Gifts For Gamers 2023 — ‘Heroes’ Feast: Flavors Of The Multiverse’

Welcome to the table,

‘Tis the season for something cool… and full of seasonings.

When Heroes’ Feast: The Offical D&D Cookbook launched a few years ago I was both amused that there was a D&D-themed cookbook actually being put out by Wizards of the Coast and that it had a really fun name that was a play on the well-known spell, Heroes Feast, that allows your caster, the person who activates a magical item that has this spells ability, to bring forth a great feast, including magnificent food and drink. So from a marketing perspective, Heroes’ Feast was a perfect name for a cookbook that was Dungeons & Dragons themed.

Now, the fine folks over at Ten Speed Press and Wizards of the Coast have put out yet another delightful offering stuffed with food and drink recipes that are perfect for a party, a pair, or a person looking for a quiet, yet filling, meal for one.  

Out of the gate, this book is such a high-quality offering. The shelf appeal is wonderful, with a brilliant wrap-around cover and well designed spine. Both front-facing and nestled on your D&D shelf, this thing just looks immaculate.

Inside, the treats continue with these lush photographs and images of food and fantasy-themed cooking spaces paired with really nicely laid out recipes over decadently designed backdrops themed for various planes in the multiverse of D&D lore.

From the Yawning Portal to Ravenloft, The Rock of Bral to Sigil, this book covers so many spaces and each chapter gets its own collection of recipes that feels curated and at home in the setting. As someone who is quick to point out when things don’t feel like they mesh with an established setting after reading through this book a few times, I’m really happy with how it is laid out and what the creative team has chosen for each corner of the multiverse.

Another bright point of this collection of culinary creations is that the creatives behind it went the extra mile to make it feel like a bit of a found object by injecting some NPC personality into the production in the form of an organization known as The Bureau of the Dark Tables.

The introduction of these characters gives a life to the pages that, when dealing with a role-playing game such as D&D, really makes the whole thing come together beautifully. It never gets heavy handed or runs the risk of becoming like those food blogs where you have to slog through ten-page scrolls about someone’s childhood in the Hamptons before you get to the recipe for Bread Pudding. Like the right amount of seasoning, these little narrative asides are used masterfully to enhance without becoming overpowering.

The book does not just offer recipes for tasty treats and majestic meals, there are also a number of drink recipes within these pages that, as someone who is regularly creating cocktail recipes as part of the Happy Hour show with Brendan M. Allen and Cullen Bunn, these are far from anything to sleep on.

In closing, ten years ago if I had seen something like this with no outside knowledge I would have never given it a second look. It feels like so many branded cookbooks and the like are thinly veiled publications with little substance to offer.

Gathering around the table is such an important part of gaming culture and sharing stories over snacks, meals, or drinks is as much a part of the pastime as rolling dice and running from dragons, and I can say with a full stomach and joy in my heart that Heroes’ Feast Flavors of the Multiverse is a critical hit. From the delightful designs to the well-thought-out recipes, this book feels as at home on my gaming shelf as it does on my kitchen shelf.

Until next time, try the fig cakes, they’re delicious!