The One Burner
Bistro
this ain't your mamma's cookbook
Fun, Food and Stories
about the author
Tim Mangan
Tim was born in Oconomowoc Wisconsin and grew up in Cadott, a small town in northwest Wisconsin. At an early age, with his quick wit and innocent face, he convinced his mother that the deer in the Florida everglades have web feet. This was his start of his storytelling adventures.
Tim learned how to cook under the watchful eye of his mother and by the time he was ten he was cooking dinner for his entire family.
He moved to Madison Wisconsin in his early 20s and enrolled in a chef course at the local community college. Looking into his future, he decided he did not want to make a career as a chef, but he still retained his passion for cooking.
Tim moved to Crossville Tennessee in 2010 and joined the Cumberland Mountain Storytelling Guild where he served as president. He has told stories on stage in Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida. He is the self-proclaimed ‘Purveyor of Questionable Wisdom’.
author's quote
I may be the Purveyor of Questionable Wisdom, but I’ve learned this much: when food and stories are shared, nobody leaves the table empty.
about the book
The One Burner Bistro
Food, Fun, and Stories is more than a cookbook — it’s a companion for anyone who loves great food, limited space, and a good laugh along the way. Written by the self-proclaimed “Purveyor of Questionable Wisdom,” this book blends practical cooking solutions with memorable stories collected from a life of travel, family, campfires, and kitchen adventure.
Designed especially for RVers, tiny-kitchen cooks, and one-burner chefs, these pages walk you through simple, flavorful dishes made with a single induction hotplate, an electric pressure cooker, and a microwave convection oven. You’ll find clever storage tricks, vacuum-sealing hacks, guides to freezing meals, and instructions for everything from campfire cooking to real, honest-to-goodness BBQ — all tailored for people who don’t have acres of counter space.
But woven between the recipes is the real magic: heartfelt, humorous storytelling. From tales of dandelion wine gone wrong and mail-order greens from Mom, to run-ins with “strawberry onions,” crafty oystermen, curious wildlife, and the charm of small-town festivals, each story brings warmth, nostalgia, and a smile.
Whether you’re simmering a pot of chowder in your RV, grilling oysters on the beach, or laughing over memories of past adventures, this book invites you to savor not just the food, but the moments that make a meal unforgettable.
Part cookbook. Part travelogue. Part heartfelt memoir.
A delicious journey — one burner at a time.