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Salad for President: A Cookbook Inspired by Artists
In this beautifully designed, full-color cookbook, Julia Sherman—the creator of the immensely popular Salad for President blog—presents a visually rich collection of more than 75 salad recipes, with contributions and interviews by artists/creative professionals like William Wegman, Tauba Auerbach, Laurie Anderson, and Alice Waters.
“Part relational art, part self-discovery, Salad for President turns our notion of ‘salad’ on its head in a funny, beautiful, and most personal way.” ― Bon Appétit
Julia Sherman loves salad. In the book named for her popular blog, she encourages her readers to consider salad an everyday indulgence that can include cocktails, soups, family-style brunch dishes, and dinner-party entrées. Every part of the meal is reimagined with a fresh, vegetable-obsessed perspective. This compendium of savory recipes will tempt readers in search of diverse offerings from light to hearty organized by season. Recipes The recipes, while not exclusively vegetarian, are vegetable-forward and focused on high-quality seasonal produce. Sherman also includes insider tips on pantry staples and growing your own salad garden of herbs and greens. Salad—with its infinite possibilities—is a game of endless combinations, not stifling rules.
And with that in mind, Salad for President offers a window into how artists approach preparing their favorite dishes. She visits sculptors, painters, photographers, and musicians in their homes and gardens, interviewing and photographing them as they cook.
Utterly unique in its look into the worlds of food, art, and everyday practices, Salad for President is at once a practical resource for healthy, satisfying recipes and an inspiring look at creativity.
“Part relational art, part self-discovery, Salad for President turns our notion of ‘salad’ on its head in a funny, beautiful, and most personal way.” ― Bon Appétit
Julia Sherman loves salad. In the book named for her popular blog, she encourages her readers to consider salad an everyday indulgence that can include cocktails, soups, family-style brunch dishes, and dinner-party entrées. Every part of the meal is reimagined with a fresh, vegetable-obsessed perspective. This compendium of savory recipes will tempt readers in search of diverse offerings from light to hearty organized by season. Recipes The recipes, while not exclusively vegetarian, are vegetable-forward and focused on high-quality seasonal produce. Sherman also includes insider tips on pantry staples and growing your own salad garden of herbs and greens. Salad—with its infinite possibilities—is a game of endless combinations, not stifling rules.
And with that in mind, Salad for President offers a window into how artists approach preparing their favorite dishes. She visits sculptors, painters, photographers, and musicians in their homes and gardens, interviewing and photographing them as they cook.
Utterly unique in its look into the worlds of food, art, and everyday practices, Salad for President is at once a practical resource for healthy, satisfying recipes and an inspiring look at creativity.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 16, 2017
63 people are currently reading
553 people want to read
About the author
Julia Sherman
16 books13 followersJulia was born in Minsk, Belarus. At the age of eleven, she immigrated with her family to the United States. She currently lives in Chicago, IL with her husband and their daughter, Arielle.
She graduated from DePaul University in 2002 with a B.A. in Accounting and Finance. She also has an MBA from DePaul University in Entrepreneurship.
She studied Creative Writing with Jerry Cleaver at the Writer's Loft, and with Susan Breen at NYC Pitch and Shop, among many others.
She graduated from DePaul University in 2002 with a B.A. in Accounting and Finance. She also has an MBA from DePaul University in Entrepreneurship.
She studied Creative Writing with Jerry Cleaver at the Writer's Loft, and with Susan Breen at NYC Pitch and Shop, among many others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
May 11, 2017
I was drawn to this cookbook because of its' unique concept. Once I dug in, I could feel Julia’s love for healthful salads and fresh ingredients. I enjoyed her creative approach, ingredient mixes, tips and the interviewing of artists who provide inspiration for the recipes. It was a super combo. I love salads but am lacking in the creativity department. Julia has given me hope that I will be able to more easily diversify my salad plates. A fine example of a cookbook that not only has beautiful photos but has so much more inside - substance and inspiration. Thanks to ABRAMS books for providing me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 26, 2017
I love salad and when I heard about this book, I had to see it. Julia Sherman has created a brilliant book where she visits artists and finds that they all love salad. Each of these artists share one of their favorite recipes. Not only do you get a glimpse of the artists but you get so many healthful creative recipes, this is a sure win for anyone who can appreciate visual and flavorful art! In this book, you will meet Alice Waters, William Wegman, among others.
The photography makes you want to grab a fork and dig in! There are also drawings, like the cover. Simple, creative and beautiful.
What I love about this book, is it breaks out of the typical lettuce and vegetable mold. It's exhausting to think of salad as only that, and this book shows you so many more ways to celebrate produce and healthy living with colorful, nutrient dense dishes. From main meals, to appetizers, side salads...this is a complete and delicious addition to your kitchen.
The photography makes you want to grab a fork and dig in! There are also drawings, like the cover. Simple, creative and beautiful.
What I love about this book, is it breaks out of the typical lettuce and vegetable mold. It's exhausting to think of salad as only that, and this book shows you so many more ways to celebrate produce and healthy living with colorful, nutrient dense dishes. From main meals, to appetizers, side salads...this is a complete and delicious addition to your kitchen.
April 12, 2017
This book has a lot of good recipes for salads if you like a fancy schmancy salad. I don't usually have the ingredients for most of these salads at home and I know my husband who is has a simpler pallet would never eat most of these. That being said, I would order many of these recipes in a restaurant. The pictures are amazing and make them look delish. The best part of this book is all the interviews and stories with fellow salad lovers. Just a great combination of a good recipes and a good read!!
October 13, 2019
Beautifully laid out book (illustrations, photography, design) and the artist conversations and anecdotes are more enlightening than not but damn if 95% of these recipes aren’t wildly expensive or rarified due to their ingredient lists—super intimidating (but I marked a few down to try)!
December 5, 2020
A good book for decorative purposes. The spine looks good when it comes to home decor. As for the actual recipes, I quite liked their simpler recipes. I was obsessed with the za'atar recipe. I enjoyed skimming through the profiles about cool LA people. Some of the ingredients were a little bougie so I couldn't always find them, which prevented me from trying out some of the recipes.
January 6, 2019
As a cookbook it was just ok, nothing groundbreaking or earth shattering, nothing new in salads. But as an art book it was beautifully done, more like 3 stars. I didn’t think I’d care about reading about the artists but that was what I enjoyed most.
October 27, 2020
Beautiful, unattainable salads and interviews with friends or connections of the author. A book blind to its own privilege. Definitely not a cookbook.
August 29, 2020
This book has creative stuff in it
but it's got a fair amount of esoterica in the ingredients
a few people cringe that the book is overlong on the artists and you can't find a book that's more cliquey, pretentious and esoteric...
someone said that this book appeared in a few lists for quarantine cooking, and i think that's pretty amusing because when the book calls out for black mint, myoga flowers, bee pollen and pomegranate molasses, we haven't even touched the pea shoots (oops tendrils) and other wacky vegetables and mushrooms and crap you got to buy that you'll rarely see in a Ruth Reichl cookbook!
Red Kuri Squash that tastes like roasted chestnuts, watermelon radishes, lacinato kale, sunflower shoots, and pea tendrils.
but for an artsy cookbook, it's acceptable
...if you know what you're getting into
one review i say had this interesting remark:
"What other words can I come up with to let you know how much I hated this book? When cookbooks disappoint, I am often amused, or perhaps annoyed. But this one made me truly angry... I have cooked professionally and know how to source out ingredients. I would have a very hard time finding every ingredient for most of these recipes."
another
"even the comfort food salads are ridiculously esoteric"
if you like seeing freaky salads in strange restaurant menus and say, i think i might even 'try' that!
this is the book for you!
I feel that making a salad isn't Modernist Cooking techniques or cooking with foam, or sous vide, and it's just a couple of crazy vegetables and 'black mint' and bee pollen, so it's no big deal.
Make three salads out of the book in your lifetime, and the book served its purpose!
oh yes... Julia Sherman was born and raised in New York City, so the goodreads listing with Minsk is just putting two different people together.
I think the Alice Waters bit squeaked the book into a buy for me, and though i feel ambivalent about some of the wackiness going on, the creativity is okay... I can think of a lot of hyped restaurants with way way less imaginative stuff.
but it's got a fair amount of esoterica in the ingredients
a few people cringe that the book is overlong on the artists and you can't find a book that's more cliquey, pretentious and esoteric...
someone said that this book appeared in a few lists for quarantine cooking, and i think that's pretty amusing because when the book calls out for black mint, myoga flowers, bee pollen and pomegranate molasses, we haven't even touched the pea shoots (oops tendrils) and other wacky vegetables and mushrooms and crap you got to buy that you'll rarely see in a Ruth Reichl cookbook!
Red Kuri Squash that tastes like roasted chestnuts, watermelon radishes, lacinato kale, sunflower shoots, and pea tendrils.
but for an artsy cookbook, it's acceptable
...if you know what you're getting into
one review i say had this interesting remark:
"What other words can I come up with to let you know how much I hated this book? When cookbooks disappoint, I am often amused, or perhaps annoyed. But this one made me truly angry... I have cooked professionally and know how to source out ingredients. I would have a very hard time finding every ingredient for most of these recipes."
another
"even the comfort food salads are ridiculously esoteric"
if you like seeing freaky salads in strange restaurant menus and say, i think i might even 'try' that!
this is the book for you!
I feel that making a salad isn't Modernist Cooking techniques or cooking with foam, or sous vide, and it's just a couple of crazy vegetables and 'black mint' and bee pollen, so it's no big deal.
Make three salads out of the book in your lifetime, and the book served its purpose!
oh yes... Julia Sherman was born and raised in New York City, so the goodreads listing with Minsk is just putting two different people together.
I think the Alice Waters bit squeaked the book into a buy for me, and though i feel ambivalent about some of the wackiness going on, the creativity is okay... I can think of a lot of hyped restaurants with way way less imaginative stuff.
May 1, 2023
This was a bit of a weird book for me. Beautiful pictures, awkward interviews with artists I didn't know and recipes that didn't seem conducive to home cooking. Plus, the breakdown of chapters didn't really make sense. For instance, there was a "Main Event" chapter that says it's entree salads but then you have recipes for golden beets and baby avocados that certainly didn't feel like main events.
I made the Shaved Red Cabbage with Pomegranate Molasses, Sumac and Crumbled Walnuts. It was ok, but nothing to write home about.
I made the Shaved Red Cabbage with Pomegranate Molasses, Sumac and Crumbled Walnuts. It was ok, but nothing to write home about.
March 11, 2018
4.5 stars, but I’m waiting to make more recipes before bumping it up. I really dig this book, and I thought the concept was intriguing. Have made one dish, it was delicious if I liked that sort of thing, and though my tepid relationship with mint in savory or fruity combinations prevented the recipe from being a 100% as-is keeper for me personally, it made me A LOT more open minded about trusting the author’s palate.
June 16, 2021
4.5… maybe even a full 5 after I try a few more recipes.
This is an absolutely beautiful book! Some of the ingredients are seasonal or a bit uncommon but most of the recipes tell you that from the beginning, tell you exactly where you can find said ingredient, and several even included substitution recommendations. I loved the interviews and the sections in the back on pantry staples, tools, and the several different index’s that organize recipes by season, artisan, and ingredient.
This is an absolutely beautiful book! Some of the ingredients are seasonal or a bit uncommon but most of the recipes tell you that from the beginning, tell you exactly where you can find said ingredient, and several even included substitution recommendations. I loved the interviews and the sections in the back on pantry staples, tools, and the several different index’s that organize recipes by season, artisan, and ingredient.
August 5, 2017
Beautifully put together.
Love the stories and the casual notes on preparing the dishes. For example, in the Grilled Prociutto-Wrapped Treviso with Hidden Boquerones, when substituting endive for treviso: "Endive has a higher water content than treviso, so it won't crisp in the same way, but the prosciutto will, so who's complaining?"
Love the stories and the casual notes on preparing the dishes. For example, in the Grilled Prociutto-Wrapped Treviso with Hidden Boquerones, when substituting endive for treviso: "Endive has a higher water content than treviso, so it won't crisp in the same way, but the prosciutto will, so who's complaining?"
April 1, 2024
I haven’t tried any of the recipes but the stories are fun and inspiring. I love to read cookbooks and will incorporate much of what I learned from reading this one into my home cooking.
The drink recipes at the end were a fun surprise. And I may follow the Bloody Mary recipe as it looks divine.
The drink recipes at the end were a fun surprise. And I may follow the Bloody Mary recipe as it looks divine.
December 13, 2025
After cooking everything other than the bloody mary (I’m averse), I found most recipes wanting for fresh ingredients with more potent flavor—unless one lives somewhere where they can procure the exotic ingredients fresh, I recommend local substitutions and improvisations over dogmatic loyalty to the recipes.
January 1, 2018
Lots of recipes here that were out of my comfort zone; some I tried, some not so much. I loved the stories quite a bit and the book left me inspired to try combining different ingredients in new dishes for 2018.
July 13, 2018
The artist/musician/architect/landscaper/activist interviews that are interspersed between recipes are excellent. The photography is gorgeous. The ingredients in many of the recipes are on the more exotic end for the average American kitchen, but look tasty. I enjoyed this very unique cookbook.
January 13, 2019
At times, it just felt like a bit or two of veg or fruit vs a straight-up salad, but she's got a whole gorgeous book so I'll let it slide. That said, I'm kind of into making my own creative salads so this book wouldn't be super useful to me.
July 28, 2020
Beautiful cookbook, creative fresh salad recipes and lots of photos. Most of the recipes were beyond what I am willing to do as a home cook, one of those "this is how I would eat if I had a personal chef" type books. Fun to look at though!
December 3, 2024
Salad for President is quirky and eclectic, with a playful approach that reflects the intersection of art and food. The book revolves around salads as a form of artistic and culinary expression, incorporating interviews and insights from artists, musicians, writers, and creative thinkers.
August 16, 2017
Favorite new cookbook. Everything I've made has been quick and scrumptious.
September 4, 2017
Nice try; some interesting recipes, some simple artwork and commentary --little unique or notable.
September 18, 2017
Still cooking my way through it, but really enjoying the recipes and visuals. Not quite as salad-y as I thought it would be.
October 24, 2017
Not one I'd buy, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's way beyond salad (in my view). I found myself drawn in to the visits with artists when I thought I was only there for the recipes.
February 20, 2018
This book is both beautiful and informative. If you like art, artists or food, you will revel in the beauty of this book.
April 4, 2018
Salad reading made fun!
August 24, 2018
Salad is fun! fancy! delightful!
March 11, 2021
Labai geri receptai ir patarimai, ir dar geresni interviu su įvairiais menininkais!
September 5, 2021
Super creative and artistic. Fun interviews with artists. Crazy salads. Not sure I was a fan of the ingredients down the middle of the recipe. And not going to make any of the recipes.
January 10, 2024
This was ok. I liked some of the artists interviewed more than others. I liked the author but this was not as interesting/special or great as I expected.
January 16, 2024
I don’t have to hate salad?! The approach to this work is A+++!! Beautiful images and so many cool artist features.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews