Food & Cooking

Food & Cooking

Some years ago, you might have walked into a library with a snack and have been told to “put it away,” or “throw it away.” Today, we’re serving up a much different story.

We know that food brings people together, and so do free and welcoming public spaces like our libraries. At Halifax Public Libraries, one part of our vision is “A resource for everyone.” Resources come in all shapes, sizes—and yes, even tastes. We are proud to offer free snacks, workshops, resources, and tools for local food lovers and changemakers, year-round.

Community Cafés at the Library

Multiple Dates | Multiple Times
Multiple Locations
At the heart of every great conversation, friendship, and connection, is a warm cup of coffee. Browse events to fill your cup!

Author Talk: We Use What We Have Recipes, by Alex MacLaren

Aug 27th | 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Discover simple, affordable weeknight cooking with Alex MacLaren in conversation with CBC's Adam Walsh. Followed by book signing and Q&A.

A Cookbook of the Halifax North Branch Library Women's Group

In 1994, the Halifax North Branch Library Women's Group compiled recipes and memories from the North End. Browse recipes from community!

Halifax Public Libraries Welcomes East Cup Café and Roastery

Aug 10, 2026
Meet our new café service provider, East Cup Café and Roastery, now open at Central Library and Keshen Goodman Public Library.

Nova Scotia Archives: What's Cooking?

This online treasury features approximately 1,000 old handwritten or early printed recipes from Nova Scotia's past.

East Coast Recipes

Get cooking: explore thousands of recipes from 40+ local cookbooks.

Coffee Lover's Bookshelf

From cozy novels set in charming cafes to educational books about brewing your own perfect cup of coffee, we've picked a mix for you.

Going on a Picnic

Summer is here and the weather is just right for picnics. Eat up these great picture books about food and outdoor eating adventures.

Salad Days

Eating your greens doesn't have to be boring. Enjoy the summer bounty with an abundance of salads.

East Coast Cooking

From pies to chowders, jams to pancakes, there's something from the Atlantic provinces here, for every mood and occasion.

(Video) 2023: Learn to Make Fufu with Mary

Millions of people eat fufu every day in West and Central Africa. Mary Nkrumah of Mary's African Cuisine demonstrates how to make it.

Watch Now: Learn to Make Okra Stew

Mary Nkrumah of Mary's African Cuisine shows how to cook okra properly as a stew, served with corn dough (akpele/banku).

Watch Now: Learn to Make African Yam & Cocoyam Leaf Stew

Learn how to make boiled yam and plantain with nutritious cocoyam leaf stew (kontomere) with Mary Nkrumah, Mary's African Cuisine.

Teens in the Kitchen: Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Fries

Join Andy from East Coast Kitchen (and MasterChef Canada!), as he makes easy 20minute black bean burgers and sweet potato fries.