Cooking with Amar'e: 100 Easy Recipes for Pros and Rookies in the Kitchen

An information-packed cooking guide filled with tempting recipes, co-written by New York Knicks’ power forward Amar’e Stoudemire, and his charismatic, world-class chef Maxcel Hardy.

New York Knicks captain Amar’e Stoudemire may be on fire when he’s on the court, but the nearly seven-foot-tall hoops star didn’t know the first thing about lighting a fire. When his personal chef Maxcel Hardy began giving him informal cooking lessons, the six-time NBA All-Star learned to become a comfortable, experienced cook able to whip up tasty, healthy dishes for his family.

Cooking with Amar’e is an engaging chronicle of their informal sessions—a unique, collaborative cookbook featuring stories, recipes, tips, advice, and instructions on cooking techniques, equipment, shopping, party planning, and preparation for home cooks of all levels. Comprehensive and convenient, it allows beginners and practiced cooks to hone their kitchen skills and master dishes at their own pace.

Here are more than 100 healthy recipes the whole family can enjoy, that blend French, Southern, Asian, and Caribbean traditions and flavors, and use ingredients from the local grocery store. In addition to these delicious dishes—some created by Hardy for his many celebrity clients and others based on the traditional Southern dishes both men enjoyed growing up—this straightforward guide is filled with savory personal anecdotes, from humorous stories of working together as Amar’e learned to cook, to Amar’e and Maxcel’s personal reminiscences.

Designed in an easy-to-follow and engaging format, illustrated with 75-100 full color photos, this practical and fun cookbook is sure to become a trusted favorite.

In this one-of-a-kind athlete cookbook from Amar’e Stoudemire and Chef Max Hardy, you get more than just recipes—you get a game plan for the kitchen:

• Recipes for All Skill Levels: From easy "Layup" dishes that Amar’e started with to "Slam Dunk" meals for impressing guests, every recipe is designed for success.
• Healthy Family Meals: Discover over 100 dishes created to fuel a professional athlete and his family, from energizing breakfasts and protein-packed lunches to comforting team dinners.
• Global Flavors, Simple Ingredients: Master a unique fusion of Southern comfort food, Caribbean spice, and Asian influences, all made with ingredients you can find at your local grocery store.
• Kitchen Essentials and Techniques: Learn the fundamentals alongside Amar’e, with Chef Max’s expert guidance on everything from basic knife skills to stocking your pantry.
• More Than a Cookbook: Get an inside look at their friendship with humorous anecdotes and personal reminiscences that make this a book you’ll read from cover to cover.

Amar'e Stoudemire is a power forward for the New York Knicks and a six-time NBA All-Star. A married father of four, Amar'e is dedicated to helping children learn. Along with his wife, he founded the Alexis and Amar'e Stoudemire Foundation to creatively inspire youth to get an education and avoid poverty, and he authored a semiautobiographical children's series, STAT, to inspire young readers. Amar'e is also an actor, producer, motivational speaker, and co-owner of Hapoel Basketball Team of Jerusalem.

Chef Maxcel Hardy III is a chef to the stars and the personal chef for NBA All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire. With more than thirteen years of culinary experience, Chef Max has created for award-winning musicians, actors, athletes, and dignitaries. Outside of the kitchen, he created Chef Max Designs, his chef apparel line, and in 2011 he founded One Chef Can 86 Hunger. The foundation's mission is to fight the hunger crisis in America and educate people on a healthy lifestyle cost-effectively; the foundation has also created culinary programs for inner-city communities.