Carnegie Hill Specialty Bookstore With 12,000 Food Titles

Kitchen Arts & Letters, at 1435 Lexington Avenue on the Upper East Side, is the specialty bookstore New York chefs and home cooks name first when the subject is food and drink. The shop sits between 93rd and 94th Streets in Carnegie Hill, and it stocks more than 12,000 titles that come from all over the world and in many languages. Walking in costs nothing, browsing is the whole point, and the staff will happily talk you out of the wrong book and into the right one. It is a small room with an enormous reach.

Nach Waxman opened Kitchen Arts & Letters in 1983 after eighteen years in book publishing. Most of his time in the 21st century went to the shop's out-of-print business, and his curiosity shows in how deep the store runs on food history and culture. His own cooking passion was the many cuisines of India, with a strong interest in Jewish food traditions as well. Waxman was a member of the James Beard Foundation Hall of Fame. He died in August 2021, and his obituary made the front page of the New York Times website.

The store's own account lists Julia Child, James Beard, and Laurie Colwin among its early customers, which tells you the level of conversation the shop was built for. That lineage still matters. Today the customer base runs from Michelin-starred chefs who travel in from abroad to neighborhood cooks who simply want a good dinner on the table tonight. Both get the same attention at the counter. Nobody is made to feel like an amateur for asking where to start with Sichuan cooking or which bread book actually explains hydration in plain English.

Matt Sartwell joined Kitchen Arts & Letters in 1991 after a career as a book editor and now runs the shop as managing partner. He describes himself as the store generalist, doing weeknight cooking, sweet and savory baking, and preserving, and he handles most of the new title ordering, both domestic and foreign. He is a former chair of the book committee of the James Beard Awards and a member of the IACP Culinary Classics committee. When you ask him about a book, you are getting the opinion of someone who has read the competition.

The stock splits along lines a cook will recognize. Professional Kitchens covers chefs and restaurants, professional baking and pastry, and beverages. Home Kitchens runs through American regional food, everyday cooking, healthy and special diets, home baking and dessert, international and ethnic cooking, single subject books, vegetarian and vegan titles, and kids' books. A separate Reading group holds food history, food science, reference, magazines, and what the shop calls good reads. There are also signed books, limited editions, and preorders. The mix of restaurant monographs next to scholarly histories is the store's real signature.

What sets the place apart is that the staff writes its own judgments. On most books the store's description says why a title is a good choice, for whom, where it excels, and where it falls short. When a listing begins with the line that this is what the publisher tells us, it means the team has not yet spent enough time with the book to form a view. That honesty carries into the shop itself. Ask which of three Italian baking books to buy and you will get a straight answer, not a sales pitch.

Below the selling floor is what the store calls its famous basement, with thousands of older and out-of-print books jamming the shelves. The search service is free and carries no obligation. You describe the book you are after, even if you only remember the color, the size, or a distinctive recipe, and the team goes hunting. Nach Waxman led those searches for years, and Laura Jackson, who worked as his right hand, now leads the effort with the full staff. One rule matters here: do not bring books in to sell without arranging it first by email.

Since Waxman's death, the shop and Maron Waxman have run the Nach Waxman Prize for Food and Beverage Scholarship, which keeps his love of serious food writing in public view. The 2026 prize, the third annual award, went to Lori A. Flores for Awaiting Their Feast, a history of Latinx food workers and activism published by the University of North Carolina Press. The shortlist for books published in 2025 doubles as a reading list for anyone building a serious food library. If you care about food history more than recipes, start your visit at that shelf.

The store is open Monday to Saturday from 10-6 and closed on Sunday, so a weekday morning just after opening is the calmest time to browse and ask for advice. The shop runs its own events, a cookbook club, and classes, all listed on its website, and signed copies of new releases show up there as well. Bring a short list of dishes or cuisines you want to tackle. The staff works best from a specific question, and the conversation is often worth more than the purchase.

The simplest route is the 6 train to 96th Street and Lexington Avenue, then a three-block walk south on the east side of the avenue. The 4 and 5 express trains stop at 86th Street, which leaves a longer but pleasant walk of seven blocks north on Lexington. From the east side, the Q train stops at 96th Street and Second Avenue, two avenues away. Allow extra time if you plan to carry a stack of heavy hardcovers home.

Carnegie Hill rewards a slow loop once your tote bag is full. Head west on 93rd Street toward Madison Avenue, where the Corner Bookstore keeps a neighborhood general shop worth a quick look. Continue to Fifth Avenue for Museum Mile, with the Jewish Museum and the Cooper Hewitt design museum a few blocks apart, and the Guggenheim a short way south. Cross into Central Park for the running track that rings the Reservoir. Back on Lexington, the 92nd Street Y hosts talks that often feature the same authors you just bought.

Kitchen Arts & Letters, at 1435 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10128, sits between 93rd and 94th Streets. Hours: Monday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Tuesday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Wednesday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Thursday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Sunday closed. Entry and browsing are free. The store ships worldwide, and in-stock orders ship out the next business day. Save the address in the Karpo APP before you head uptown.