Kitchen Arts & Letters
Open in Manhattan since 1983 — 1983! — Kitchen Arts & Letters manages to cram roughly 12,000 books into a 750-square-foot space. While founding partner Nach Waxman now focuses on out-of-print books, managing partner Matt Sartwell oversees an inventory (“up to the ceiling”) that’s far more than just recipe books, encompassing many aspects of food culture, history and anthropology, as well as technical manuals and journals. The shop works in conjunction with the nearby 92nd Street Y community center to host talks and tastings.
Info: 1435 Lexington Ave., New York; (212) 876-5550; kitchenartsandletters.com.