COOKBOOK WATCH

In every church there are the cooks who sustain a congregation in many ways, socially and spiritually in addition to their expected role of getting people fed. Of course, the food at church suppers often represents the best of home cooking: What better place for a fine cook to show off what she or he can do in a kitchen? To put together the new book “Soul Food: Recipes and Reflections From African American Churches” (HarperCollins, $25), Joyce White, a contributing food editor to Heart & Soul magazine, visited with great church cooks around the country. The resulting book, with a foreword by the Rev. Andrae Crouch, pastor of Los Angeles’ Christ Memorial Church, is a collection not only of classic African American recipes but also stories and memories that provide a glimpse into the lives of some amazing African American women.