Pepper Teigen Releases Her Own Cookbook
Chrissy Teigen’s mother — who has become a beloved presence on her family’s social media accounts — is sharing her Thai recipes with the world.
BY KRISTEN TAUER
For the Teigens, cooking is a family business. After including several of her mother’s beloved recipes within the
“Thai Mom” sections of her “Cravings” cookbooks, Chrissy Teigen finally convinced Vilailuck “Pepper” Teigen to write her own cookbook. “Now it’s time for the full ‘Thai Mom’ experience,” writes Chrissy in an introduction for her mother’s book.
“[Chrissy] was asking me to do this for a long time, and I never thought I could because everything that I cook or I love, it’s from instinct, what I cooked growing up. But she said, ‘Mom. people are going to love it, you got to,’” says Teigen, who lives with her daughter, son-in-law John Legend, and grandchildren Luna and Miles in Los Angeles. “She was so happy because she wanted for herself, I think, finally to have this all written down.”
“The Pepper Thai Cookbook: Family
Recipes From Everyone’s Favorite
Thai Mom” delivers on its title, with an endearing sense of humor that has made her a social media star in her own right. Going into the project Teigen hadn’t recorded any of her recipes. She linked up with former L.A. Times food writer Garrett Snyder, who helped put the recipes to paper. Dishes are organized by themes like “Always Snacking,” “Feeling Fancy” and “Queen of Leftovers.” “My favorites are my papaya salad, my pad thai — I can eat those every day,” she says.
The book pairs the recipes with personal vignettes, and showcases many of the dishes through bright, colorful photography. Teigen’s family joined in for the photo shoot, too; nothing pictured went uneaten.
“The Pepper Thai Cookbook” spotlights authentic Thai cooking while prioritizing