I loved it. It was charming. The whole time I was reading I kept thinking of how much other people I know would enjoy this one. It's the story of a woman, whose mother has passed away, and she starts the novel cleaning out her mother's kitchen. She then reflects on her entire growing up. Throughout you see this wonderful mother supporting and loving her children though keeping extremely busy herself. They are from Iran but had to move during the revolution to America. Everything is all about the More...

Bijan's account of growing up in pre-revolutionary Iran is a gorgeous homage to her mother and to Persian culture. Trained in England as a nurse and midwife, Bijan's mother worked tirelessly by her husband's side in the Tehran hospital that he built and where he worked as a doctor. The early chapters of Bijan's memoir offer a captivating picture of Iranian culture and the community lost to her family after the revolution. In the garden of their hospital, her parents "threw elaborate parties... w More...

Maman's Homesick Pie is Donia Bijan's very personal memoir of being forced to leave her home in Iran as a teenager during the revolution in the 1970's. The story begins with her charming, quirky and busy childhood. Her parents built a hospital and almost singlehandedly ran it, doctoring, cooking, bandaging, and administering all while raising their family in an apartment on the top floor. It continues through her family's exhile to the US, her own struggles to become a chef and her mother and fa More...

For a girl who does not really like to cook, I sure do read a lot of cooking related books. :D Honestly that baffles me a bit too... but as I type this and really think about it, I am mesmerized by those who can cook...those who can take a table full of ingredients and create a master piece.

I don't think it is so much that I do not like cooking, as I have yet to find the patience it takes to do it right.

From the moment I laid eyes on this book I knew I wanted to read it. It sounded like the ju More...

"Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen", by Donia Bijan, is exquisite. If I could, I would give it a "10 star" review! Both beautiful and heartbreaking, this very personal story is as emotional as it is entertaining. More than a memoir, it is a celebration of food, life, and indomitable human spirit. No one has a perfect family. The more we try to deny that we are like our mother, the more we become our mother. I don't think we really appreciate our elders until we have ou More...

Another Aspect of Iran We All Need To Heed

Donia Bijan has done far more than write a very tender and entertaining memoir, a progress record from a child who loved her mother's Persian cooking to successfully creating her own restaurant (L'Amie Donia) that marries the flavors of Persian, French and American cooking and ambiance. Donia Bijan gives us the insight into the real history of Iran, a country we too often see as a 'threatening other' in the world. Though not a candy-coated image of a cou More...

This is a memoir to savor. It's a breath-taking account of a young woman who lived the life of a cherished and richly encompassed child of the world at large. I became spellbound by Donia Bijan's life story immediately, and found myself holding my breath as I grasped her book, not wanting to read it slowly, but speeding through its pages like a delicious crepe filled with Turkish coffee ice cream.

While Ms Bijan's memoir is captivating in and of itself, her exotic recipes included at the end of c More...

My one continuous thought throughout my reading of Maman’s Homesick Pie by Donia Bijan was, “is this really non-fiction?” None of it seemed particularly outrageous, but Bijan’s novel lacked the “stale factor” I often come across while reading non-fiction. It was incredibly refreshing. Not only was the story engaging, but it allowed an exploration of a culture and time I never understood before. In addition to the intriguing history there was also the added aspect of food, which readers here at C More...

If you’ve ever read a food memoir or food travelogue or any book by Anthony Bourdain, you may have come to expect certain things from the book. I know I do. I’ve read so many of these types of books that even the outstanding ones seem to blend into all the rest, what with their similar discussions of homemade cheeses or offal or France or great restaurants. It’s hard to write about food in an original way, and even those who do (Bourdain) are now being mimicked by hundreds of others eager for a More...

I may not be a terrific cook, but I love to read books about cooking, and I love books by chefs who lure me into the kitchen with their evocative descriptions of pies with buttery, tender crusts; sweet plum jam; salads studded with peppery watercress and nasturtium leaves, and much more. So how could I resist the debut book by chef Donia Bijan, Maman’s Heartsick Pie?

When you’re welcomed into an Iranian home, Bijan tells us, you’ll likely be offered a cup of hot tea, served in a glass that shows More...

I will admit that I originally picked this up for the recipes, because I love Persian food. Once, I got into it though, the story was excellent as well. It is a memoir about the author and her parents, and starts with Donia cleaning up her mother's kitchen after her death. From there she tells her story and how so many of her memories were wrapped up in food, especially those of her mother. The author tells of her childhood and early teen years growing up in Tehran, Iran with her parents and sis More...

From Thanksgiving feasts to Halloween candy collected in pillow cases, food carries us through the year from holiday to holiday. For Donia Bijan, food is the lifeblood of her memories--both from at home in Iran where she grew up before the revolution that overthrew the Shah, and from her chaotic introduction to American life at age 16 in 1978.

In Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen you will find a memoir of Donia's life as an Iranian immigrant in a time when self-identify More...

Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen by Donia Bijan is the telling of lives of Donna Bijan and her mother. Her father was a highly respected doctor who built a hospital for his obstetrical patients and her mother was a nurse. The author begins the story with her mother.

At the beginning, her mother was sent to England for her education. She knew only a few words of English and nothing of the culture. But she was resilient and strong; she mastered the language and relished More...

A lovely memoir and tribute to the author's mother. Not only is Bijan a talented chef, to her credit she is also a very good writer. I felt as though I was with her, perched on a stool in her mother's kitchen, tasting and smelling the exotic and wonderful aromas. The bonus is that Bijan has added recipes for some of her Persian inspired foods - which also happens to be one of my favorite cuisines!

I had no idea who Donia Bijan was before I read her memoir, but I certainly loved her story. After the death of her mother, Donia reflects on her life as she begins the task of sorting through her mother's things. Those reflections take us to her childhood in Iran, her family's subsequent exile to America and their new life here and Donia's own experience opening her own restaurant.

Relationships and memories often involve food: the preparing, the eating and the sharing of it. Maman's Homesick P More...

This is a very sweet book in a lot of ways. Bijan pays homage to both her Iranian parents, the culture of her youth in pre-revolutionary Iran, and her love of food. Each chapter is focused around a memory of food and recipes, whether they be traditional recipes from Iran, things she learned at the Cordon Bleu in the 1980s, or her own fusions of French, American and Iranian ingredients.

Bijan is extremely passionate about food and all the good things it inspires, and while that is very evident thr More...

This is a book by a chef who was born and lived in Iran till 1980 when her family (a colorful, talented, amazing lot) was forced to flee due to the whole Shah/revolution thing that happened. She goes to school in America and eventually to Paris to become a chef. She has always loved cooking and has a special knack for it. She devotes her entire life to it, which breaks her father's heart. He was a difficult and disappointed man, whose life did not treat fairly. The book is full of her lovely rec More...

From Iran to California to France this is a memoir about a woman's love of family, culture and craft. Her artistry is cooking. Her father wishes for her to become a doctor and not a cook. He thinks becoming a restauranteur is beneath her. Thinking this way leads to the father missing his daughter joie de vivre. I especially enjoyed reading about the daughter's love for her mother. She describes her mother in loving detail as a woman who loved to serve others in need. She even served the helpless More...

Although I'm not always a memoir person, I'm a sucker for stories involving food. Bijan's memoir about her mother, her own culinary memories, growing up Iranian, and setting out to be a chef against her father's wishes charmed me from the first page. When she closed the prologue with recipes for cardamom tea and orange cardamom cookies, I knew I was in love.

Bijan's book is a memoir and homage to her family; as she writes in her Author's Note, it is "an attempt to find answers to the questions More...

I loved this light but memorable narrative of the author's family exile from Iran. Her amazing trajectory to become a world-class chef creates an interesting interaction between culture and food. When I heard that recipes were included in the book I thought this would be cheesy. But it is not. It is an integral part of the story with multi-cultural ingredients that blend to reflect current events. And it is a local story in that she eventually settled and worked in Bay Area restaurants. Wonderfu More...

This book made my mouth water. Her descriptions of food were so vivid that I could close my eyes and actually visualize it. That's pretty amazing since I've never eaten Persian food but I know that I would love to try it. I was so inspired that I tried to buy some cardamon but my grocery store didn't carry it.
You can tell a real chef by the way they talk about food. She practically makes love to it. She lived, for a time, just to cook. Who but a real chef would go to France and work for no pay? More...

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As a child growing up in pre-revolution Iran, Donia Bijan did not realize that the lavish lifestyle of her parents and her progressive education at an international school were not necessarily the norm. Her father, Dr. Bijan, and her mother, a midwife and nurse trained in Europe, owned a labor and delivery hospital and threw elaborate parties in their spare time. Down the road, children not afforded the same luxuries attended prayers with their parents a More...

Everything about this book said to me, "Sarah, love me!" Indeed, the idea still sings its exotic song to me. An immersion in the culture of Persia; an education in French cuisine; the exploration of a search for belonging through food. A family story, even; the story of Iranian daughters and their mother, living out her exile in America, with recipes.

Indeed, I wanted to be told this story and the story's hope still haunts me. But sadly, Bijan wrote the book without knowing what her own story was More...

Donia Bijan came to the US as a teen during the Iranian revolution and has written a special memoir about her family's experience. After studying French in college, she went to Paris and began years of grueling labor to become a chef who opened a restaurant in Palo Alto. The tribute to her supportive mother is touching. The many recipes are a treat. I'm planning on buying several copies to give as gifts to friends who read and cook.

Apparently, ancient aunts... a pretty start to a sentence

Tehran--Paris--San Francisco
food
mother
exile
pomegranates walnuts lentils quince

I'd pass this sweet book on for someone else to enjoy except I must keep it for the recipes. I'd like to try almost everything in here.
My copy is an ARC with the same illustration on the cover but the background is white. The only suggestion/hope I have is that the final edition included an index for the recipes like Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret More...

Heartwarming and very poignant. Ms. Bijan weaves recipes into her prose in a seamless way. I was left wondering why more authors don't put more emphasis on food- after all, eating takes a great deal of our time and incorporates many senses; is strongly associated with memories and relationships. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that big pieces of the author's life were absent- where was the other sister?

I love foodie books. Love them. I love memoirs, too. So, this is a great book for me. I love learning someone's story through the prism of food.

What a fantastic book. If you love food and the restaurant life - this is the book for you. If you are curious about Iran's recent history from an exile's perspective - you'll love this. If you love a good memoir - pick it up. Read this book.

Beautiful memoir from California chef Donia Bijan -- born in Persia, educated in England and the US, studied cooking at the Cordon Bleu in France -- who details her struggles in becoming a chef. She includes poignant memories of her parents, especially her mother who was always there for her. A great book for anyone who loves books about food and cooking . . . and yes, there are recipes.

It helps that I know Donia through her restaurant L'Amie Donia, so I could imagine her voice as I read, telling me the story of her family and her relationship to food. Sometimes the story of her parents and Iran, and sometimes a memoir, the book is an easy read and I especially enjoyed the vivid descriptions of her time in France. The recipes interspersed sound tasty, definitely some that I will try - I kept a stack of post-its next to me as I read.

Three quarters memoir and one quarter recipe book, Maman's Homesick Pie is truly a tribute to Bijan's journey with food supported throughout by her relationship with her mother. The book begins in Iran with her memories of growing up and eating her mother's cooking. With political upheaval in Iran, the family finds themselves outcasts. Donia lands in the U.S. for high school and begins learning American traditions in food as well. Her own cooking is a blend of Iranian, American and French ingred More...