If you’re like us, the first question when you get home to your apartment is “What’s for dinner?” Here at Heirloom Flats, we have something to help you answer it: a cookbook library. With more than 1,000 cookbooks, we have more recipes at the ready than any other apartment building around. Visit us or browse our online catalog (in progress) to see for yourself.
The library is in our media room, which is also home to a 75-inch TV screen, a serious sound system, and comfy seating. (Try the sofa or the chairs at the two bar rails.) The media room is near the other services and amenity spaces—the gym, a living room with a bar, the conference room, golf simulator room, yoga studio, and the offices of our friendly property manager and staff. All of these spaces are along a gallery corridor lined with original artwork. It’s a bright and colorful passageway to the apartments.
Foodie- and reader-approved
To select books for our apartment library, we consulted the experts. We started with this Epicurious list of 10 cookbooks every home cook should own. (All 10 titles are now in our apartment library.) Then we dug a little deeper and read their cookbook cannon for more suggestions. We also read some food writers’ picks for new titles and added our favorites.
What books made the cut? They’re a mix of classics and old standbys, primers on technique, cookbooks from top chefs and restaurants, and sources for easy weeknight meals. We chose books for all levels of cooks, too. There are books for accomplished gourmets, newbie cooks, and even reluctant cooks.
The collection was also shaped by our town. The library at Heirloom Flats has books representing the cuisines of neighborhood and Bloomfield restaurants. These include selections for Japanese, Caribbean, and Thai cooking. You’ll even find a book from the sister restaurant of our neighborhood Italian eatery, Carbone’s Kitchen!
Made for apartment cooking—and local eating and drinking
The library also includes titles chosen to complement our apartment building. To help you enjoy the grills on the patio and the grill-zebo (a covered gathering and eating spot in the courtyard), the library has a big grilling section. Look for here for ideas for flame-cooked dishes from around the U.S. and world—Argentina, Korea, and Scandinavia, to name a few. Recipes for vegetable-centric and vegetarian grilled dishes are also included.
We love farm-fresh eating and Bloomfield’s farming history, so we also have a large collection on farm-to-table cooking. Of course, that includes books on eating locally in Connecticut and New England. And since people of all ages and in all kinds of households live in our apartments, there are also books on cooking for one, two, and with kids. That’s a lot of books, but we still saved room for dessert (or books about it). (Here are just a few of our baking books.)
Aside from cookbooks, you’ll find books on wine, beer, and cocktails. There are also reference works, books on food history, and some food-focused memoirs and essays. Rounding out the non-cooking titles are books to help keep your apartment stylish, clean, and cozy. Look for the shelf on decorating and homekeeping.
And if all those books aren’t enough…
If you can’t find the cookbook you need in the apartment complex, there are more nearby at the public library of Bloomfield. Our apartment building is steps away from the Prosser Library. It’s another perk to being in the center of town. But maybe browsing any library won’t make you feel like cooking in your Heirloom Flats apartment. In that case, no problem! Bloomfield has many restaurants and some even deliver. You can always pair your takeout with a book.
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