Cooking is and always will be a solace for Toya Boudy. In Cooking from Scratch, she heads to the kitchen to process the moments of a hard year, revisiting childhood recipes and developing new dishes. Boudy was inspired by Malinda Russell, author of the oldest known cookbook published by a Black woman. Russell, a widow and mother, used her knowledge of food and remedies to survive, teach, and thrive. Her voice––confident, practical, and full of dignity––spoke directly to her community.

Cooking from Scratch sets out to do the same, with direct and empowering recipes–-short, to the point, and rooted in everyday life. Boudy offers her readers recipes she believes are essential to building a kitchen that feel like home. From Homestyle White Beans and Southern Cornbread Dressing to African Spinach Stew and Mini Crawfish Pies, this cookbook delivers on that promise. Boudy provides a handful of natural remedies that nourish body and spirit alike. A heartfelt, restorative collection, Cooking from Scratch celebrates flavor, tradition, and the enduring, timeless power of food to comfort, heal, and bring people together.

Hardcover, 218 pages. Beautiful photographs throughout. 2026.