is over, English graduate Ben Cook is on the job hunt looking for something…anything…related to his passion for reading and writing. But interview after interview, hiring committee after hiring committee, Ben soon learns getting the dream job won’t be as easy as he thought. Proofreading? Journalism? Copywriting? Not enough experience. It turns out he doesn’t even have enough experience to be a garbage collector! But when Ben stumbles upon a “Now Hiring—No Experience Necessary” sign outside a restaurant, he jumps at the chance to land his first job. Plus, he can keep looking for a writing job in the meantime. He’s actually not so bad in the kitchen, but he will have to pass a series of cooking tests to prove he’s got the culinary skills to stay on full-time. But it’s only temporary…right?

Crumbs by Danie Stirling (ISBN: 9780358467816 Publisher: Clarion Books Publication Date: 7/19/22, Ages 12-18)

In a very special town, there’s an even more unusual bakery with a selection of baked treats hand-crafted to help your dreams come true. For Ray, a quiet young woman with special powers of her own, the order is always the same: a hot tea with a delicious side of romance. When Ray meets Laurie, the kind barista who aspires to be a professional musician, she gets a real taste of love for the first time. But even with a spark of magic, romance isn’t so simple. Both Ray and Laurie are chasing their own dreams and even when Ray starts to see the future, she can’t predict her fate with Laurie.

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley (ISBN: 9781596436237 Publisher: First Second Publication Date: 4/2/13, Ages 14+)

Lucy Knisley loves food. The daughter of a chef and a gourmet, this talented young cartoonist comes by her obsession honestly. In her forthright, thoughtful, and funny memoir, Lucy traces key episodes in her life thus far, framed by what she was eating at the time and lessons learned about food, cooking, and life. Each chapter is bookended with an illustrated recipe—many of them treasured family dishes, and a few of them Lucy’s original inventions.

Supper Club by Jackie Morrow (ISBN: 978-1-5343-2421-3 Publisher: Image Comics Publication Date: 9/14/22, Ages 14-18)

Nora, Lili, and Iris are seniors at Seaside High. Their differing schedules and mounting extracurriculars inspire the girls to form a secret club where they can hang without sacrificing their future aspirations. Enter Supper Club, the delicious solution to their problems. When life starts to crumble like a cookie under the girls’ feet, they rely on comfort food to hold it together. Can Supper Club endure life’s most challenging recipes without burning to a crisp?

Happy Reading and Eating! 

Filed under: Comic Books, Comics, Graphic Novels