J. Ryan Stradal

"A novel of family, Midwestern values, hard work, fate, and the secrets of making a world-class beer, from the author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest"--

A Novel

The Lager Queen of Minnesota

Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club

“A sweet and savory treat.” —People “An impressive feat of narrative jujitsu . . . that keeps readers turning the pages too fast to realize just how ingenious they are.”—The New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Pick From the New York Times bestselling author of The Lager Queen of Minnesota, Kitchens of the Great Midwest is a novel about a young woman with a once-in-a-generation palate who becomes the iconic chef behind the country’s most coveted dinner reservation. When Lars Thorvald’s wife, Cynthia, falls in love with wine—and a dashing sommelier—he’s left to raise their baby, Eva, on his own. He’s determined to pass on his love of food to his daughter—starting with puréed pork shoulder. As Eva grows, she finds her solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota. From Scandinavian lutefisk to hydroponic chocolate habaneros, each ingredient represents one part of Eva’s journey as she becomes the star chef behind a legendary and secretive pop-up supper club, culminating in an opulent and emotional feast that’s a testament to her spirit and resilience. Each chapter in J. Ryan Stradal’s startlingly original debut tells the story of a single dish and character, at once capturing the zeitgeist of the Midwest, the rise of foodie culture, and delving into the ways food creates community and a sense of identity. By turns quirky, hilarious, and vividly sensory, Kitchens of the Great Midwest is an unexpected mother-daughter story about the bittersweet nature of life—its missed opportunities and its joyful surprises. It marks the entry of a brilliant new talent.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest

“Stradal serves up another saga of food and family, hurt and healing, pitched between cliff-hanger moments. . . that make the pages fly.” —People From the New York Times bestselling author J. Ryan Stradal, a story of a couple from two very different restaurant families in rustic Minnesota, and the legacy of love and tragedy, of hardship and hope, that unites and divides them Mariel Prager needs a break. Her husband Ned is having an identity crisis, her spunky, beloved restaurant is bleeding money by the day, and her mother Florence is stubbornly refusing to leave the church where she’s been holed up for more than a week. The Lakeside Supper Club has been in her family for decades, and while Mariel’s grandmother embraced the business, seeing it as a saving grace, Florence never took to it. When Mariel inherited the restaurant, skipping Florence, it created a rift between mother and daughter that never quite healed. Ned is also an heir—to a chain of home-style diners—and while he doesn't have a head for business, he knows his family's chain could provide a better future than his wife's fading restaurant. In the aftermath of a devastating tragedy, Ned and Mariel lose almost everything they hold dear, and the hard-won victories of each family hang in the balance. With their dreams dashed, can one fractured family find a way to rebuild despite their losses, and will the Lakeside Supper Club be their salvation? In this colorful, vanishing world of relish trays and brandy Old Fashioneds, J. Ryan Stradal has once again given us a story full of his signature honest, lovable yet fallible Midwestern characters as they grapple with love, loss, and marriage; what we hold onto and what we leave behind; and what our legacy will be when we are gone.

'A tremendous novel that combines powerfully moving moments with hilarious satire' Daily Mail 'Eva Thorvald is the new Olive Kitteridge' Elisabeth Egan 'Kitchens of the Great Midwest is terrific' Jane Smiley, Guardian Have you met Eva Thorvald? To her father, a chef, she's a pint-sized recipe tester and the love of his life. To the chilli chowdown contestants of Cook County, Illinois, she's a fire-eating demon. To the fashionable foodie goddess of supper clubs, she's a wanton threat. She's an enigma, a secret ingredient that no one can figure out. Someday, Eva will surprise everyone. One by one, they tell their story; together, they tell Eva's. Joyful, quirky and heartwarming, this is a novel about the family you lose, the friends you make and the chance connections that make a life. On the day before her eleventh birthday, she's cultivating chilli peppers in her wardrobe like a pro. Abandoned by her mother, gangly and poor, Eva arms herself with the weapons of her unknown heritage: a kick-ass palate and a passion bordering on obsession. Over the years, her tastes grow, and so do her ambitions. One day Eva will be the greatest chef in the world. But along the way, the people she meets will shape her - and she, them - in ways unforgettable, riotous and profound. So she - for one - knows exactly who she is by the time her mother returns. Special paperback edition with questions for reading groups, interview, guide to the Midwest, recipes and more!

"Hauska, katkeransuloinen ja riemukas. Ihan kuin Jennifer Eganin Aika suuri hämäys paitsi että musiikin sijaan pääosassa on ruoka." – The Herald Scotland

Keskilännen keittiöt

A National Bestseller! “The perfect pick-me-up on a hot summer day.” —Washington Post “[A] charmer of a tale. . . Warm, witty and--like any good craft beer--complex, the saga delivers a subtly feminist and wholly life-affirming message.” —People Magazine A novel of family, Midwestern values, hard work, fate and the secrets of making a world-class beer, from the bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest Two sisters, one farm. A family is split when their father leaves their shared inheritance entirely to Helen, his younger daughter. Despite baking award-winning pies at the local nursing home, her older sister, Edith, struggles to make what most people would call a living. So she can't help wondering what her life would have been like with even a portion of the farm money her sister kept for herself. With the proceeds from the farm, Helen builds one of the most successful light breweries in the country, and makes their company motto ubiquitous: "Drink lots. It's Blotz." Where Edith has a heart as big as Minnesota, Helen's is as rigid as a steel keg. Yet one day, Helen will find she needs some help herself, and she could find a potential savior close to home. . . if it's not too late. Meanwhile, Edith's granddaughter, Diana, grows up knowing that the real world requires a tougher constitution than her grandmother possesses. She earns a shot at learning the IPA business from the ground up--will that change their fortunes forever, and perhaps reunite her splintered family? Here we meet a cast of lovable, funny, quintessentially American characters eager to make their mark in a world that's often stacked against them. In this deeply affecting family saga, resolution can take generations, but when it finally comes, we're surprised, moved, and delighted.

Diana ist Waise und lebt bei ihrer Großmutter Edith. Neben der Schule bessert sie das Familieneinkommen durch gelegentliche Diebstähle auf. Als sie erwischt wird, ist die Strafe das Geschenk ihres Lebens: Sie darf ihre Schulden in einer Brauerei abarbeiten. Bald mischt Diana den Markt mit einzigartigen Craft-Bieren auf. Denselben Markt, in dem ihre Großtante Helen seit Jahrzehnten eine der ganz großen Brauereien besitzt. Ein Lied auf das Leben, ein Roman über mutige Frauen und große Emotionen.

Die Bierkönigin von Minnesota

Eva Thorvalds Kochkunst ist legendär: Für einen Platz bei einem ihrer Pop-up-Dinner zahlt man vierstellige Beträge und wartet mehrere Jahre. Für Cynthia Hargreaves jedoch geht es dabei um mehr als bloße Gaumenfreuden, es ist ihre einzige Chance, um einen schrecklichen Fehler wiedergutzumachen. Eine Geschichte über die Familie, die man verliert, Freunde, die man findet, und Zufallsbekanntschaften, die ein ganzes Leben bestimmen.

Die Geheimnisse der Küche des Mittleren Westens

Adam Cushman

"A large portion of this money, we of course have now learned, was put toward the scientific enterprise of discovering a new planet in the solar system and then, no other way to describe it, blowing it up." A fun and poignant collection of real reviews of fake movies by some of today's best and brightest writers. What seems like a funny, whimsical book, is actually an acute look at how cultural criticism works, what we find important or unimportant, and how movies help shape our world. Featuring writers like, Kevin Wilson (author ofThe Family Fang), Antoine Wilson (author ofPanorama City), Comedian Sofiya Alexandra, and many, many, more.

Critically Acclaimed

Edited by J. Ryan Stradal, our second annual anthology presents short fiction and non-fiction by 30 acclaimed authors: Aimee Bender, Amy Boutell, Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, Sean Carswell, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Michelle Chihara, Carribean Fragoza, Ann Friedman, Rico Gagliano, Jim Gavin, Dana Goodyear, Amelia Gray, Benj Hewitt, Vanessa Hua, Dana Johnson, Eyad Karkoutly, Rachel Khong, Lou Mathews, Neil Mathison, Kate Milliken, Joshua Mohr, Wendy C. Ortiz, Rob Roberge, Zoe Ruiz, Jim Ruland, Jerry Stahl, David L. Ulin, Deborah Vankin, Siamak Vossoughi, and Colin Winnett.

J. Ryan Stradal

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