AMY THIELEN is the author of the James Beard Award-winning cookbook The New Midwestern Table and the host of Heartland Table on Food Network. A former New York City line cook, she now speaks and writes about home cooking for radio, television, and magazines, including Saveur, where she’s a contributing editor. She lives with her husband, visual artist Aaron Spangler, their son, his dog, and a bunch of chickens, in rural Park Rapids, Minnesota.
"Give a Girl a Knife made me consider a move to, or at least a
summer spent in, rural Minnesota just to be close to Amy and her
home kitchen. I've read my fair share of chef memoirs—full of
heroes, hard nights, and militant discipline. Amy's story is
different. It's about more than her wacky path through some of New
York's best kitchens; it's about Amy's innate need to cook. What is
it they say? Writers write. Chefs cook. Amy is the rare example of
someone who does both like a boss!"
—Vivian Howard, author of Deep Run Roots
"Amy's story of being true to herself, even when it means going
against the grain (and off the grid, both literally and
figuratively), is exciting and inspiring. I love how food lures her
to return home—but this time on her own terms."
—Andie Mitchell, author of It Was Me All Along
“Fans of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential and Gabrielle
Hamilton's Blood, Bones and Butter will enjoy this chef's
memoir of learning to cook in Minnesota and dicing and deep-frying
her way through the kitchens of some of New York's most esteemed
chefs.”
—AM New York
"One of the best coming of age food memoirs you’ll ever pick
up."
—Rolling Stone
"With every turn of the page I felt the tides that pull from
country to city: familial love and the consuming desire of an
impossibly possible career; the simple pleasures of a
freshly-picked kohlrabi and the smell of shaved black
truffles."
—Joy Summers, Eater
Notable Press:
2017 Best Books of the Year—Shelf Awareness
The Best Books Written About Food in 2017—The Independent
10 New Nonfiction Food Books to Read this Spring/Summer—Bon
Appétit
Book Club Pick—Eater
5 Can't Miss New Reads—Huffington Post
19 Best Books to Read in May—Entertainment Weekly
19 Summer Books That Will Keep You Up All Night Reading—PBS’s
NewsHour
5 New Books to Read this Summer—Epicurious
7 New Books you should read in May—Time Out
5 Hot Books— The National Book Review
20 Best Nonfiction Books coming in May—Bustle
10 Best Books of May—Nylon
Favorite Books of May 2017—Read It Forward
Midwest Indie Bookseller pick for June
Austin Page Turners's pick for 2018 city-wide read
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |