Cindy Sherman and Frank Bowling turn cooks in a new recipe book

The art world has just released a cookbook that promises to get people talking. Cindy Sherman and Frank Bowling are two of the names behind the recipes in this book, as Wallpaper reports. The piece gives no print run or price figures, but the hook is obvious: top-tier artists putting their name to cooking. The detail matters because it blends two territories the premium traveller already consumes together: art and food.

The source does not go into the tourism business, and that is where our reading comes in. An artists' cookbook is content, and content is the raw material for the experiences sold by boutique hotels and cultural destinations. Gastronomy as an extension of the museum visit already works in cities like Bilbao or Malaga. This book gives one more excuse to programme themed dinners, inspired menus or packages that pair an exhibition with a restaurant. The art traveller does not just want to see, they want to taste.

The risk is staying at the decorative object. Buying the book and placing it at reception is not an experience, it is an ornament. The opportunity lies in bringing a recipe to the menu, inviting a chef to interpret a dish, or staging an evening that ties in with the destination's cultural programme. Hotels with their own programming have a cheap seam here: the book costs less than a poster and sparks conversation.

The question left is who moves first. Museums already do it with their cafeterias. Independent hotels with a cultural soul have the door open. Watch how the cookbook evolves and whether it generates events or collaborations in cities with a strong art scene. There will be the clue to whether art in the kitchen is fashion or a model.