Are you a single guy? Are you hungry? Do you really wish you knew how to cook? If you’ve answered “yes” to any or all of these three questions, there’s definitely a niche cookbook out there for you. This one comes by way of Avi Shemtov, chef and owner of The Chubby Chickpea, a locally sourced falafel-slinging food truck that treads Boston grounds seven days a week.
Do we really need a single guy’s cookbook?
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Shemtov, a Sharon native, released “The Single Guy Cookbook” earlier this year, a guide to “man-centric” recipes (think: “Waffle-battered Chicken Tenders” and “One Guy Stir-fry”) with commentary written with a bachelor audience in mind.
However, despite his book’s title, the 31-year-old wants readers to know his mission to send singles into the kitchen isn’t gender-specific. “Cooking for one person is a challenge, even for the greatest chefs,” Shemtov says. “And not that I’m going to rid the world of all the ails of gender roles, but it’s the single guy who is often told, ‘You can’t cook because you’re a guy and that’s not your thing.'”
He says he found himself offering guidance to his single male pals and wrote the book in the tone of the tips and advice he’s passed off over the years. He adds, “It’s sort of a survival guide for the single person.”
A great tip? “For sun-dried tomatoes or marinated mushrooms, use the olive bar [at the grocery store] instead of buying jars. The average guy will just leave those sitting in their fridge for months, and you could have paid a little bit by the pound.”
While not so single himself — he’s got a wife and two kids back in Canton — Shemtov certainly knows how to cook, and he’ll be at Trident Booksellers (338 Newbury St., Boston, 617-267-8688) on Jan. 6to prove it.He’ll demo Buffalo Chicken Queso, Potato Slaw and Braised Short Rib Crostini and “Kick-Ass Fish Tacos” for attendees, and sign copies of his cookbook from 6-8 p.m.
