Oklahoma Chef Discusses New Cookbook, World Travels

A private chef from Tulsa has traveled around the world, and has taken inspiration from those places to write a cookbook with stories included.

Shannon Smith started cooking around 20 years ago.

“I've been to 53 countries, and so as I was learning to cook and starting teaching cooking classes. I decided that when I travel, I want to immerse into cultures. I want to learn how they prepare their food,” Smith said. “I wanted to meet the people that live there and I've managed to do that and met some really incredible people that have taught me their culture and their recipes, and so I wrote it all down.”

The book took Smith six years to write, and includes pictures, recipes and stories from her travels.

“Each chapter is from a different place where I've cooked in the world,” Smith said. “Only one chapter is in the United States, and it's the one titled New Mexico because that's near to my heart.”

The book is 12 chapters long, with 10 or 11 recipes in each chapter.

Smith self published her book, so it is only available to purchase on her website, chefshannon.com.