Synopses & Reviews
The Wednesday Chef cooks her heart out, finds her way home, and shares her recipes with usIt takes courage to turn your life upside down, especially when everyone is telling you how lucky you are. But sometimes what seems right can feel deeply wrong. My Berlin Kitchen tells the story of how one thoroughly confused, kitchen-mad perfectionist broke off her engagement to a handsome New Yorker, quit her dream job, and found her way to a new life, a new man, and a new home in Berlin—one recipe at a time.
Luisa Weiss grew up with a divided heart, shuttling back and forth between her father in Boston and her Italian mother in Berlin. She was always yearning for home—until she found a new home in the kitchen. Luisa started clipping recipes in college and was a cookbook editor in New York when she decided to bake, roast, and stew her way through her by then unwieldy collection over the course of one tumultuous year. The blog she wrote to document her adventures in (and out) of the kitchen, The Wednesday Chef, soon became a sensation. But she never stopped hankering for Berlin.
Luisa will seduce you with her stories of foraging for plums in abandoned orchards, battling with white asparagus at the tail end of the season, orchestrating a three-family Thanksgiving in Berlin, and mending her broken heart with batches (and batches) of impossible German Christmas cookies. Fans of her award-winning blog will know the happy ending, but anyone who enjoyed Julie and Julia will laugh and cheer and cook alongside Luisa as she takes us into her heart and tells us how she gave up everything only to find love waiting where she least expected it.
Review
“My Berlin Kitchen is a truly remarkable memoir, told with sensitivity and honesty. Filled with the emotions—and flavors—of a life that spans three cultures and cuisines, this is a book you won't want to put down, except to make its enticing recipes.” —David Lebovitz, bestselling author of The Sweet Life in Paris
Review
"Part culinary journal, part love story, My Berlin Kitchen chronicles a young woman's (often) difficult task of finding her way in the world. With the charm and honesty that is characteristic of her wonderful blog, Luisa Weiss has crafted a book that leaves a deep impression." Heidi Swanson, creator of 101 Cookbooks and bestselling author of Super Natural Cooking
Review
"Luisa Weiss writes with grace and ease about her search for a sense of belonging in My Berlin Kitchen. That she also cooks appealing dishes and writes beautifully about food only adds dimension to her wonderful memoir. You will read with intense delight, cheering her on through heartbreak and triumphs." Amanda Hesser, co-founder of Food52 and author of The Essential New York Times Cookbook
Review
"Luisa's heartfelt and engrossing memoir will resonate deeply with anyone who's ever sensed the profound connection between the food we eat and our sense of home." Clotilde Dusoulier, creator of Chocolate & Zucchini and author of Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris
Review
"I hope you're prepared to clear a day or two of your schedule once you open this book, because you're not going to want to put it down to do anything — well, anything but make a beeline for the kitchen to make a rolled omelet or fake baked beans. Luisa has a way of telling her story that's nothing short of entrancing." Deb Perelman, creator of Smitten Kitchen
Review
"A beautiful and inspiring story about how we sometimes have to take a leap of faith to follow our life's passion. I was so charmed by Luisa Weiss's honesty, vulnerabilities, and beautiful writing &mdash ;all while craving braised endives. A lovely, remarkable, and delicious tale of the romance of a lifetime." Kathleen Flinn, author of The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry
Review
"My Berlin Kitchen is an aromatic chronicle of love, food, and finding home. Luisa's fragrant prose will have you longing for her Tomato Bread Soup and smelling her freshly baked Poppy Seed Whirligig Buns. Her quest for heart and hearth is inspiring and touching — and leaves you feeling as if you have found a new friend." Debra Weiner, author of How to Recognize Your Future Ex-Husband
Review
"A heartwarming (and often mouth-watering) memoir, German-born chef and writer Weiss recounts how...through hardship and heartbreak, she found solace among saucepans and stews....Foodies and non-foodies alike will enjoy chapters brimming with colorful cooking tales and savory recipes." Allison Block, Booklist (starred review)
Review
"A thoughtful, earnestly winning memoir." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Luisa Weiss's piquant memoir has charm, heartbreak, family history, and recipes galore." Elle
Review
“Readers of Weiss’s popular cooking blog know some of her personal history. . . . This memoir fills in the blanks, exploring the loneliness and alienation of a child who never quite feels at home wherever she is . . . and the debilitating heartbreak when an important relationship fails. But there is plenty of joy, too: summers at her grandparents’ Italian farmhouse, falling in love, and, always, the pleasures of the kitchen. Each chapter closes with a recipe for a dish referenced in the text, most of which represent one of the places Weiss has called home. . . . This charming food memoir will prove enjoyable to anyone who loves Laurie Colwin or M.L.K. Fisher.”—Library Journal
Review
"The new Julie and Julia! It’s part cookbook and part memoir; you’ll finish a chapter and find yourself in the kitchen following the recipe Weiss includes....A transcontinental romance about taking risks in life and in the kitchen." Marie Claire
Review
“Luisa Weiss’s piquant memoir has charm, heartbreak, family history, and recipes galore.”—Elle
Review
“The new Julie & Julia! It’s part cookbook and part memoir; you’ll finish a chapter and find yourself in the kitchen following the recipe Weiss includes . . . A transcontinental romance about taking risks in life and in the kitchen.” —Marie Claire
Review
“A heartwarming (and often mouth-watering) memoir, German-born chef and writer Weiss recounts how . . . through hardship and heartbreak, she found solace among saucepans and stews. . . . Foodies and nonfoodies alike will enjoy chapters brimming with colorful cooking tales and savory recipes.” —Allison Block, Booklist (starred review)
Review
“A thoughtful, earnestly winning memoir.”—Publishers Weekly
Review
“Luisa Weisss piquant memoir has charm, heartbreak, family history, and recipes galore.” —
Elle “The new Julie and Julia! Its part cookbook and part memoir; youll finish a chapter and find yourself in the kitchen following the recipe Weiss includes . . . A transcontinental romance about taking risks in life and in the kitchen.” —Marie Claire
“For anyone who's ever moved away from home, only to find that nowhere in the world is quite as special, My Berlin Kitchen is a lovely (and delicious-recipe-filled) read.” —Serious Eats
“There are love stories, and then there are love stories. Luisa Weisss falls into the latter category, an honest-to-god tale of love lost, found, and happily ended. And, as a bonus, theres food. Indeed, every page is more delightful and delicious than the one before. Brimming with forty recipes borrowed from Weisss friends and family and from famous chefs like Alice Waters and Jamie Oliver, then stripped down and perfected by Weiss herself, the book is a mix of travelogue, memoir, cookbook, and a touch of fairytale.” —East Bay Express
“A mouthwatering tribute to Berlin and a love letter to food, romance and following your heart. . . . Weiss vividly evokes the flavors of German, Italian, and American cuisine. . . . The characters around each table come to life as vibrantly as the food, and Weiss adds helpful hints to the recipes that crown each chapter.” —Shelf Awareness
“A heartwarming (and often mouth-watering) memoir, German-born chef and writer Weiss recounts how . . . through hardship and heartbreak, she found solace among saucepans and stews. . . . Foodies and nonfoodies alike will enjoy chapters brimming with colorful cooking tales and savory recipes.” —Allison Block, Booklist (starred review)
“A thoughtful, earnestly winning memoir.” —Publishers Weekly
“This charming food memoir will prove enjoyable to anyone who loves Laurie Colwin or M.L.K. Fisher.” —Library Journal
“I hope youre prepared to clear a day or two of your schedule once you open this book, because youre not going to want to put it down to do anything—well, anything but make a beeline for the kitchen to make a rolled omelet or fake baked beans. Luisa has a way of telling her story thats nothing short of entrancing.” —Deb Perelman, creator of Smitten Kitchen
“A beautiful and inspiring story about how we sometimes have to take a leap of faith to follow our lifes passion. I was so charmed by Luisa Weisss honesty, vulnerabilities, and beautiful writing—all while craving braised endives. A lovely, remarkable, and delicious tale of the romance of a lifetime.” —Kathleen Flinn, author of The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry
“My Berlin Kitchen is a truly remarkable memoir, told with sensitivity and honesty. Filled with the emotions—and flavors—of a life that spans three cultures and cuisines, this is a book you won't want to put down, except to make its enticing recipes.” —David Lebovitz, bestselling author of The Sweet Life in Paris
“Luisa Weiss writes with grace and ease about her search for a sense of belonging in My Berlin Kitchen. That she also cooks appealing dishes and writes beautifully about food only adds dimension to her wonderful memoir. You will read with intense delight, cheering her on through heartbreak and triumphs.” —Amanda Hesser, cofounder of Food52 and author of The Essential New York Times Cookbook and Cooking for Mr. Latte
“Luisas heartfelt and engrossing memoir will resonate deeply with anyone whos ever sensed the profound connection between the food we eat and our sense of home.” —Clotilde Dusoulier, creator of Chocolate and Zucchini and author of Clotildes Edible Adventures in Paris
“Part culinary journal, part love story, My Berlin Kitchen chronicles a young womans (often) difficult task of finding her way in the world. With the charm and honesty that is characteristic of her wonderful blog, Luisa Weiss has crafted a book that leaves a deep impression.” —Heidi Swanson, creator of 101 Cookbooks and bestselling author of Super Natural Cooking
Synopsis
The Wednesday Chef cooks her heart out, finds her way home, and shares her recipes with us.
It takes courage to turn your life upside down, especially when everyone is telling you how lucky you are. But sometimes what seems right can feel deeply wrong. My Berlin Kitchen tells the story of how one thoroughly confused, kitchen-mad perfectionist broke off her engagement to a handsome New Yorker, quit her dream job, and found her way to a new life, a new man, and a new home in Berlin — one recipe at a time.
Luisa Weiss grew up with a divided heart, shuttling back and forth between her father in Boston and her Italian mother in Berlin. She was always yearning for home — until she found a new home in the kitchen. Luisa started clipping recipes in college and was a cookbook editor in New York when she decided to bake, roast, and stew her way through her by then unwieldy collection over the course of one tumultuous year. The blog she wrote to document her adventures in (and out) of the kitchen, The Wednesday Chef, soon became a sensation. But she never stopped hankering for Berlin.
Luisa will seduce you with her stories of foraging for plums in abandoned orchards, battling with white asparagus at the tail end of the season, orchestrating a three-family Thanksgiving in Berlin, and mending her broken heart with batches (and batches) of impossible German Christmas cookies. Fans of her award-winning blog will know the happy ending, but anyone who enjoyed Julie and Julia will laugh and cheer and cook alongside Luisa as she takes us into her heart and tells us how she gave up everything only to find love waiting where she least expected it.
Synopsis
Read Kathleen Flinn's posts on the Penguin Blog. This is the funny and inspiring account of Kathleen Flinn’s struggle in a stew of hot-tempered chefs, competitive classmates, her own “wretchedly inadequate” French, and the basics of French cuisine. Flinn was a thirty-six-year-old middle manager trapped on the corporate ladder—until her boss eliminated her job. So she cashed in her savings and moved to Paris to pursue her lifelong dream of attending the venerable Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. Fans of Julie and Julia and the late Julia Child will be richly rewarded by this vibrant tale of self-discovery, transformation, and ultimately love.
Synopsis
Luisa has a way of telling a story thats nothing short of entrancing.” Deb Perelman, author of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook Chocolate and Zucchini. 101 Cookbooks. The Julie/Julia Project. In the early days of food blogs, these were the pioneers whose warmth and recipes turned their creators kitchens into beloved web destinations. Luisa Weiss was working in New York when she decided to cook her way through her massive recipe collection. The Wednesday Chef, the cooking blog she launched to document her adventures, charmed readers around the world. But Luisa never stopped longing to return to her childhood home in Berlin. A food memoir with recipes, My Berlin Kitchen deliciously chronicles how she finally took the plunge and went across the ocean in search of happinessonly to find love waiting where she least expected it.
Synopsis
The prequel to Kathleen Flinn's unforgettable account of her French culinary adventures - Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good - is available this August!
Kathleen Flinn was a thirty-six-year-old middle manager trapped on the corporate ladder - until her boss eliminated her job. Instead of sulking, she took the opportunity to check out of the rat race for good - cashing in her savings, moving to Paris, and landing a spot at the venerable Le Cordon Blue cooking school.
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry is the funny and inspiring account of her struggle in a stew of hot-tempered, chefs, competitive classmates, her own "wretchedly inadequate" French - and how she mastered the basics of French cuisine. Filled with rich, sensual details of her time in the kitchen - the ingredients, cooking techniques, wine, and more than two dozen recipes - and the vibrant sights and sounds of the markets, shops, and avenues of Paris, it is also a journey of self-discovery, transformation, and, ultimately, love.
About the Author
Kathleen Flinn has been a writer and journalist for nearly twenty years. Her work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, USA Weekend, Men's Fitness and many other publications. She is a proud member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the Author's Guild. She divides her time between Seattle and southwest Florida.