Meghan Markle Recommends This Business Book as a Gift

Throughout two seasons of With Love, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has invited top chefs, bakers, and other culinary experts into her home kitchen. Her holiday special, With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration, continues this tradition.

In the latest episode, Meghan welcomed Tom Colicchio, judge on Top Chef and co-founder of New Yorks Gramercy Tavern, along with Will Guidara, former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, which was named the Best Restaurant in the World in 2017 under his leadership.

Before Colicchio arrived, Meghan expressed her admiration: I know him from television, I know his book, and I am a fan, recalling that Top Chef has been a favorite of hers since it premiered in 2006. She praised Colicchio as an incredible chef and restaurateur and noted his five James Beard Awards.

Colicchio has authored multiple books, but his 2007 debut, Think Like a Chef, made a lasting impact on Meghan. It changed how I moved through a kitchen, she explained. His approach shifted my mindset from following a recipe to asking, What ingredients do I have? What can I create with them?

The chef also shared a favorite holiday dish, a beet salad with red onion, celery, artichoke hearts, black olives, and fennel. Meghan noted that Prince Harry would likely dislike it, joking about his aversion to several of the ingredients. Harry later appeared briefly while they prepared gumbo.

With Guidara, Meghan explored holiday entertaining and participated in making Christmas crackers, a British tradition of small, decorated cardboard tubes filled with treats. She praised his book, Unreasonable Hospitality, saying, Im obsessed with your book. Ive given it out to so many people.

Guidara, who rose to prominence at Eleven Madison Park, emphasizes that exceptional service comes from giving people more care than expected. His book has resonated widely across both creative and corporate sectors and introduced him to new audiences through his work as a producer on FXs The Bear. He also appeared as himself in season two and contributed to season three as a writer.

When I think about the great dinner parties Ive attended, Guidara reflected, I dont remember the food as much as the feeling I left withwhether my heart felt full.

Both of the books Meghan recommended are currently available:

• Think Like a Chef $24.67 at amazon.com
• Unreasonable Hospitality $16.00 at amazon.com

With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration is now streaming on Netflix.

Author: Natalie Monroe