Amy Thielen

The Path

Midwestern cooking becomes legible in the hands of a cook who can move between restaurant discipline and regional memory. Amy Thielen trained at Macalester College before heading to New York City, New York, where she became a cooking school student at Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, New York (1999–2000). The period that followed was practical schooling as much as formal instruction, with restaurant service setting the pace and demanding precision. A run through New York City kitchens gave Amy Thielen a working vocabulary built under pressure. She worked at Danube in New York City, New York, Bouley in New York City, db Bistro Moderne in New York City, 66 in New York City, and Cru in New York City. Taken together, those rooms trace a stretch of professional training where timing, repetition, and standards were part of the daily work. Broadcast work came later, with Amy Thielen serving as host at Heartland Table in Food Network (2013–2014). The move extended her food writing and kitchen experience into television without loosening its tie to place. She has also served as a contributing editor at Saveur, continuing to work in a format that values reporting, editing, and a direct line between the page and the table.

The Work Today

Current work in audio and food conversation sits naturally with a career shaped by both kitchens and publishing. Amy Thielen now cohosts Ham Radio: Cooking with Amy Thielen, a format that fits a practice built around translating Midwestern cooking and food culture into clear, grounded language. The project keeps the emphasis on exchange: how food knowledge is passed, tested, and spoken aloud.

Career - cooking school student — Institute of Culinary Education, New York City, New York (1999–2000) - professional cook — Danube, New York City, New York - professional cook — Bouley, New York City, New York - professional cook — db Bistro Moderne, New York City, New York - professional cook — 66, New York City, New York - professional cook — Cru, New York City, New York - host — Heartland Table, Food Network (2013–2014) - contributing editor — Saveur Education: Macalester College

Signature

Book-length work is where Amy Thielen has set down the clearest record of her priorities: The New Midwestern Table, Give a Girl a Knife, Company: The Radical Art of Cooking for Others, and Heartland Table. Those titles place her squarely in the overlap between regional cooking, memoir, and the practical demands of feeding other people.

Acclaim

Recognition for Amy Thielen has come from both cookery and writing. Amy's honors include James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award in American Cooking (2014) and James Beard Foundation Award for journalism. The awards point to a body of work that is as much about articulation as it is about kitchen skill, with food described in a voice readers can trust.

FAQ What is Amy Thielen's current role? As of 2026, Amy Thielen is Cohost. Where did Amy Thielen train or study? Amy Thielen trained at Macalester College. What recognition has Amy Thielen received? James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award in American Cooking (2014).