The Sweet Sides of Bitter

The story of a young girl growing up in the war torn German metropolis of Berlin is factually correct. Her strict and disciplined upbringing and the mortal fear of nightly bombings causes her to be nervous and shy. She soon finds solace in nature while she learns to harvest the bounty of the nearby forest for nutrition that calms the ever present gnawing of her hungry stomach.

The story makes reference to some historical events post war Europe and the struggle for an apprentice position in food education. With a sense of adventure and a tongue and cheek humor the reader joins her on a journey to America. Participate in the wide eyed wonders of getting to know different cultures, different foods and a new language. The detour into motherhood, while balancing a cottage industry, makes for some zany moments. Finally, tragedy and personal challenges are touching events, but they open the field of experiences in the world of food professionals. The mental and physical stress, as well as the ambitious rush of adrenalin so typical in the service industry, often causes hilarious and at times serious happenings behind the kitchen doors. Sharing in the experiences and the knowledge of different food professionals will interest any food enthusiast.

The different segments of the books chapters are preceded by poetic stanzas which describe the part of her life following. Traveling with food in mind and an original formula for cold raised yeast pastry, ends the story of a German immigrant who adopted Texas as her home, while discovering the sweet sides of bitter.