Before he was allowed to enter the Tsil Cafe, he had to pass his father's taste tests. Anchovies. Habaneros chiles. Chipotle peppers. Food to purge body and soul. Food his arrogant and sometimes volatile father uses as a measure of other people, even his son. Here Weston cuts and chops. He builds kachina masks to slide onto the edges of plates. He sweats.

Caught between kitchens, Weston quickly learns that he's also trapped by his loving but wayward parents -- by their secrets and surprising histories and gaping needs. By the fold of customers and cafe associates privy to his growing up and to the very private heart of his family life.

Weston chooses his escapes intuitively, but can't away.

In this bittersweet and often funny coming-of-age novel, food is the reflection of life's shifting flavors, and readers will be drawn to the delicious package in which Averill delivers his story. But ultimately they'll attach to this complicated and powerfully connected family, and when Averill serves us his feasts of reconciliation, readers will want to raise a toast.