Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook is One of Three 2026 IBPA AAPI Finalists
Filipino-American chef Maricel Gentile's debut cookbook is shortlisted for one of independent publishing's highest honors, recognizing a growing movement to bring Filipino and Asian cuisine to the American table.
East Brunswick, NJ, April 27, 2026 --(PR.com)-- For most American home cooks, Asian food has always belonged somewhere else — in restaurants, in travel memories, in takeout containers. Chef Maricel Gentile has spent more than a decade proving otherwise. Her debut cookbook, Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook: A Journey Through Filipino, Cantonese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Korean Recipes for Every Day, has been named one of three finalists for the 2026 Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Book Award in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Communities category. Winners will be announced at the ceremony on May 15, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. The complete list of 2026 finalists is available at ibpabookaward.org/winners.
The AAPI Communities category, introduced in 2024, recognizes books that authentically represent the stories, traditions, and voices of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities — voices that have historically been under-represented in mainstream American publishing. Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook is the only cookbook named as a finalist in the category, joining Dad vs. The World (UFO Comics) and Kawaii Appliqué Quilts from Japan (Schiffer Publishing).
The book reflects three decades of Gentile's culinary life. She grew up in her grandmother's kitchen in Manila — the Philippines, long considered the crossroads of Asia — trained in front-of-house roles at New York City restaurants, and in her fifties opened Maricel's Kitchen in East Brunswick, New Jersey. The Filipino restaurant and culinary studio, which she owns and runs with an almost exclusively female team, serves Filipino food and experiences — supper clubs, Kamayan feasts, cooking classes, and catering — all in service of her mission to make Filipino food a permanent part of the American table. She has been featured on Food Network, PBS, and Hulu, and serves as a Chef Ambassador for K-Seafood on behalf of the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
Through it all, she has watched the same pattern play out — home cooks who love Asian food but feel lost trying to recreate it, and Filipino food that keeps gaining recognition yet struggling to hold it. To Gentile, Filipino cuisine has long been like a flickering candle yearning to stay lit — growing in visibility year after year, but still fighting to take its place alongside the great cuisines of the world. She believes, deeply, that it can and will. The cookbook was written to help get it there — offered as a journey, not just a collection of recipes, and as a path she hopes will inspire others to share and represent their own Asian culinary heritage alongside her own.
"I have watched hundreds of home cooks stand in front of a recipe they want to get right and not know where to start," said Maricel Gentile, Chef and Author, Maricel's Kitchen. "And I have watched them get it — light up, go home, and cook for the people they love. That is what this book is for. Being recognized alongside other powerful AAPI voices, in a category that celebrates our communities, is an honor I will carry with me for a long time. I wrote this book to make Asian cooking, especially Filipino cooking feel welcome at the American table. This finalist nod says the table is listening."
The cookbook features 75 tested recipes across Filipino, Cantonese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Korean cuisines, written for home cooks of every skill level. Each recipe includes step-by-step instructions, ingredient guidance, and personal stories from Gentile's journey. Classics like Chicken Adobo, Pancit Bihon, Beef Bulgogi, and Vietnamese Pho sit alongside lesser-known regional dishes, all designed to give home cooks confidence with flavors they may have previously found intimidating.
The Independent Book Publishers Association Book Awards, formerly the Benjamin Franklin Awards, have been administered since 1985 and are judged by more than 170 librarians, booksellers, reviewers, designers, and editors. They are among the oldest and most established national honors in independent publishing.
Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook is available at maricelskitchen.com/maricels-simply-asian-cookbook, on Amazon, and through BookAnAuthor.com. Signed copies are available direct from Maricel's Kitchen with free shipping within the Continental United States.
About Chef Maricel Gentile
Maricel Gentile is a chef, author, and educator specializing in Filipino and Asian cuisines. She grew up in her grandmother's kitchen in Manila — the Philippines, long considered the crossroads of Asia — and trained in front-of-house roles at New York City restaurants before opening Maricel's Kitchen in East Brunswick, New Jersey in her fifties, where she has taught thousands of home cooks over the past decade. She has been featured on Food Network, PBS, and Hulu, and serves as a Chef Ambassador for K-Seafood on behalf of the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, representing Korean seafood traditions to American audiences. Her cookbook was written as a journey, not just a collection of recipes — a path she hopes will inspire others to share and represent their own Asian culinary heritage, with Filipino food taking its rightful place alongside them. Her work is guided by a single mission: to make Filipino food a permanent part of the American table.
About Maricel's Kitchen
Most Americans still see Filipino food as unfamiliar or absent from their table. Maricel's Kitchen is changing that. Founded by Chef Maricel Gentile in East Brunswick, New Jersey and run with an almost exclusively female team, Maricel's Kitchen serves Filipino cuisine through a restaurant, supper clubs, Kamayan feasts, cooking classes, chef's table dinners, catering, and the IBPA-finalist cookbook Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook — all in service of making Filipino food a permanent part of the American table. Learn more at maricelskitchen.com, follow @maricelskitchenusa on Instagram, or call (732) 497-2698.
About the Independent Book Publishers Association
The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) is the largest independent publishing association in the United States, with more than 3,600 members. Founded to support independent publishers nationwide, IBPA leads and serves the independent publishing community through advocacy, education, and tools for success. Learn more at ibpa-online.org.
Media & Interview Requests
For interviews, media appearances, and review copies, please contact:
Maricel Gentile
info@maricelskitchen.com
(732) 497-2698
www.maricelskitchen.com
The AAPI Communities category, introduced in 2024, recognizes books that authentically represent the stories, traditions, and voices of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities — voices that have historically been under-represented in mainstream American publishing. Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook is the only cookbook named as a finalist in the category, joining Dad vs. The World (UFO Comics) and Kawaii Appliqué Quilts from Japan (Schiffer Publishing).
The book reflects three decades of Gentile's culinary life. She grew up in her grandmother's kitchen in Manila — the Philippines, long considered the crossroads of Asia — trained in front-of-house roles at New York City restaurants, and in her fifties opened Maricel's Kitchen in East Brunswick, New Jersey. The Filipino restaurant and culinary studio, which she owns and runs with an almost exclusively female team, serves Filipino food and experiences — supper clubs, Kamayan feasts, cooking classes, and catering — all in service of her mission to make Filipino food a permanent part of the American table. She has been featured on Food Network, PBS, and Hulu, and serves as a Chef Ambassador for K-Seafood on behalf of the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
Through it all, she has watched the same pattern play out — home cooks who love Asian food but feel lost trying to recreate it, and Filipino food that keeps gaining recognition yet struggling to hold it. To Gentile, Filipino cuisine has long been like a flickering candle yearning to stay lit — growing in visibility year after year, but still fighting to take its place alongside the great cuisines of the world. She believes, deeply, that it can and will. The cookbook was written to help get it there — offered as a journey, not just a collection of recipes, and as a path she hopes will inspire others to share and represent their own Asian culinary heritage alongside her own.
"I have watched hundreds of home cooks stand in front of a recipe they want to get right and not know where to start," said Maricel Gentile, Chef and Author, Maricel's Kitchen. "And I have watched them get it — light up, go home, and cook for the people they love. That is what this book is for. Being recognized alongside other powerful AAPI voices, in a category that celebrates our communities, is an honor I will carry with me for a long time. I wrote this book to make Asian cooking, especially Filipino cooking feel welcome at the American table. This finalist nod says the table is listening."
The cookbook features 75 tested recipes across Filipino, Cantonese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Korean cuisines, written for home cooks of every skill level. Each recipe includes step-by-step instructions, ingredient guidance, and personal stories from Gentile's journey. Classics like Chicken Adobo, Pancit Bihon, Beef Bulgogi, and Vietnamese Pho sit alongside lesser-known regional dishes, all designed to give home cooks confidence with flavors they may have previously found intimidating.
The Independent Book Publishers Association Book Awards, formerly the Benjamin Franklin Awards, have been administered since 1985 and are judged by more than 170 librarians, booksellers, reviewers, designers, and editors. They are among the oldest and most established national honors in independent publishing.
Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook is available at maricelskitchen.com/maricels-simply-asian-cookbook, on Amazon, and through BookAnAuthor.com. Signed copies are available direct from Maricel's Kitchen with free shipping within the Continental United States.
About Chef Maricel Gentile
Maricel Gentile is a chef, author, and educator specializing in Filipino and Asian cuisines. She grew up in her grandmother's kitchen in Manila — the Philippines, long considered the crossroads of Asia — and trained in front-of-house roles at New York City restaurants before opening Maricel's Kitchen in East Brunswick, New Jersey in her fifties, where she has taught thousands of home cooks over the past decade. She has been featured on Food Network, PBS, and Hulu, and serves as a Chef Ambassador for K-Seafood on behalf of the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, representing Korean seafood traditions to American audiences. Her cookbook was written as a journey, not just a collection of recipes — a path she hopes will inspire others to share and represent their own Asian culinary heritage, with Filipino food taking its rightful place alongside them. Her work is guided by a single mission: to make Filipino food a permanent part of the American table.
About Maricel's Kitchen
Most Americans still see Filipino food as unfamiliar or absent from their table. Maricel's Kitchen is changing that. Founded by Chef Maricel Gentile in East Brunswick, New Jersey and run with an almost exclusively female team, Maricel's Kitchen serves Filipino cuisine through a restaurant, supper clubs, Kamayan feasts, cooking classes, chef's table dinners, catering, and the IBPA-finalist cookbook Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook — all in service of making Filipino food a permanent part of the American table. Learn more at maricelskitchen.com, follow @maricelskitchenusa on Instagram, or call (732) 497-2698.
About the Independent Book Publishers Association
The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) is the largest independent publishing association in the United States, with more than 3,600 members. Founded to support independent publishers nationwide, IBPA leads and serves the independent publishing community through advocacy, education, and tools for success. Learn more at ibpa-online.org.
Media & Interview Requests
For interviews, media appearances, and review copies, please contact:
Maricel Gentile
info@maricelskitchen.com
(732) 497-2698
www.maricelskitchen.com
Contact
Maricel's Kitchen
Maricel Gentile
732-497-2698
https://maricelskitchen.com/
Facebook: @MaricelsKitchenUSA
Instagram: @Maricelskitchenusa
TikTok: @Maricelskitchenusa
Maricel Gentile
732-497-2698
https://maricelskitchen.com/
Facebook: @MaricelsKitchenUSA
Instagram: @Maricelskitchenusa
TikTok: @Maricelskitchenusa
Contact
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