Salta pärlor

Salta pärlor Salted Pearls

The secret life of a star chef.

Recently divorced and disillusioned by life, freelance journalist Desiree Swahn is handed a job by her new boss: to write a portrait of legendary star chef, Pierre Bernard. It’s an assignment far from the prestigious one she’d been promised. But Desiree and Pierre’s meeting will come to be more transformative than she could have ever imagined.

Pierre Bernard’s life hasn’t only been filled with culinary accomplishments, but also passionate love and heart-rending sorrow. He takes Desiree on a journey through time, from the Grand Hotel in Stockholm in the 1920s, to Paris and a war-torn London, to a Budapest in upheaval, and the most iconic wedding of the century. In Pierre’s stories, history is given scent, texture, taste. Desiree comes to know a man who has dedicated his life to discovering new culinary sensations, but has likewise sacrificed much. By the time the interview is over, everything has changed.

Salted Pearls is the debut fiction title of star chef Niklas Ekstedt and author Katarina Ekstedt.

Reviews

  • “Finishing the book, I’m left with a feeling of warmth. And a hunger! The food is undeniably one of the main characters. The descriptions can be felt throughout one’s body, oh-so-tempting and almost poetic. /…/ I liked this novel so much! And it had an unexpected ending, which I appreciate. Highly recommended!”

    booksbyjennica, Sweden

  • “The author duo has a good eye for detail. The scents and tastes described can be felt through the page. All I’ll say is, don’t read this on an empty stomach! /…/ I enjoy novels wherein past and present are woven together, and it’s shown how the past affects the present. Katarina and Niklas weave it all together very nicely and the puzzle pieces come together to give a full picture by the end.”

    Lollosbokhorna, Sweden

  • “As a reader, it stirs your appetite! /…/ This is a book for all food lovers to immerse themselves in.”

    BTJ, Sweden

  • “What an amazing reading experience I’ve had!”

    mias_fantastiska_bokvärld, Sweden

  • “The more I read, the more certain I am that I have a gem on my hands. /…/ The milieus are so lifelike I feel as if I’m inside the novel. The culinary storytelling makes my mouth water. /…/ The love story throughout is a cut above the rest, hitting me hard. /…/ The feeling I’m left with upon finishing the book is one I’ve only experienced three times before, during live concerts: goosebumps all over my body, tears running over because I’m overwhelmed by something so beautiful.”

    malin_bibliotekarien, Sweden

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Author
Photo: Thron Ullberg Katarina & Niklas Ekstedt
Published
2026
Genre
  • Fiction
Pages
259
Rights sold

Sweden, Bazar

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