Give a Girl a Knife by Amy Thielen
A beautifully written food memoir chronicling one woman’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 dripped with tenderness, drama, and an overabundance of butter.
Inspired by her grandmother’s tales of cooking in the family farmhouse, Thielen moves north with her artist husband to a rustic, off-the-grid cabin deep in the woods. There, standing at the stove three times a day, she finds the seed of a growing food obsession that leads her to the sensory madhouse of New York’s top haute cuisine brigades. But, like a magnet, the foods of her youth draw her back home, where 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.
Amy Thielen’s coming-of-age story pulses 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 restaurants before returning Thielen to her roots, where she realizes that the marrow running through her bones is not demi-glace but gravy—thick with nostalgia and hard to resist.
Book Distribution
Starting February 2, books will be available while supplies last at the Van Horn Public Library, Pine Island City Hall, and Pine Island License Bureau.
Life on a Berry Farm
February 9 @ 6:30pm (Pine Island History Center – 314 N Main St) – Michelle Trelstad of Whispering Trees Berry Farm
Michelle will share her experiences starting and running a berry farm just outside of Pine Island. She loves to educate her customers and neighbors on the importance of fresh, local produce.
Michelle’s Bio: I have 4 kiddos aged 3, 12, 16, and 18. Born and raised in SW FL. Moved to the Midwest in 2014. I was a teacher for 18 years before I started farming. My husband is a 4th generation farmer. I asked a few years back if I could please use a couple acres he was growing corn and beans on to try and grow some berries. Things kind of snowballed from there.
We planted blueberries, strawberries, vegetables and flowers in 2023 and shared with friends and family. We were practicing to see if the u-pick concept would work. It did, so we expanded a bit with raspberries and herbs in 2024 when we opened to the public. In 2025, we converted an old corn crib into our farm-stand and our 2026 project is building a greenhouse. We currently grow on 2 acres and will experiment with some hydroponic growing in the greenhouse this year as well. We offer classes to the public throughout the summer for both kids and adults. We have a picnic area with picnic tables and picnic blankets available to use for free. Our hope is to share our love for nature and fresh food with others. We are not certified organic but use all organic growing practices in our u-pick field.
Jam making started naturally because we try very hard not to let anything go to waste. Making jam is a simple way to preserve fresh fruits. We freeze everything we don’t use or sell throughout the summer and then we make jam all winter. We make all kinds of jam including strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, red raspberry, blackcap raspberry, wild plum, apple plum, apple butter, gooseberry, and we have also started working on elderberry syrup. My father-in-law taught we how to tap trees so I can now make maple syrup as well.
We do not harvest our own honey but we do sell honey. We bring in honey from a local apiary called Homestead Honey. They keep bees adjacent to our property and their bees help pollinate our field.
Check out my website for more information on our farm! https://www.whisperingtreesandhoneybees.com/
Life as a Chef
February 11 @ 6:00pm (South x SouthEast Brewing Co – 51146 US-52 ) – Tessa Leung
Tessa Leung, a founding partner and Sales and Marketing Director of South x Southeast Brewing, hails from Rochester, MN, and grew up in Stewartville. Initially a nurse, she found her passion in food, wine, and beer, training at LeCordon Bleu and becoming a level 2 sommelier. Inspired by her Grandma “Jewelbox,” Tessa has launched several ventures, including restaurants, a brewing company, a wine shop, and two catering companies over 20 years. With a thousand more ideas, she’s ready to pursue them—unless the “World Ambassador of Champagne” role opens up! Guided by her parents’ values of honesty, fairness, and hard work, Tessa dedicates herself fully to her businesses. When not exploring Southern Minnesota’s beer scene, she and her husband, Nelson, enjoy cooking, eating, and traveling with their adventurous pup, Cortado.
Tessa will share insights on growing up in a small Minnesota town, working in a professional kitchen as a woman, and developing her unique cooking style. The discussion will highlight a Midwestern approach in the kitchen, echoing her father-in-law’s wisdom: “The only thing you ever truly own is what you put in your stomach.” As she ages, Tessa embraces the wisdom and freedom found in food.
Book Club
February 17 @ 10:30am (Library)
We have a book club that discusses a new book each month! Members look forward to discussing the One Town One Title selection each February.
Jam Making Demonstration
February 21 @ 2:30pm (Pine Island United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall – 200 N Main St) – Michelle Trelstad
Michelle will demonstrate how she makes jam from the fruit of her berry farm. She is bringing samples for all registered attendees to take home, so signup by February 14 by contacting the library!
Wild Rice: Gathering the Food that Grows on the Water
February 26 @ 6:30pm (Pine Island History Center – 314 N Main St) – Annete Drewes
Minnesota claimed wild rice as a state grain in 1977. Nearly fifty years later, the native, wild grass is threatened by climate change, loss of habitat and mining development. Come learn about this annual plant, still growing wild in our lakes and streams. Every fall people gather wild rice into canoes, discovering the web of life that still sustains a plant which has been here for over 2,000 years. Nowhere else in the world does wild rice grow in such abundance. Find out about this food that grows on water.
