Ottawa is not your typical national capital. It straddles two provinces, bridges three founding cultures, and may be better known for its Hill and canal than for its cooking. Ottawa Cooks changes that.

Award-winning food writer Anne DesBrisay brings together recipes from 41 of the Capital Region’s most inspiring cooks. From fine restaurants, food trucks, and farmhouse kitchens, here are signature dishes, favorite staff meals, and traditional family recipes that assert what people in Ottawa already know: for more than 20 years, this capital has been quietly and steadily growing one of the most interesting and diverse food cultures in the country.

Beautifully photographed by Christian Lalonde, Ottawa Cooks showcases more than 80 recipes featuring the best of the region’s local products with globally inspired flavors — and the gifted chefs who create them.