By Zoe Asbury, The Seattle Medium
To Vivan Irving, owner of Book Larder, a community cookbook store in Fremont, her store is not just a way to sell cookbooks, but an opportunity to bring community together through food and the celebration of cultural heritage.
The store opened October 12, 2011, and since then has grown to host author events, cooking classes, demonstrations, book club meetings and other food-related discussions. Irving has been a part of the store for three years and will have been the owner for one year in July.
“Food is, in addition to being kind of a natural gathering, it’s also an easy hurdle for people to get over if they’re looking to be a part of a community,” Irving said. “You don’t have to have a specific skill set, you don’t have to have a specific knowledge base; it’s just food, so if you want to be active, you can participate. Food is such a natural, low barrier to entry to gather with others whom you may not even know.”
The store hosts several author events and cooking demonstrations every month. May 19, the store hosted author Cha McCoy to celebrate her new book, “Wine Pairing for the People.” The book shares McCoy’s journey learning and connecting with culinary traditions around the world, and highlights underrepresented wine-making regions, such as throughout Africa, and in countries including Portugal and Mexico.
McCoy is an entrepreneur, educator, NAACP-nominated author, and owner of the wine store, The Communion Wine & Spirits, in Syracuse, New York, which closed its doors in 2025.
“We need to retrain how we speak about wine,” McCoy said. “I feel like the evaluation of wine has gone to hierarchy and value.” “How come we’re not explaining to people what their palette is asking for instead of what’s the most sophisticated?”
The event included a moderated discussion with Marcia Jones, a Seattle-based “social winepreneur” and founder of Urban Connoisseurs, an organization focused on supporting African winemakers and promoting sustainable winemaking businesses.
The discussion was accompanied by a complimentary glass of red or white wine courtesy of Sage Rat Wine for each guest, as well as a Q&A and book signing. Jones and McCoy sat in front of the store’s kitchen space, which was utilized for wine pouring and book signing during the event.
“It was important for me to go to independent bookstores, to the people who have supported me. I owned a small wine shop, so I wanted to support and give back to the small bookstore owners,” McCoy said.
Pilar Hernandez, Seattle-based co-author of “The Chilean Kitchen,” attended the event in support of McCoy and in celebration of her recipe being featured in McCoy’s wine pairings. “The Chilean Kitchen” features more than 70 authentic Chilean recipes categorized by seasonality in Chile.
“The way you learn about food is by learning about people… When Cha contacted me and told me about the book’s focus on the people behind the wine and people’s connections with it, that really resonated with me,” Hernandez said.
The event was attended by a variety of those who came to support McCoy, those who regularly attend Book Larder’s event, and many who had stepped into Book Larder for the first time to gain a better understanding of wine for their own cooking. Among those first-timers were Kait Early and Maya Dartiguenave.
“I’m more curious about supporting local farmers instead of the same Trader Joe’s wine I always buy–being more thoughtful and intentional about wine,” Early said.
Dartiguenave bought a copy of the book for McCoy to sign and said that after the talk, she was inspired by McCoy’s exploration of wine making across countries and cultural practices.
“I love the idea of highlighting regions that you wouldn’t otherwise know are influential in the wine industry, trying to uncover the unexpected,” Dartigueave said.
The store also hosts a monthly book club, which is meeting on May 30 to discuss “On Eating: The Making and Unmaking of My Appetities” by Alicia Kennedy, a cookbook about Kennedy’s deeply personal journey with cooking, exploring themes of grief, joy and family. The club meets before store hours and encourages patrons to bring their own mug for a cozy drink.
“We’ll gather around in a circle in the middle of the store and talk about a recent book, or maybe a classic book, and have a deep conversation about that, but just in general, just find any excuse to get together around food,” Irving said.
Irving explained that uplifting voices from a variety of cultural backgrounds and experiences are a key part of the store’s values. Their website highlights diverse collections of available books, such as #amplifymelanatedvoices, AAPI and diaspora and LGBTQIA+ voices.
“I’m still learning what it means to be a Black business owner; first and foremost, I’m a business owner,” Irving said. “In the context of Seattle, I’m one of very few in the bookstore, retail segmentation of Black ownership, and there are others who’ve been doing this for much longer than I have. Estelita’s Library, LEMS, BLMF, and others who have come before me, whom I need to learn from.”
Irving said she aims to keep her events and books accessible and affordable. Only so many people can attend in-person events in a small store, so Irving hopes to record or livestream events in the future.
“All cookbooks are books, and all books tell stories,” Irving said. “Cookbooks are no different, and so being able to learn about each other through our heritage, culture, expertise, upbringing, and individual experience through food, I think, helps us all understand our world better and understand each other better.”
