The Feeding Tube

Amy Theilen’s Heartland Headed to Bookstores, Food Network

Read the book, watch the show.
Read the book, watch the show. Photo: Courtesy of Random House

Those finding the implied fierceness of Cutthroat Kitchen less than razor sharp and the mere thought of Guy’s Grocery Games more anxiety-inducing than trying to get through the express lane with more than fifteen items will no doubt be excited to hear the Food Network has teamed up with Random House on Heartland Table, a show based on author Amy Thielen’s forthcoming The New Midwestern Table: 200 Heartland Recipes. The book comes out on September 24, while the show debuts a bit earlier on September 14. In an era of high-stakes, to-the-death food-TV drama, the whole thing sounds pretty classy. And welcoming.

The Minnesota-based Thielen, who once cooked for chefs in New York’s four-star club (Bouley, Vongerichten, Boulud), “will introduce viewers to the food, unique characters, and important traditions of the Midwest,” according to a press release, which posits Midwestern food as the backbone of American cooking.

Tavola Productions, a production company founded by Lidia Bastianich, is working with Random House Television and Food Network on the show. We’ll post a trailer as soon in the upcoming weeks.

Related: Price Check: Guy Fieri to Host Guy’s Grocery Games

Amy Theilen’s Heartland Headed to Bookstores, Food Network