Eva Thorvald’s mother leaves her in infancy in the care of Eva’s father who is a cook in a Minnesota restaurant.  Whenever he tries a new dish, he imagines how baby Eva will enjoy it.  She inherits his keen palate and love of cooking, and after years of hardship, Eva becomes a well-known and innovative chef in Minneapolis.  Along the way, she meets an assortment of homespun characters.

This is Stradal’s first novel, and hopefully his works will improve the more he creates.  Although I didn’t dislike Kitchens of the Great Midwest, it did nothing for me. The descriptions of food fell flat, the characters were one dimensional and at times the plot was disjointed.