Brian Baumgartner's Cookbook Is So On-Brand For Office Fans

From 2005 to 2013, the American version of "The Office," a show about a paper company's motley Scranton, Pennsylvania staff, graced millions of television screens across the nation. Today, nearly a decade after its finale, the program still ranks among the funniest sitcoms of all time, according to sources such as IMDb and Rolling Stone — and for good reason. If you ask any true fan of the beloved sitcom to recite oddly specific scenes embedded into their memories, they'll likely have more than plenty to share. Some of the show's most iconic moments include Jim and Pam's gas station proposal, Miranda's tube top malfunction, Dwight's fire drill, and Michael's "roast," just to name a few.

And then, of course, there's Kevin Malone, the charmingly oblivious accountant, dropping an entire vat of his "famous" chili — undercooked onions and all — on the lobby floor ... and then hilariously attempting to salvage the mess with nearby desk supplies. Brian Baumgartner, the actor who plays Kevin, owns this legendary scene so well that he has written an entire cookbook dedicated to his character's all-time favorite comfort cuisine.

If you're looking for some new cozy fall grub to try, Brian Baumgartner's got you covered with his first published cookbook, aptly titled "Seriously Good Chili Cookbook: 177 of the Best Recipes in the World." The book contains well over a hundred different chili recipes courtesy of real-life chili aficionado Baumgartner, plus restaurateurs, chefs, chili cook-off winners, and fans, according to the Amazon description. The recipes include a variety of styles and ingredients, ranging from the classics to mega-hearty, flavorful dishes from different regions and cities around the world. With Baumgartner's help, you and your "Office"-loving pals can enjoy heaping bowls of Cincinnati chili, chili verde, chili con carne, and even chili dogs and chili nachos all autumn — or year — long.

The spiral-bound cookbook is chock full of unique features, including scannable QR codes that lead readers to cooking tutorial videos. The foreword is even written by Oscar Nunez, who stars as Kevin's fellow accountant Oscar Martinez in the show. The chili-centric masterpiece is currently available for pre-order through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Target and will be officially released on Tuesday, September 13, 2022.