The Gathering Table

By Kathryn Springer

Description:

Winsome Lake, Wisconsin, is postcard pretty, but for personal chef Jessica Keaton it's also a last resort. Fired from her dream job, Jess is starting over as a live-in cook and housekeeper. When she arrives, she finds her new employer is in rehab after having a stroke, and Jess expects she'll be all alone in Elaine Haviland's quaint house. A chef with no one to cook for. Instead, she encounters a constant stream of colorful visitors who draw her back into the world. As Jess contends with local teenagers, a group of scrappy women and a charming football coach, Elaine is facing some battles of her own that extend past her physical challenges. For both of them, the ingredients for a fulfilling life are within reach, if they're willing to take a risk. And maybe Jess will start to see that it's not just what's on the table that matters--it's the people gathered around it.

Book Takeaway:

Love, like cooking, involves some risk.

Why the author wrote this book:

I love what happens when people gather around the table. It's not just a place where we share a meal. We listen and laugh together, share memories and stories. Share our lives. Jess, the chef, has always prepared the food but never been invited to sit at the table until she moves into Elaine Haviland's house on Woodwind Lane.