EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — The debut cookbook of a chef from an East Brunswick restaurant has been awarded a Silver Medal at the 38th annual Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Book Awards.
“Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook: A Journey Through Filipino, Cantonese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Korean Recipes for Every Day,” by Chef Maricel Gentile, won the Silver Medal in the Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Communities category at the awards ceremony, which was held on May 15, in Portland, Oregon, recognizing the finest titles in independent publishing across over 50 categories.
The AAPI Communities category, introduced in 2024, recognizes books that authentically represent the stories, traditions, and voices of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
“Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook” was the only cookbook named as a finalist in the category and stands as the only cookbook honored at the medal level this year, alongside “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.
She trained in front-of-house roles at New York City restaurants. In her 50s, she opened Maricel's Kitchen in East Brunswick, a Filipino restaurant and culinary studio she runs with an almost exclusively female team.
Through supper clubs, Kamayan feasts, cooking classes, and catering, her mission has stayed the same: to make Filipino food a permanent part of the American table.
“This is for every home cook who has stood in front of a recipe and felt unsure where to start. It is for every Filipino reader who has waited to see our food honored on equal footing. And it is for the team who believed this story deserved to be told the way I wanted to tell it,” Gentile said.
“To be recognized with Silver in a category that celebrates AAPI voices, in a field of extraordinary independent books, is an honor I will carry with me for a long time,” she continued. “The table is listening.”
Gentile has long described Filipino cuisine as a flickering candle yearning to stay lit. The Silver Medal moves that candle a little closer to a steady flame.
The book was written 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.
“Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook” was published by DuckDuckBooks, an independent press dedicated to authors who maintain creative control over their work.
The Silver Medal is also a recognition of the independent publishing model that brought the book to readers without compromise.
“When Chef Maricel began this journey, she had a story that needed to be told,” said Serena Y. Li, Publisher, DuckDuckBooks. “Not the story someone else thought would sell, but her story, rooted in her heritage, her experiences, and her voice."
"That is the transformative power of independent publishing, and that is exactly why DuckDuckBooks exists.”
Gentile’s cookbook features 75 tested recipes across Filipino, Cantonese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Korean cuisines, written for home cooks of every skill level.
Each recipe also 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 IBPA 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. The complete list of 2026 winners is available here.
Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook is available here, on Amazon, and through BookanAuthor.com.
Signed copies are available direct from Maricel's Kitchen with free shipping within the Continental U.S.
To learn more about Maricel’s Kitchen, you can visit their website.
Maricel’s Kitchen is located at 111 Main Street, East Brunswick.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
East Brunswick, NJ Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.