This DTLA spot is where professional chefs go to find cookbooks

Want to know where professional chefs like to nerd out? A good place to start is Now Serving, the independently owned cookbook store in downtown Los Angeles. Co-owners Ken Concepcion and Michelle Mungcal have forged a special place in L.A.’s culinary scene since the shop opened in 2017.

Now Serving is a beloved Los Angeles haunt for chefs and food historians. Cookbook writers make a point to stop at the nondescript DTLA location and sign copies of their latest editions.

Even chef Rene Redzepi, just weeks before he announced the closing of his world-renowned restaurant, Noma, made sure that his team hosted an event with Now Serving when he visited L.A. The panel discussion included the creator and a few cast members of “The Bear,” an FX television series that captured the pressures and mental health issues that plague the industry. Angeleno gourmands, chefs, line cooks and aspiring creators were in attendance that evening, with everyone taking home signed copies of Noma’s latest book.

The sold-out event also honored L.A.’s underground ethnic food.

“Chinatown, Little Armenia, [Historic] Filipinotown, and so on and so forth. It just keeps going,” said Redzepi. “In Copenhagen, it’s very difficult to have 10 percent of what you have [in Los Angeles].”

Now Serving, and smaller boutique places like it, enhance L.A.’s food scene. When the shop reopened after the pandemic, people were excited to visit the physical space they had discovered online. The shop found a following among Southern California’s book lovers and collectors. Word spread about the little shop by word of mouth.

One reason for Now Serving’s success is that the owners aren’t looking to sell the latest cooking trend. Fads are fun, but the goal is for you to have that cookbook on your shelf a decade from now.

The store’s book curation and authors encompass many cooking styles. Titles include “Cook As You Are: Recipes for Real Life, Hungry Cooks and Messy Kitchens” and “Art Culinaire.” So, even if cooking isn’t your biggest passion, the shop still satisfies your curiosity.