NEW YORK, N.Y. – When Miranda Lambert decided to create a book for her mother and friends of all their recipes, she never thought she’d create a best-seller. Making meals by hand with easy-to-find items from the grocery store, cooking was something that made love delicious, served as an excuse to get together, laugh, talk and – yes – have a cocktail, but it wasn’t about fancy as much as it was fun. But like everything Lambert touches, Y’ALL EAT YET? Welcome to the Pretty B*tchin’ Kitchen has turned into a runaway smash.
With POPSUGAR deeming it “a ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Casserole Dish’,” Texas Monthly raving “it’s a Texan’s dream” and Forbes calling it a “celebration,” Y’ALL EAT YET? spent release day at the top of Amazon’s cookbook lists, and even more powerfully at No. 2 on their overall Best Sellers list in front of popular titles such as Emily Henry’s Happy Place, Dr. Peter Attia’s Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity and fellow Texan Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights.
“What started as a way to get Mom and her friends to write things down turned into a real journey through my life, the incredible women who have shaped me and all the things we ate and drank along the way,” Lambert marveled at the end of a long release day that included a book signing at NYC’s massive Barnes & Noble on 5th Avenue. “None of us ever thought it would be a hardbound book with perfect binding and all these pretty pictures, let alone be an actual best-seller, but that’s the power of this kind of positive, kick-ass female energy.”
The three-time GRAMMY winner and most-awarded artist in Academy of Country Music history, including the title of reigning Entertainer of the Year, has set Manhattan on fire. Making stops at “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “CBS Mornings,” “Live with Kelly and Mark” and “Tamron Hall,” with Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live” to follow on May 1 and HBO Max/CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” on May 5, Lambert has been in high-demand, talking about the power of her Texas childhood, making joy “using what you’ve got, where you are,” being raised by generations of women and their circles of friends and chasing a once-in-lifetime dream.
“It was amazing seeing all the people who turned out in New York for my book signing,” Lambert said late in the day. “They were so happy to be there. It felt like an extension of Nonny and the YaYas or my Mom and her friends! We always say my Mom has two kinds of friends: the people she knows and the ones she hasn’t met yet. I think this book is expanding the YaYas to places we haven’t been yet… but through reading Y’ALL EAT YET?, we’ll all know each other when we get there.”
As the book climbs best-sellers lists, critical praise has continued. As Shondaland offered, “Miranda Lambert’s Secret Ingredient is Sisterhood.” Eating Well concurred, “Reading her new cookbook will make you feel like you’re part of her family” and Forbes expanded, “so much more than a book of guidelines for preparing great food, it’s a celebration of the people who gather round it.” Southern culture monthly Garden & Gun wrote that the book is “dedicated to her tight-knit clan of women and the laughter, comfort and good food they fill spaces with.”
Whether the Hummingbird Cake, omelets made in plastic bags or Nonny’s banana pudding, the dishes show that, as People wrote, “cooking is a way for Lambert to bring back memories of those she loves most.” Y’ALL EAT YET is perfect for everything from Mother’s Day to bridal shower or graduation gifts.
Even the trades agree. Publishers Weekly writes, “Lambert uses stories of food to celebrate friendship, good times, and the importance of kinship,” while Booklist boils it down to the fact that Y’ALL EAT YET “quite simply, will enchant.”
With Lambert set to visit Los Angeles for a signing at Barnes & Noble’s The Grove location this Friday, April 28, and a final signing set for May 9 in her hometown of Lindale, Texas, at her own Pink Pistol boutique, Y’ALL EAT YET? has created a space for good times, easy cooking and a whole lot of music. Whether you’re looking to get the ring with “The Loaf,” kick back with a plate of Vicky’s deviled eggs or Bev’s Chicken Salad with Heidi’s Hot Crackers, a French toast casserole to die for or a Locomotive spicy margarita, there’s something to suit every mood, moment and situation. Beyond the common sense and serious love, there’s a lot of joy and deliciousness in the stories of how Miranda Lambert chased her dream.
Y’ALL EAT YET: Welcome to The Pretty B*tchin’ Kitchen is available at retailers and stores across the country including Walmart, Target, Buc-ee’s, Cracker Barrel, Kroger and Whole Foods, Nashville’s Parnassus Books, plus online HERE.