We Fancy Cookbook: Transforming Weeknight Dinners with Creative Flair
In the world of cookbooks that often promise quick fixes and minimal ingredients, Jerrelle Guy's second title, We Fancy (Simon Element, 2026), offers something refreshingly different. This innovative cookbook brings a much-needed sparkle to everyday cooking, encouraging home chefs to embrace creativity and mindfulness in their kitchen routines.
Three Standout Recipes from We Fancy
The cookbook features three particularly noteworthy recipes that demonstrate Guy's approach to elevating ordinary meals:
- Sheet Pan Shiitake Jerk Tacos with Roasted Pineapple Salsa: A vibrant fusion dish that combines spicy jerk seasoning with sweet pineapple salsa
- Sour Cream and Onion Edamame: A creative twist on a classic snack that transforms simple edamame into something extraordinary
- Wine-Poached Salmon Cakes with Cheesy Cauliflower 'Grits': An elegant yet approachable dish that reimagines traditional salmon cakes with sophisticated preparation methods
The Philosophy Behind We Fancy
Jerrelle Guy, a Dallas-based author and food photographer, developed We Fancy during a period of personal burnout and depression. Through the process of creating recipes she genuinely craved, Guy rediscovered her balance and joy in cooking. The cookbook represents her journey back to creative fulfillment through culinary expression.
"The goal of the book is to change the way that we're looking at cooking and change the way that we're approaching it, so that it makes us feel really good, and the process feels really good," Guy explains. "It could be in these really small, simple ways that don't feel like you're going out of your way. It's using what you have: How can you elevate this and bring more mindfulness into this moment?"
Creative Cooking as Self-Care
Guy, an art school graduate, has long understood the therapeutic power of artistic processes. In We Fancy, she shares how she found her solution in "the simplest things," including decluttering and approaching daily cooking with imagination and playfulness.
"I wanted to offer this as a way to encourage people to take care of themselves, and to show people my process for pulling myself out of it," Guy says. "And I hope that it could be of benefit to anybody that's in a similar place or finds himself in a similar place as I was."
The "How To Be Fancy" Guidebook
The cookbook opens with a practical guidebook featuring ten basic principles for embracing creativity in the kitchen. Many of these principles—including "Get Out of Your Head" and "Trust Your Gut"—apply not just to cooking but to Guy's broader approach to life.
Following this philosophical foundation, the book presents more than 140 recipes that represent the dishes Guy most wants to eat and return to regularly. These recipes balance accessibility with surprising elements that make each meal feel special.
"I'm saying dinner, but I'm really saying life because I think that you can learn a lot about somebody by the way that they cook dinner," Guy reflects. "The way I behave in my kitchen is kind of synonymous with how I behave out in the world. And when I'm truly tapped in, there's this lightness that I like to keep, and there's a curiosity that I like to have, and a playfulness."
Returning to Personal Creativity
After years of working within the constraints of other companies in the food industry, Guy found particular joy in returning to her own creative style while developing We Fancy.
"I really wanted to honour the creative act of cooking, and that when I was doing it, it made me feel replenished and nourished," she explains. "Since I was a little girl, it's always made me feel like that. And so, just making space for that in the book was the goal, so that I can share that with other people."
Through We Fancy, Jerrelle Guy offers more than just recipes—she provides a framework for transforming everyday cooking from a chore into a creative, joyful practice that nourishes both body and spirit.
