About this item
Beatrice Ojakangas, the oldest of ten children, came by it naturally - the cooking but also the pluck and perseverance that she's served up with her renowned Scandinavian dishes over the years. In the wake of the Moose Lake fires and famine of 1918, Ojakangas tells us in this delightful memoir-cum-cookbook, her grandfather sent for a Finnish mail-order bride - and got one who'd trained as a chef. Ojakangas's stories, are, unsurprisingly, steeped in food lore: tales of cardamom and rye, baking salt cake at the age of five on a wood-burning stove, growing up on venison, making egg rolls for Chun King, and sending off a Pillsbury Bake Off-winning recipe without ever making it. And from here, how those early roots flourished through hard work and dedication to a successful (but never easy) career in food writing and a much wider world, from working for pizza roll king Jeno Paulucci to researching food traditions in Finland and appearing with Julia Child and Martha Stewart - all without ever leaving behind the lessons learned on the farm.
About the Author
Beatrice Ojakangas has a rich background in Scandinavian cuisines, traditions and history. She and her husband, Richard, are second-generation Americans. All of their grandparents came from Finland. As they visited in Finland, Beatrice, known as "Peaches" to her friends and relatives, became interested in the foods and traditions of all Scandinavian countries. She has a special knack for making friends, and now has many acquaintances throughout Scandinavia. She is known for the sumptuous smorgasbords she prepares and serves in her home. If you visit in northern Minnesota, you may find her teaching cooking classes in her large, well-stocked kitchen. Or she may be assisting with Scandinavian heritage-appreciation camps. Beatrice has authored a Finnish cookbook and numerous articles on Finnish and Scandinavian cooking.
