I’m still working my way through the best recommended books of 2026 (gleaned from lists found at  Bon Appétit  and Forbes). Around the Table: Tables & Traditions for Gatherings by Shea McGee is the latest. It finally showed up as available from my library

About the book:

Around the Table: Tables & Traditions for Gatherings by Shea McGee with Katie Calton
Photographed by Lucy Call

The debut cookbook and guidebook for memorable gatherings from bestselling author and interior design expert Shea McGee.

After three years of perfecting every detail and testing recipes on her family at home, Shea McGee presents Around the Table, her first cookbook—a beautiful fusion of design expertise and culinary passion.

In Around the Table, Shea McGee invites you into the heart of her home — sharing recipes, hosting inspiration, and meaningful traditions designed to bring people together. From thoughtfully styled tablescapes to approachable dishes meant for real life, this cookbook blends beautiful design with the joy of gathering. A celebration of food, family, and creating moments that matter.

Filled with intimate anecdotes about hosting and entertaining, readers will learn how to effortlessly create elevated dining experiences. More than just a cookbook, it’s a complete guide to memorable gatherings that seamlessly blends food, design, and personal storytelling.

Around the Table reveals how the right setting transforms every recipe into an invitation for meaningful moments and lasting memories.

About the author:

Shea McGee is Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of the design firm Studio McGee and the home and lifestyle brand McGee & Co. She is also the bestselling author of several books—including The Art of Home and Make Life Beautiful.

Shea’s path to launching Studio McGee in 2014 began years earlier, when she shifted her career from public relations to interior design and renovated her and husband Syd’s first home in California. As she documented the process on social media, she quickly built a loyal following drawn to her approachable style and ethos. Her work includes the Netflix series Dream Home Makeover and collaborations with Target, Kohler, Ann Sacks, and Pura.

Today, Shea is regarded as one of the leading innovators in the interior design industry, known for her ‘sophisticated but not stuffy’ approach and her commitment to empowering others to “Make Life Beautiful” by enhancing their daily lives through good design.

What I thought…

From the beginning, McGee introduces herself as an interior designer, not a chef. Her designs and food thoughts are inspired by her love of traditional gatherings. Her influences run from Ina Garten’s early days on the Food Network to her grandmother’s “magic of a meal made with care” (13).

Tablescapes and hosting take up about the first 30 pages of this book. Honestly, I skipped that part and went straight to the recipes and menus. I love a cookbook with menus. “Garden Brunch” the first gathering with recipes did not dissapoint. I wanted to make everything listed but made the Vegetable Frittata first (37).

I want to try the the White Bean Hummus with Walnut Oil (39) and the Loaded Everyday Granola (41) next. The No-Bake Bay Leaf Cheesecake (45) sounded amazing, too. To round out this menu, she adds a bit of rose water to her Rosy Mimosas (47).

OK. I really had reservations about liking this cookbook, but the inventive and beautiful recipes just kept coming. “Farmers Market Lunch” features a simple BLT on focaccia but with a Basil & Lemon Pepper Mayo (57). Then, I was gobsmacked by Strawberry Tabbouleh (59).

I wasn’t quite as impressed with “Celebration Dinner” featuring grilled flank steak, a salad, and confetti blondies. I might be a little let down if this was served to me for a major event. “Spring Fête” was a bit more elevated but not as inspiring as the first two menus.

All of the above menus were inspired from Spring. For the Summer menus, I did love the Balsamic Dipping Oil with red pepper flake, garlic, shallot, thyme and basil (105) featured with a baguette in “Alfresco Evening.” “Backyard BBQ” featured an interesting Charred Corn Salad with Cilantro Dressing (121) and Watermelon Ranch Water (125).

“Pizza Night” was the most fabulous menu in the Summer section. She features a pizza dough and a tomato sauce recipe and then different variations: Fontina Apple Pizza, Hot Honey Pizza, Green Goddess Pizza, and Sausage & Mushroom Pizza (145-153). What do I want to make? The Green Goddess dressing. It’s not like my go to Melissa Ben-Ishay’s blend up of basil, spinach, cashews and nutritional yeast; McGee’s contains marinated artichokes, chives, tarragon, parsley, garlic and whipping cream.

The “Harvest Dinner” for Fall is an elevated Thanksgiving spread with turkey, sweet potato salad, crescent rolls, green beans and stuffing. The stuffing, however, is a Gruyère Brioche one and might need to make our table this November. That Sweet Potatoe Salad is also non traditional and looked delicious (a maple-citrus vinaigrette dresses a green salad with shaved Brussels sprouts, dried cranberries and diced sweet potates).

There’s a menu for Pie Night which features a charcuterie board along with a Chocolate Hazelnut Meringue Pie, Pumpkine-Pie Cheesecake Pars, Mixed Berry Slab Pie, and Brown Butter Pecan Pie (199-214).

I also liked the “Soup Bar” menu idea, five soup recipes along with a bread accompaniment: Cornbread Bundts with Rosemary Honey Butter (233). To round out the Fall menus, she includes an “Autumn Evening at Home.”

For Winter, there is a “Christmas Morning” menu with just three items: a dutch baby, mini cinnamon rolls and a fennel salad. She includes ideas for a traditional “Cookie Exchange” and a “Holiday Dinner Party.” I really didn’t see anything revolutionary here except the Cacio E Peppe Mashed Potatoes (287)!!!!!

The “Date Night” menu is elevated with a Silky Mascapone Pappardelle (299) and Pomegranate Sangria (305). The papparedlle is a super easy and quick weeknight dinner.

The final section contains a few weeknight meals, some pasta, porkchops, entree salads, etc.

The index is organized by ingredients as well as category.

The food photographs in the book rival the tablescapes. Recipes make up most of this book which surprised me from the intro. McGee indeed does focus on food for her entertaining. She might not agree with me, but her tablescapes might just take a back seat to her recipes.

I think this book would make a great gift for anyone that loves to entertain. For me, I’m glad I checked it out of the library. I found a lot of really worthy recipes but I was really wanting a bit more from some of the menus. I’m rating this cookbook 4 out 5 stars because of the recipes I tried. (If you are wanting a book of lots of tablescape ideas, you will be let down. You have those first 30 pages and then it really is just recipes and photos of said recipes. I wish she had incoprorated more “scape” ideas along with the specific menus and recipes.)

What I made…

As mentioned above, I made the Vegetable Frittata (37) first. It’s truly packed with veggies; the most prevalent ingredients (besides 10 eggs) are the broccoli and the greens (dandelion greens, Swiss chard and/or kale). It also calls for turnips. I used potatoes instead that I precooked a bit in the microwave. Other than that, I used her recipe without other changes.

Next I made the Silky Mascarpone Papparedelle. It is truly a quick weeknight dish (and almost a one pot meal). I did change her recipe a bit here. Instead of spinach, I used kale; I used a full package of pasta (12 oz. instead of 8); and I used a whole container of mascarpone (8 oz.). It turned out delicious and I will make this again.

I tried the a version of the Kale Cashew Pesto from the Turkey Beach Sandwiches (165) from the “Beach Picnic” menu. (I also threw in some nutritional yeast and a splash of vinegar.) I changed the recipe enough and it was good enough for me to record here.

I am printing the recipe below because I changed it a lot. I used walnuts instead of cashews to start.

Kale Walnut Pesto Dip

Based on a recipe from Shea McGee 

Ingredients

• 1 c. raw walnuts
• 3 cups chopped kale
• 1 c. fresh basil leaves
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1/4 c. nutritional yeast
• 1/4 vinegar (your choice), or less depending on preference
• ½ t. Kosher salt
• ½ c. extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender (like a Vitamix) and process, using the plunger, until smooth.  If mixture is too thick, add a splash of water.
2. If using a food processor, place the cashews, kale, basil, garlic, nutritional yeast, vinegar and salt in the bowl with the blade attachment and pulse until roughly chopped. On low speed add the olive oil and blend until combined.
3. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Yield: about 2 cups

I used a mix of red wine vinegar with a bit of malt vinegar.

Can you tell I have a lot of kale that needed used.

This was a delicious dip that is reminiscent of Melissa Ben-Ishay’s Green Goddess recipe that I love. (I’ve mentioned her a lot in this post.) My rendition would definitely be good as a sandwich spread as McGee meant it to be. I think it is great with potato chips!

What’s next on my list? The white bean dip with the walnut oil. (I also have a lot of walnuts.)

Final thoughts:

The more I made the more I loved this book.

I’m linking up with Foodies Read for August.