Heidi Troyer

Heidi Troyer is the main character in all three books in the Amish Cooking Class series. She is an Amish woman living in Holmes County, Ohio, in the Amish community of Walnut Creek. She comes up with the idea of the cooking class and ends up helping five very different men and women with their personal problems, as well as teaching them how to cook.

Physical Appearance
From what is seen on the front covers, Heidi has dark brown/black hair that she covers with a traditional Amish head covering (a bonnet of sorts). She has brown eyes, and she usually wears very plain black, brown, or grey dresses, in accordance with the Amish way of living. Also, she wears no makeup (also an Amish way).

Role in the Book
In the beginning of the book, she is lonely and bored, waiting for her husband Lyle to get home from work. She has cooked a nice big meal, but it is getting cold while she waits for Lyle. She thinks about how she loves to cook, and comes up with an idea: teaching a class in the art of Amish cooking.

Soon, a man named Ron drives up to the Troyer farm, asking if he can park his RV there until he can fix it (although he really just wants somewhere to park and made up this lie). Heidi is hesitant, but due to the persuasion of her husband, she agrees.

Later, she teaches her first class. To her delight, five people show up: Charlene, Kendra, Loretta, and their neighbor, Eli. The fifth class member is Ron, who comes in asking Heidi for some coffee, but ends up staying because Eli thinks that he is another man taking the class and isn't embarrassed anymore. But he also wants to steal some stuff from the Troyer's house.

Throughout the classes, Heidi teaches her students how to make many different recipes: German pizza, Haystack, Apple Pie, and a few others. She had worried that students would share personal problems (which happened when her Aunt Emma taught a quilting class) and she wasn't ready for that; but when Kendra shares that she is pregnant, amid students' other problems, Heidi forms friendships with them. Kendra doesn't know what to do with her baby, and finally asks Heidi, who is unable to conceive, if she could adopt her baby! In the end, Heidi and Lyle agree.

At the end, a romance has formed with Loretta and Eli and Ron apologizes for his thievery and returns the money and items in cash.

Role in Book Two
Kendra has been staying with Heidi until she has her situation sorted out. But one day after a doctor's appointment, Kendra comes home and tells Heidi that her parents called and want her to move back home. She's decided to keep the baby and her parents can help raise it.

Heidi is heartbroken throughout the whole day. She decides to have a new series of cooking classes to make her mind off things, and attracts six new students: Bill, Nicole, Todd, Allie, Lisa, and Lance.

This section is a work-in-progress.

Role in Book Three
This section is a work-in-progress.

Trivia

 * Heidi has a Brittany lab named Rusty.
 * Throughout the book, Heidi speaks many Amish/Philadelphia Dutch words (such as: Danki, narefich, and boppli. Thank you, nervous, and baby)