Not a Cookbook

Spiral-bound with flaps80 pages8 x 10 in. / 203.2 x 254 mm2025ISBN 978-1-942953-77-7 TBW Books is proud to announce the release of Not a Cookbook, the debut book by Canadian filmmaker and artist Robby Reis. At first glance, Not a Cookbook appears to be just what its title implies—but beneath the surface lies a layered, collage-style portrait of a restaurant and the family that holds it together. Centered on Resto Palme, a Caribbean restaurant in Montreal run by married duo Lee-Anne Millaire Lafleur and Ralph Alerte, the book offers a deeply personal and provocative exploration of kitchen culture, where food becomes a lens through which to examine family, friendship, labor, and resistance. A longtime friend of the family, Reis takes an embedded, nonlinear approach to storytelling. Through photographs, texts, and contributions from customers and staff, Not a Cookbook captures not just the daily challenges of running a family business, but also the peripheral stories—of racism, activism,