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Give a Girl a Knife
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Food & Cookbooks (2017)A beautifully written food memoir chronicling one cook's journey from her rural Midwestern hometown to the intoxicating world of New York City fine dining and back again in search of her culinary roots.
Before Amy Thielen frantically plated rings of truffled potatoes in some of New York City s finest kitchens for chefs David Bouley, Daniel Boulud, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten she grew up in a northern Minnesota town home to the nation s largest French fry factory, the headwaters of the fast food nation, with a mother whose generous cooking pulsed with joy, family drama, and an overabundance of butter.
Inspired by her grandmother s tales of cooking on the family farm, Thielen moves with her artist husband to the rustic, off-the-grid cabin he built in the woods. There, standing at the stove three times a day, she finds the seed of a growing food obsession that leads to the sensory madhouse of New York s top haute cuisine brigades. When she goes home, she comes face to face with her past, and a curious truth: that beneath every foie gras sauce lies a rural foundation of potatoes and onions, and that taste memory is the most important ingredient of all.
Amy Thielen's coming-of-age account brims with energy, a cook s eye for intimate detail, and a dose of dry Midwestern humor. Give a Girl a Knife offers a fresh, vivid view into New York s high-end restaurant before returning Thielen to her roots, where she realizes that the marrow running through her bones is not demi-glace, but gravy honest, thick with nostalgia, and hard to resist."
Before Amy Thielen frantically plated rings of truffled potatoes in some of New York City s finest kitchens for chefs David Bouley, Daniel Boulud, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten she grew up in a northern Minnesota town home to the nation s largest French fry factory, the headwaters of the fast food nation, with a mother whose generous cooking pulsed with joy, family drama, and an overabundance of butter.
Inspired by her grandmother s tales of cooking on the family farm, Thielen moves with her artist husband to the rustic, off-the-grid cabin he built in the woods. There, standing at the stove three times a day, she finds the seed of a growing food obsession that leads to the sensory madhouse of New York s top haute cuisine brigades. When she goes home, she comes face to face with her past, and a curious truth: that beneath every foie gras sauce lies a rural foundation of potatoes and onions, and that taste memory is the most important ingredient of all.
Amy Thielen's coming-of-age account brims with energy, a cook s eye for intimate detail, and a dose of dry Midwestern humor. Give a Girl a Knife offers a fresh, vivid view into New York s high-end restaurant before returning Thielen to her roots, where she realizes that the marrow running through her bones is not demi-glace, but gravy honest, thick with nostalgia, and hard to resist."
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 16, 2017
198 people are currently reading
7846 people want to read
About the author
Amy Thielen
3 books83 followersAMY THIELEN is a chef, TV cook, and two-time James Beard Award–winning writer. She is the author of "The New Midwestern Table" (2013) and host of Heartland Table on Food Network (2013–2014) and worked for celebrated New York City chefs David Bouley, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Daniel Boulud before moving back home to the Midwest. Amy speaks widely about home cooking and contributes to radio programs 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 Park Rapids, Minnesota.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 392 reviews
June 15, 2017
I'd rate this 4.5 stars.
About 14-15 years ago (how can that be?) I went to culinary school, and worked as a personal chef for about 18 months until the economy started tanking. At that time, I always had this dream of opening a little restaurant, nothing super fancy. Of course, once I worked at a restaurant for a brief period, that dream died quickly—I thrive on pressure and chaos, but the frenetic pace of cooking in a restaurant, not to mention the pressure of having to always get everything right, would have driven me insane.
That journey in self-discovery is reinforced whenever I read a chef's memoir. Just hearing about the frenetic nature of readying plates in a high-end restaurant is enough to send me reaching for a Xanax. (Check out Michael Gibney's excellent Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line for a great example of this.)
"Cooking wasn't just a job; it was a life—what looked to all outsiders, including my own boyfriend, like a pretty terrible life. It was, as Aaron feared, a real affliction. And possibly, a dysfunctional relationship."
While Amy Thielen's terrific new book, Give a Girl a Knife , dips into this territory, as it chronicled her tenure cooking for some of the finest chefs—David Bouley, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud, and Shea Gallante—in some of New York's most famous restaurants, it didn't dwell on this exclusively. The more time Thielen spent working on fabled, complex dishes, with ingredients and techniques not often seen in everyday kitchens, the more she realized that behind every fancy plate are the backbones of her Midwestern culinary heritage—potatoes, onion, bacon, and butter—lots of butter.
Thielen grew up in Northern Minnesota, in a town known as the home of the nation's largest French fry factory. Her mother, like generations of women before her, reveled in cooking homey, delicious, yet seemingly uncomplicated dishes reflective of Midwestern culture and the German, Austrian, and French heritage of their ancestors. Dishes like pork roast, spaetzle, fermented sour pickles, poppy seed coffee cake, and the infamous hotdishes, laden with bacon and (quite often) cheese, were part of almost every meal for Thielen and her family, yet when she decided to go to culinary school and pursue a career as a chef in New York City, she couldn't get far enough away from those elements, until she realized how truly interrelated everything was.
Give a Girl a Knife juxtaposes Thielen's culinary career with a chronicle of her growing up surrounded by food and the magnificent women who brought the food to delectable life. It also dealt with her struggles as she and her boyfriend (and eventual husband) Aaron tried to bring their dream of living in an off-the-grid, hand-built cabin deep in the Minnesota woods to life. It is during their time in the cabin that awakens Amy's love of food, of coaxing beauty, as well as both subtlety and vibrance, from homegrown fruits and vegetables, as well as meats.
But the time she spends in New York City, as much as she feels it embraces her talents, leaves her longing for the solitude of their cabin, and inspires her journey to better understand her culinary heritage from the beginning. It's a journey that shapes her and her career, as well as her path for her future.
"I'd spent years trying to erase those homely flavors from my past, but when I gave my nostalgia an inch, it ran down the road a mile. Like an archaeologist picking in the hard-packed clay, I felt a need to return home to excavate the old flavors and all the feelings I'd ever tied to them."
At one point when she is trying to decide what to do with her life, Thielen considers being a food writer. It's certainly another career path which would bring her success, because she is a tremendously talented writer, able to paint sensory pictures in your mind's eye with her words. Of course, my snap reaction to this book, with its vivid, beautiful descriptions of complex gourmet dishes, comfort foods, fresh fruits and vegetables?
Beyond wanting to gnaw the seat of the airline passenger in front of me (serves him right for trying to recline his seat back into my lap anyway), I loved the emotions and the ideas that this book conveyed. You can certainly see why Thielen has succeeded in her career, and it was enjoyable to read about her artist husband and how his dream of the cabin in the woods really inspired her life's work. They're certainly a remarkable pair!
My one criticism of the book is the jumbled timeline—one second Thielen is working in New York, then she and Aaron are moving to Minnesota, then she's a teenager, then she's back in New York—at times it just got very confusing.
But in the end, that's a small price to pay because the book is so compelling, so enjoyable, and so hunger-inducing. If you're fascinated by chef stories, if you're a foodie, or if you just to like to eat, pick up Give a Girl a Knife. And have some food nearby!!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
About 14-15 years ago (how can that be?) I went to culinary school, and worked as a personal chef for about 18 months until the economy started tanking. At that time, I always had this dream of opening a little restaurant, nothing super fancy. Of course, once I worked at a restaurant for a brief period, that dream died quickly—I thrive on pressure and chaos, but the frenetic pace of cooking in a restaurant, not to mention the pressure of having to always get everything right, would have driven me insane.
That journey in self-discovery is reinforced whenever I read a chef's memoir. Just hearing about the frenetic nature of readying plates in a high-end restaurant is enough to send me reaching for a Xanax. (Check out Michael Gibney's excellent Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line for a great example of this.)
"Cooking wasn't just a job; it was a life—what looked to all outsiders, including my own boyfriend, like a pretty terrible life. It was, as Aaron feared, a real affliction. And possibly, a dysfunctional relationship."
While Amy Thielen's terrific new book, Give a Girl a Knife , dips into this territory, as it chronicled her tenure cooking for some of the finest chefs—David Bouley, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud, and Shea Gallante—in some of New York's most famous restaurants, it didn't dwell on this exclusively. The more time Thielen spent working on fabled, complex dishes, with ingredients and techniques not often seen in everyday kitchens, the more she realized that behind every fancy plate are the backbones of her Midwestern culinary heritage—potatoes, onion, bacon, and butter—lots of butter.
Thielen grew up in Northern Minnesota, in a town known as the home of the nation's largest French fry factory. Her mother, like generations of women before her, reveled in cooking homey, delicious, yet seemingly uncomplicated dishes reflective of Midwestern culture and the German, Austrian, and French heritage of their ancestors. Dishes like pork roast, spaetzle, fermented sour pickles, poppy seed coffee cake, and the infamous hotdishes, laden with bacon and (quite often) cheese, were part of almost every meal for Thielen and her family, yet when she decided to go to culinary school and pursue a career as a chef in New York City, she couldn't get far enough away from those elements, until she realized how truly interrelated everything was.
Give a Girl a Knife juxtaposes Thielen's culinary career with a chronicle of her growing up surrounded by food and the magnificent women who brought the food to delectable life. It also dealt with her struggles as she and her boyfriend (and eventual husband) Aaron tried to bring their dream of living in an off-the-grid, hand-built cabin deep in the Minnesota woods to life. It is during their time in the cabin that awakens Amy's love of food, of coaxing beauty, as well as both subtlety and vibrance, from homegrown fruits and vegetables, as well as meats.
But the time she spends in New York City, as much as she feels it embraces her talents, leaves her longing for the solitude of their cabin, and inspires her journey to better understand her culinary heritage from the beginning. It's a journey that shapes her and her career, as well as her path for her future.
"I'd spent years trying to erase those homely flavors from my past, but when I gave my nostalgia an inch, it ran down the road a mile. Like an archaeologist picking in the hard-packed clay, I felt a need to return home to excavate the old flavors and all the feelings I'd ever tied to them."
At one point when she is trying to decide what to do with her life, Thielen considers being a food writer. It's certainly another career path which would bring her success, because she is a tremendously talented writer, able to paint sensory pictures in your mind's eye with her words. Of course, my snap reaction to this book, with its vivid, beautiful descriptions of complex gourmet dishes, comfort foods, fresh fruits and vegetables?
Beyond wanting to gnaw the seat of the airline passenger in front of me (serves him right for trying to recline his seat back into my lap anyway), I loved the emotions and the ideas that this book conveyed. You can certainly see why Thielen has succeeded in her career, and it was enjoyable to read about her artist husband and how his dream of the cabin in the woods really inspired her life's work. They're certainly a remarkable pair!
My one criticism of the book is the jumbled timeline—one second Thielen is working in New York, then she and Aaron are moving to Minnesota, then she's a teenager, then she's back in New York—at times it just got very confusing.
But in the end, that's a small price to pay because the book is so compelling, so enjoyable, and so hunger-inducing. If you're fascinated by chef stories, if you're a foodie, or if you just to like to eat, pick up Give a Girl a Knife. And have some food nearby!!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
June 7, 2017
What a fantastic food memoir! I loved every page of this delectable dive into Theilen's journey as she navigated the world of cooking starting in the middle of nowhere and landing in the midst of one of the busiest cities in the world then retreating once more to the rural life where she began. What runs through this book is her true, genuine love of the craft of preparing and discovering food and flavors and memorable dishes. She's a brilliant writer, able to make images and sensations immediately accessible and memorable. If you are a food lover this should be a must add to your TBR pile.
May 14, 2017
Amy Thielen is a popular chef, writer, and TV personality on Food Network's Heartland Table. She grew up in rural Minnesota but moved to New York in her 20s to work at various impressive fine-dining restaurants. After the birth of their son, she and her artist husband eventually moved back to Minnesota. In 2014, her cookbook, The New Midwestern Table: 200 Heartland Recipes, won the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award in American Cooking.
I have to be honest and say that, even after reading this memoir and then flipping through her wildly popular cookbook, the food she makes doesn't sound very appetizing to me. That doesn't mean it's not good! I've never tried it. But I'm just not excited about deviled eggs and cheeseballs--no matter how much Thielen claims to have elevated the flavors.
Still, Give a Girl a Knife is an interesting memoir. It's essentially divided into two sections. The first part focuses on the roughly ten years she she spent working as a line cook in New York. The second part is more personal and talks about her food memories at home--both her childhood home and her current home in Minnesota.
I thought I was going to have a hard time getting through the second part of the book, just because the first part was so good, but actually it ended up being pretty great, too. Granted, there were a handful of slow moments--especially when Thielen talks about her childhood--but I really enjoyed the more current stories that included her husband, Aaron. He is definitely an intense artist-type, too, but he brings some balance and down-to-earth-ness to their story. The chapter called Old Five-and-Dimers, where Thielen explains how she and Aaron started dating, was one of my favorites for this reason.
Ultimately, Give a Girl a Knife is an entertaining foodie memoir. It isn't as good as, say, Yes, Chef or 32 Yolks: From My Mother's Table to Working the Line (two of my favorite memoirs of all time), but I still found it solidly enjoyable. For sure worth a read.
Thanks to Amazon Vine and Clarkson Potter for the ARC.
See more of my book reviews at www.BugBugBooks.com.
I have to be honest and say that, even after reading this memoir and then flipping through her wildly popular cookbook, the food she makes doesn't sound very appetizing to me. That doesn't mean it's not good! I've never tried it. But I'm just not excited about deviled eggs and cheeseballs--no matter how much Thielen claims to have elevated the flavors.
Still, Give a Girl a Knife is an interesting memoir. It's essentially divided into two sections. The first part focuses on the roughly ten years she she spent working as a line cook in New York. The second part is more personal and talks about her food memories at home--both her childhood home and her current home in Minnesota.
I thought I was going to have a hard time getting through the second part of the book, just because the first part was so good, but actually it ended up being pretty great, too. Granted, there were a handful of slow moments--especially when Thielen talks about her childhood--but I really enjoyed the more current stories that included her husband, Aaron. He is definitely an intense artist-type, too, but he brings some balance and down-to-earth-ness to their story. The chapter called Old Five-and-Dimers, where Thielen explains how she and Aaron started dating, was one of my favorites for this reason.
Ultimately, Give a Girl a Knife is an entertaining foodie memoir. It isn't as good as, say, Yes, Chef or 32 Yolks: From My Mother's Table to Working the Line (two of my favorite memoirs of all time), but I still found it solidly enjoyable. For sure worth a read.
Thanks to Amazon Vine and Clarkson Potter for the ARC.
See more of my book reviews at www.BugBugBooks.com.
July 12, 2018
Listen, man, I wanted to talk about the NYC food world: the helter skelter of it, the curses and the drugs and the late nights. Basically, I had hoped Amy Thielen would give me the female version of what Anthony Bourdain delivered in Kitchen Confidential. It's no secret that women in the back of the restaurant deal with rampant sexism, aggression, and stark wage difference. I wanted Thielen to unpack that. She had spent a friggin' decade working in some of the best kitchens in the city... wouldn't she have some shit to shovel?
If she does, she Febreezed the crap out of it and left it alone. Give a Girl a Knife is more a personal journey story than a discussion on the craft of cooking. The book should really be called Give a Girl a Pen and Maybe She'll Tell You About Food but Mostly She'll Talk About Her Husband. Is that too harsh? I guess maybe I'm a little sorry. The book was fine, even good at times. But she starts us in the exciting throes of NYC, only to walk us all the way back to her childhood halfway through. Then we're forced to sit through her entire growing up and her and husband Aaron's life in their no-electricity cabin. Honestly, I sometimes got confused where we were in her timeline, because she jumped back and forth a few times and didn't exactly give us time markers for orientation.
At the end of the day we have an okay memoir about a woman who also happened to be a chef at one time. Now, who out there is going to bubble to the top and give us the goods?
If she does, she Febreezed the crap out of it and left it alone. Give a Girl a Knife is more a personal journey story than a discussion on the craft of cooking. The book should really be called Give a Girl a Pen and Maybe She'll Tell You About Food but Mostly She'll Talk About Her Husband. Is that too harsh? I guess maybe I'm a little sorry. The book was fine, even good at times. But she starts us in the exciting throes of NYC, only to walk us all the way back to her childhood halfway through. Then we're forced to sit through her entire growing up and her and husband Aaron's life in their no-electricity cabin. Honestly, I sometimes got confused where we were in her timeline, because she jumped back and forth a few times and didn't exactly give us time markers for orientation.
At the end of the day we have an okay memoir about a woman who also happened to be a chef at one time. Now, who out there is going to bubble to the top and give us the goods?
May 16, 2017
I am not a big foodie, but a enjoy a good meal, and I love a good sip of tea and Give a Girl a Knife suggests an interesting tale as it follows Thielan’s path from a backwoods kitchen in the woods to New York’s finest kitchens.
Sadly, I didn't learn much. I do not feel like I have learned anything about high-end restaurant kitchens nor anything substantial about Thielen. For a woman with an interesting route to chefdom, it provides little insight into her thoughts on how women deal with the intricacies of working within the male-dominated world of upscale kitchens. The writing was a little more plodding than I expected.
Give a Girl a Knife lacks excitement and spice.
Sadly, I didn't learn much. I do not feel like I have learned anything about high-end restaurant kitchens nor anything substantial about Thielen. For a woman with an interesting route to chefdom, it provides little insight into her thoughts on how women deal with the intricacies of working within the male-dominated world of upscale kitchens. The writing was a little more plodding than I expected.
Give a Girl a Knife lacks excitement and spice.
June 2, 2017
A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher
Give a Girl a Knife is probably one of the most surprisingly entertaining books I've ever read.
I was super curious about this book when I started it and I didn't expect to enjoy it so much that I would read it in one sitting.
I loved how well written this book was and Amy was able to give a lot of great insight to restaurant kitchens. I actually learned a lot and learning new things is always something I'm looking for in non-fiction book. I also really appreciated how Amy talked about her experiences a women in a male dominated field.
As a fellow Midwesterner, I was able to relate to Amy a lot and I wasn't expecting that. I really loved how Amy mixed her Midwest roots with her culinary skills.
I thought reading about Amy's approach to food and how she builds her dishes was really fascinating and again, I learned a lot.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it has become an unexpected favorite of mine. It's very well written and educational in the most entertaining way. If you're looking for an awesome non-fiction read, I'd recommend grabbing a copy of Give a Girl A Knife.
Give a Girl a Knife is probably one of the most surprisingly entertaining books I've ever read.
I was super curious about this book when I started it and I didn't expect to enjoy it so much that I would read it in one sitting.
I loved how well written this book was and Amy was able to give a lot of great insight to restaurant kitchens. I actually learned a lot and learning new things is always something I'm looking for in non-fiction book. I also really appreciated how Amy talked about her experiences a women in a male dominated field.
As a fellow Midwesterner, I was able to relate to Amy a lot and I wasn't expecting that. I really loved how Amy mixed her Midwest roots with her culinary skills.
I thought reading about Amy's approach to food and how she builds her dishes was really fascinating and again, I learned a lot.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it has become an unexpected favorite of mine. It's very well written and educational in the most entertaining way. If you're looking for an awesome non-fiction read, I'd recommend grabbing a copy of Give a Girl A Knife.
March 25, 2017
This is a really unusual memoir because it contains two distinct narratives. In one of them, Amy Thielen falls in love with a "back to nature" artist who has built a one-room cabin in the remote northern Midwestern woods. The cabin lacks plumbing or electricity, and it's winter for about 9 months out of the year. Amy happily joins her husband at the cabin and learns to survive with only the barest necessities. Generally, they live in the cabin Spring through Autumn and use the short growing season to produce much of their own food. In the second narrative, Amy gets kitchen jobs at a series of very high-end restaurants in New York City. In this part of the book, we hear about 80+ hour work weeks and the difficulties of working on your feet all day to create fussy and delicious food from pristine ingredients.
We've seen both of these stories before (city girl struggles to survive in the country and the making of a chef), but I've never seen them both in the same book. This was an interesting combination that I mostly enjoyed. I am still a bit confused as to who Amy Thielen really is and what she likes/wants to do with her life. I wish the book had spent a bit more time explaining how these two narratives can belong to the same person. Overall, though, I enjoyed this story, and it was very well written. Perhaps the real Thielen is primarily a writer.
We've seen both of these stories before (city girl struggles to survive in the country and the making of a chef), but I've never seen them both in the same book. This was an interesting combination that I mostly enjoyed. I am still a bit confused as to who Amy Thielen really is and what she likes/wants to do with her life. I wish the book had spent a bit more time explaining how these two narratives can belong to the same person. Overall, though, I enjoyed this story, and it was very well written. Perhaps the real Thielen is primarily a writer.
July 17, 2021
This book made me crave Spätzle, and I’m not sure there’s higher praise than to say a book made you take some kind of action—in this case, run to the store and then cook over a hot pot of boiling water in summertime. I’m grateful I had a pound of Thielen’s bacon around while listening. And I loved how deeply Minnesotan this memoir is, down to the mention of chasing trains on hwy 10 and description of the reek of a brother’s rank hockey gear.
November 16, 2017
If a book could crawl straight out of my soul I’m convinced it would be this book. It was already bound to top my favorite list- a Minnesota girl who fulfills her dream of becoming a chef? If ever I was convinced that somebody loved Minnesota more than I do- it is Amy Thielen. Her nostalgic chronicles of childhood in Minnesota and description of the changing seasons were painfully hard to read from the Florida heat. I loved Thielen’s close to home cooking, inspired by her heritage and whatever abundance happened to be sprouting from her backyard garden. Now I’m on a mission to perfect my pie crust, buy a bunch of canning supplies and find the Thielen family spaeztle recipe. This will be one of the few books I own and keep on my shelf. As one who won’t read a book twice unless it earns it- I see myself reading this over and over. Next time I’ll keep track of all my favorite quotes but for now, just this one I managed to stop and write down.
“I’d forgotten about Minnesota-nice, too, but I come to a theory about it: The frigid winter wind supplies all the honesty and directness the local population can stand. It knocks everyone’s sharp observations sideways. The weather is leaner than mean, and after a while, there’s nothing you can do but greet it with a shallow smile.”
“I’d forgotten about Minnesota-nice, too, but I come to a theory about it: The frigid winter wind supplies all the honesty and directness the local population can stand. It knocks everyone’s sharp observations sideways. The weather is leaner than mean, and after a while, there’s nothing you can do but greet it with a shallow smile.”
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January 25, 2018DNF - stopping around the halfway point. I wasn't finding Thielen's life story, her use of language, or her descriptions of food and restaurants very interesting.
July 18, 2017
I received this book free through Goodreads Giveaways.
I thought I'd like this book more than I did, as I am also from rural Minnesota and moved to a big city (not NYC, but still). I just thought it was lacking. I enjoyed the NYC kitchen parts the best and once they were done after the first half of the book, I kept hoping she'd revisit her work. Amy Thielen is a good writer and this is a fine piece of work, it just wasn't that interesting to me.
After I finished the book, I found out she had a cooking show on Food Network. Why wasn't any of that included in the book?
I thought I'd like this book more than I did, as I am also from rural Minnesota and moved to a big city (not NYC, but still). I just thought it was lacking. I enjoyed the NYC kitchen parts the best and once they were done after the first half of the book, I kept hoping she'd revisit her work. Amy Thielen is a good writer and this is a fine piece of work, it just wasn't that interesting to me.
After I finished the book, I found out she had a cooking show on Food Network. Why wasn't any of that included in the book?
June 3, 2017
I completely loved this book. Along the lines of Ruth Reichl and other foodie books, Amy has mastered the art of descriptive writing. I read sentences aloud to my husband because the details were making my mouth water.
See my full review on my blog.
See my full review on my blog.
December 14, 2017
I love cooking memoirs. And this one was no exception. Beautifully written.
March 26, 2023
I lost the sleeve for this book so I started it not knowing if it was a murder mystery or a cooking book, it was the latter. Good story but didn’t love the writing style, never actually wanted to pick it up and read it but I have a problem with needing to complete a book so here I am.
September 30, 2017
This book gets five stars because it is so relatable to me. I love a good food memoir and she goes beyond cooking to gardening, and living off her produce. In addition, she grew up in and currently lives near Park Rapids, MN where I have been going to the lake every summer since 1985. It was so interesting reading about her experiences growing up and living in an area I am so familiar with.
October 2, 2017
Not just another chefs memoir, but A paean to The beauty of food, the complexity of family, and the ineluctable pull place of origin.
September 20, 2021
Definitely dove into Give a Girl a Knife for a specific challenge. It also doesn't hurt that it was gathering dust on my wonderful TBR since being added back in 2017. Oops?
I'm just glad that I found the time to dive into this wonderful audiobook. The food sounded amazing and I was definitely drooling no matter what. I really enjoyed seeing how Amy maneuvered through this cut-throat cooking world. Especially when it comes to NYC - where everything kind of seems so fast paced.
Besides getting to know what it takes to make it in the culinary world, I realized that I would not have the backbone for any of it. I do like cooking and baking on my own time and I seem to handle pressure at work pretty well. But I think I would probably cry my eyes out or shit my pants if I fucked up a meal for someone. So, yeah, the cooking world is just not for me.
In the end, I liked getting to know Amy way more than I originally did. I'll have to see if I can get a cookbook from her as well because the food sounded AMAZING. I guess it's time to go mop up my drool and dream about delicious potato foods and such.
I'm just glad that I found the time to dive into this wonderful audiobook. The food sounded amazing and I was definitely drooling no matter what. I really enjoyed seeing how Amy maneuvered through this cut-throat cooking world. Especially when it comes to NYC - where everything kind of seems so fast paced.
Besides getting to know what it takes to make it in the culinary world, I realized that I would not have the backbone for any of it. I do like cooking and baking on my own time and I seem to handle pressure at work pretty well. But I think I would probably cry my eyes out or shit my pants if I fucked up a meal for someone. So, yeah, the cooking world is just not for me.
In the end, I liked getting to know Amy way more than I originally did. I'll have to see if I can get a cookbook from her as well because the food sounded AMAZING. I guess it's time to go mop up my drool and dream about delicious potato foods and such.
April 30, 2024
Fun memoir by Amy Thielen. She has midwestern roots and they are very evident in every phase of her life. I really enjoyed when she shared about her mother and the influence she had on her cooking.
If you're a foodie and like reading about the chef experience, I highly recommend.
If you're a foodie and like reading about the chef experience, I highly recommend.
July 25, 2024
One of the loveliest food memoirs I've read in a while, in the spirit of Blood Bones and Butter. Grounded but so richly descriptive at the same time.
August 30, 2019
Loved the first third and the last third - didn’t love the middle third - so that evens out to be about 4 stars. 😉
February 13, 2018
I really enjoyed reading about her time navigating the Manhattan line cook world, and her life in Minnesota was definitely intriguing, but there was a tendency to simply repeat stories from earlier in the book, instead of just simple callbacks, which got wearisome. Those constant repetitive stories took this from 4 stars to 3.
August 23, 2018
I picked this book up to satisfy a challenge I am doing in a Goodreads group. Foodie memoirs are not something that I would normally pick. I am pretty sure its the first Foodie Memoir I have ever read I am not much of a cook or much of a foodie lol I mean I like to eat just nothing too fancy. BUT I was pleasantly surprised that I liked it probably a 3.5 star book and kept my attention. Although spoiler alert the last part of book almost made me want to go Vegetarian... lol a little too graphic with the meat food prep. But I really did enjoy Amy's stories she added a great voice to her tales and a lot of charm.
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June 1, 2017
So fun! My only critique would be the bouncing around in time, I would have liked it to be more linear. Regardless, her descriptions of food made my mouth water (perhaps with the exception of making head cheese), and their house in the woods became almost another character in her story, she described it so well. Very enjoyable read.
May 16, 2017
I absolutely loved this book. I thought it would be about cooking, which it is, and the constantly fascinating world of restaurant kitchens, which it is—but beyond that it is a ravishing love story. Amy loves food—not in the way people usually mean when they say that of someone: that the person loves eating. Amy loves food itself, the magical growth of vegetables, the transformations they undergo in cooking, the mysteries of meats and pastry, the sensuous delights of smell and touch as well as taste, and the cultural history that food is suffused with. Like all the greatest lovers, Amy cherishes her beloved not just when all dressed up—with rare and fine ingredients, perfectly sauced, and served to perfection—but in the most ordinary, unguarded moments (the equivalent of someone slobbing around the house in ratty pajamas and bedhead). She works the line in Manhattan’s finest haute cuisine kitchens, then returns to Minnesota to cook short-order fry-ups. She explores the historical food of her Minnesota forebears with as much love as she lavishes on haute cuisine. Perhaps, even more. Living happily in a house without running water or electricity, she grows epic quantities of vegetables, makes sauerkraut, and boils a pig’s head the way her grandmother used to do, This book is also a love letter to a place: northern Minnesota and her cabin in the woods, which she shares with the husband who built it. And it’s a love letter to a way of life that treasures the simple things: human company, food as an expression of family, and the inexhaustible bounty of nature.
July 7, 2018
Though it's nonfiction, Give A Girl A Knife was an interesting sister read to Stephanie Danler's debut novel, Sweetbitter, which I read only weeks before finally picking up Amy Thielen's compelling and beautifully written food memoir.
At thirty-some-odd-years Thielen chronicles her life thus far through the lens of family and food—beginning with her childhood, filled with her grandmother and mother's unique German-meets-Midwestern food, and eventually, moving from college to a small, off-the-grid cabin outside her hometown in rural Minnesota; to culinary school in New York City, working in high-end restos; and back to the much-improved cabin in the woods. Readers who enjoy food writing, the inner workings of fast-paced, high-flying NYC restaurants, and down home Midwestern cooking with culinary chops will find lots to love here.
By far, my favourite passages were of her early days in that tiny cabin with no running water. Those which recounted the simple pleasures of learning to harvest and cook the fruits and vegetables they grew in their garden, and letting these be the inspiration for her cooking.
While there were a few niggling issues with chronology (passages that felt repeated), I greatly enjoyed Give A Girl A Knife, and was even inspired in the kitchen whilst reading it. (I can even make a mean Hotdish now!)
One last thing—Thielen and her publishing team really nailed both the title and cover. This may be one of my favourite cover treatments ever.
At thirty-some-odd-years Thielen chronicles her life thus far through the lens of family and food—beginning with her childhood, filled with her grandmother and mother's unique German-meets-Midwestern food, and eventually, moving from college to a small, off-the-grid cabin outside her hometown in rural Minnesota; to culinary school in New York City, working in high-end restos; and back to the much-improved cabin in the woods. Readers who enjoy food writing, the inner workings of fast-paced, high-flying NYC restaurants, and down home Midwestern cooking with culinary chops will find lots to love here.
By far, my favourite passages were of her early days in that tiny cabin with no running water. Those which recounted the simple pleasures of learning to harvest and cook the fruits and vegetables they grew in their garden, and letting these be the inspiration for her cooking.
While there were a few niggling issues with chronology (passages that felt repeated), I greatly enjoyed Give A Girl A Knife, and was even inspired in the kitchen whilst reading it. (I can even make a mean Hotdish now!)
One last thing—Thielen and her publishing team really nailed both the title and cover. This may be one of my favourite cover treatments ever.
July 27, 2017
In recent years, I've become a fan of chef memoirs. Amy Thielen's "Give a Girl a Knife" is no exception -- until it becomes an exception. Theilen was an English major, and she knows how to write an anecdote and describe food. For example she captures perfectly the reverence of two line cooks discussing girlfriend built sandwiches and the meaning they carry: "I can't believe she fried you a sandwich," says one. "I know (says the other), according to Thielen "blinking back emotion."
Unlike the testosterone-fueled ultra-linear narratives of celebrity chefs, Thielen's book toggles back and forth in time and place, between New York, where she worked for super chefs David Bouley and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Northern Minnesota, where she grew up, from which she escaped ("I grew up knowing that not only nothing extraordinary was expected of me, but that it was, in face, gently discouraged."), and then returned to live in an off-the-grid cabin during the summers to eat out of the garden. Her culinary epiphanies in both locations are riveting, as are her memories of her mother's butter-fueled German-American masterpieces. In between these toggles, you begin to see Thielen's own point of view emerge, a hybrid the obsessive distillations of fine dining and the earthy discipline of cooking what you have that became the foundation of her Beard Award winning cookbook, "The New Midwestern Table."
Unlike the testosterone-fueled ultra-linear narratives of celebrity chefs, Thielen's book toggles back and forth in time and place, between New York, where she worked for super chefs David Bouley and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Northern Minnesota, where she grew up, from which she escaped ("I grew up knowing that not only nothing extraordinary was expected of me, but that it was, in face, gently discouraged."), and then returned to live in an off-the-grid cabin during the summers to eat out of the garden. Her culinary epiphanies in both locations are riveting, as are her memories of her mother's butter-fueled German-American masterpieces. In between these toggles, you begin to see Thielen's own point of view emerge, a hybrid the obsessive distillations of fine dining and the earthy discipline of cooking what you have that became the foundation of her Beard Award winning cookbook, "The New Midwestern Table."
June 3, 2017
This book is broken into four sections; the first section sets up who the author is, she tells you just enough about her Minnesota upbringing, and rural living with her boyfriend, before launching into their decision to move to New York to pursue their separate careers (she, culinary school and eventually being a chef, and he, art/sculpture). I was so taken with this section! I found her account of working in famous New York kitchens from the turn-of-the-millennium fascinating!
Then came section two. This immediately takes us back to her childhood, and this and the following section continue in this way building up to the point before her and her partner move to New York. These sections are admittedly interesting, but feel like a different book. They are still in some way about food, and are peppered with stories and anecdotes about the women in her family's commitment to food, and the way in brings people together.
Finally, in the fourth section we come back to her life in New York! The author and her partner continue to flip-flop between Minnesota and New York, she eventually becomes pregnant, and they seem to after more back-and-forth, end up in Minnesota. I can see some archetypal messages in the story that's been told, but ultimately I feel like the did a lot of meandering, and I didn't necessarily get out of it what I thought I would.
Then came section two. This immediately takes us back to her childhood, and this and the following section continue in this way building up to the point before her and her partner move to New York. These sections are admittedly interesting, but feel like a different book. They are still in some way about food, and are peppered with stories and anecdotes about the women in her family's commitment to food, and the way in brings people together.
Finally, in the fourth section we come back to her life in New York! The author and her partner continue to flip-flop between Minnesota and New York, she eventually becomes pregnant, and they seem to after more back-and-forth, end up in Minnesota. I can see some archetypal messages in the story that's been told, but ultimately I feel like the did a lot of meandering, and I didn't necessarily get out of it what I thought I would.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2020
In Give a Girl a Knife, chef Amy Thielen recounts her many years cooking in fine dining restaurants and the time she spent living in a rural area. I wanted to love this memoir, but unfortunately it fell flat for me.
What didn't work for me: Although it's obvious that Thielen is a gifted writer, much of the book felt overwritten and too flowery for my taste. The narrative wasn't in a chronological format, so sometimes it was hard to place where she was in her career and life. Some of the anecdotes she told felt extraneous. At the risk of sounding like a jerk, I didn't think she came across that well as an employee, either. She skipped around from job to job, was often late or disinterested, and also seemed to spend a lot of time not working at all.
What worked: I liked the juxtaposition of working as a chef in high-end NYC restaurants with the time she spent at a cabin in the middle of nowhere, cooking from her own garden. I also enjoyed when she spoke of her mother and grandmother and how they inspired the chef she later became. You can tell that Thielen loves food, the act of cooking, and using food as a way to connect to people and her heritage.
What didn't work for me: Although it's obvious that Thielen is a gifted writer, much of the book felt overwritten and too flowery for my taste. The narrative wasn't in a chronological format, so sometimes it was hard to place where she was in her career and life. Some of the anecdotes she told felt extraneous. At the risk of sounding like a jerk, I didn't think she came across that well as an employee, either. She skipped around from job to job, was often late or disinterested, and also seemed to spend a lot of time not working at all.
What worked: I liked the juxtaposition of working as a chef in high-end NYC restaurants with the time she spent at a cabin in the middle of nowhere, cooking from her own garden. I also enjoyed when she spoke of her mother and grandmother and how they inspired the chef she later became. You can tell that Thielen loves food, the act of cooking, and using food as a way to connect to people and her heritage.
May 24, 2017
"Cities collect culture, but it all begins in the country."
Maybe it's because I grew up in a house that smells like bacon from Thielen Meats on Sunday. Maybe it's because this will be the first Memorial Day in my memory I'm unable to head north to my grandparents' cabin, so Amy's musing on reused ice cream pails made me tear up and call my mom. Maybe it's because I'm itching to get my hands in the soil this week and finish planting my garden. Maybe it's because I live in a city with 125,000 other folk but dream of starting a homestead, or at least take a winding Canadian road trip. Maybe it's because Amy is just so damn likeable.
I don't care why, but I do know I absolutely savored this book. I recommend it for misplaced Minnesotans, fans of food writers, readers of family sagas alike.
Maybe it's because I grew up in a house that smells like bacon from Thielen Meats on Sunday. Maybe it's because this will be the first Memorial Day in my memory I'm unable to head north to my grandparents' cabin, so Amy's musing on reused ice cream pails made me tear up and call my mom. Maybe it's because I'm itching to get my hands in the soil this week and finish planting my garden. Maybe it's because I live in a city with 125,000 other folk but dream of starting a homestead, or at least take a winding Canadian road trip. Maybe it's because Amy is just so damn likeable.
I don't care why, but I do know I absolutely savored this book. I recommend it for misplaced Minnesotans, fans of food writers, readers of family sagas alike.
October 7, 2018
This book made my Minnesota heart so happy. I found Amy Thielen's experiences working in New York fine dining to be so interesting, but also her Northern Minnesota homesteading stories were equally fascinating. I especially appreciated her nods to endearing Midwest idiosyncrasies (e.g. I laughed out loud reading her ode to the industrious multi-purpose Kemp's ice cream family size buckets found en masse at pot lucks). She so thoughtfully articulated how you can love your dazzling city life while also wanting to retreat to a quiet, measured Midwest life. All this to say, I enjoyed this lovely food memoir and I look forward to reading her cookbook.
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