When my grandmother arrived in America, on a hot summer day in 1903, it was on a ship that had set sail from her home in Norway. With these words, we embark on a journey with a shy young woman who risked everything to experience life in America. Pernille Brekke, the narrators Bestemor (Norwegian for grandmother), carried with her little more than the recipes and family traditions she loved most. So what was it about Bestemor that inspired her granddaughter to tell the story of her journey, more than one hundred years later? Why did her brown bread leave such a lasting impression? And what can we learn about the importance of our own family heritage and traditions from the story of one woman's life?