Culinary creator Maxine Sharf launched her debut cookbook tour in New York City on Tuesday.
In conversation with fellow cookbook author Alison Roman, the two discussed Sharf’s cookbook, “Maxi’s Kitchen: Easy Go-To Recipes To Make Again and Again,” followed by a meet-and-greet and book signings at New Design High School in the Lower East Side.
Sharf first rose to fame after she was unexpectedly laid off from her decade-long corporate tech job in 2022. This setback allowed her to dedicate herself fully to her cooking blog, which she began in 2018.
Her platform has since grown to over 4 million followers across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. After years of sharing short-form cooking videos online, Sharf wanted to create something more lasting.
“Ever since I started my blog, it’s been a dream of mine to publish a cookbook,” Sharf said. “It felt really compelling to create a body of work that lives in the physical world because a lot of times I’ll share a recipe online, and then it floats off into the ether.”
Raised in a multicultural household of Korean, Chinese, Russian, Romanian and Polish roots, Sharf grew up surrounded by diverse culinary traditions. Sharf remains especially close to her mother, who is accompanying her on the tour.
It was during middle school, after Sharf had a falling out with some of her friends, that she truly discovered her passion for cooking.
“I was at home a lot because I didn’t have any invitations to hang out with anyone. So that was the year when my mom was like, well, if you’re going to be home every time I make something, let’s do it together,” Sharf said. “So that was when I really started cooking and learning all of our family recipes.”
The cookbook features 20 of Sharf’s cherished family recipes, alongside 75 original creations. Organized by days of the week, the book assigns each day a theme designed to help readers match their meals with their moods.
Monday meals are quick, easy and come together in under 30 minutes, followed by Tuesday’s one-pot, pan or wok recipes. Wednesdays bring vibrant and playful options like colorful tacos and sandwiches.
By the time Thursday rolls around, Sharf leans into more indulgent, “date-night” dishes such as pasta. Friday offers a range of smaller, shareable recipes such as dumplings and stuffed mushrooms.
Weekend recipes often take more time and care, but the flavors are all worth it. Saturdays focus on immersive recipes like fresh bread from scratch, and Sunday celebrating brunch staples such as fluffy pancakes and poached eggs.
Beyond its range of cuisines, the cookbook includes simple side-dish pairings for each day of the week, illustrated how-to guides and QR code tutorials to make recipes easy to follow.
“This book is very beginner-friendly because there are a lot of really easy, approachable recipes. So I think people who are just starting their cooking journey, or don’t feel like they’re the most confident cook, it’s a really great fit for them,” Sharf said.
Sharf is on tour through April, with stops in Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles and more. Tour tickets and cookbook copies are available at mkcookbook.com.
