Omnivore Books

As the name suggests, Omnivore Books focuses on one subject: food (though it makes certain allowances for drink). Owner Celia Sack is a native San Franciscan who became interested in old cookbooks while working as a rare book specialist at an auction house. (Naturally, her mother was also an avid cook.) Sack’s stash includes new, antique, and collectible cookbooks—all sorted by country and region—as well as fiction and nonfiction books on the growing, raising, and making of food. In particular, Sack specializes in small publishers and cookbooks from far-flung places like Estonia and Kerala. In January 2017, when President Trump imposed a travel ban on citizens from  Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, Sack’s storefront window touted titles like The Aleppo Cookbook and the Iraqi Family Cookbook. The store hosts weekly events and cooking demonstrations, which often include tastings.