book - la copine: new california cooking from an oasis in the desert

From La Copine, a destination restaurant near Joshua Tree, comes a beautiful debut cookbook with stories of life in the desert and recipes that capture a unique approach to California cooking.

Out in the California desert near Joshua Tree, La Copine spins its own kind of magic, powered by business and life partners Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill, the drama of the landscape, the eclectic local population, and of course, the irresistible food.

Home cooks will want to adopt the restaurant’s “California soul” style: veggie-forward, innovative yet comforting, light enough for lunch, yet substantial enough to gather around and linger over. From "hunky" salads (as described by the New York Times) to special-occasion sandwiches to summery, boldly flavored grilled meats and vegetables to simple, no-bake desserts, La Copine’s food roams far and wide but always imparts a sense of home.

More than the recipes, though, Wadsworth and Hill’s backstory as a couple, the business they’ve built together, and the community they’ve found in the desert, make for an armchair trip through the remote and spectacular setting, as well as a mission statement for creating a life on one’s own terms.