Secrets of the Tsil Café is a coming of age story set in the world of food and enhanced with numerous recipes. Weston Hingler is the son of two cooks. His mother, a strong-minded but slightly neurotic Italian caterer, raises him in the kitchen of her business, BuenAppeTito. His father, an iconoclastic ‘New World’ chef, waits until young Wes is old enough to appreciate the flavor of anchovies (four years, in this book) before allowing the boy into the kitchen of his “Santa Fe style” restaurant, The Tsil Café. Weston grows up in the shadow of his two tough, capable, yet slightly odd parents until at last he is able to discover and reconcile the web of secrets and half-truths that make up his family history.
Weston does not merely come of age, as Averill does not merely tell a story. This book plants characters like seeds, and like plants the characters in turn grow, ripen, bloom, and wither. The disparate flavors in the foods presented in the book’s recipes are a tasty metaphor for the intense relationships in Weston’s family. Weston’s parents battle each other, but lovingly, and though on the surface they do not appear compatible, they are truly made for each other ‚Ķ much like the hot and sweet flavors of Habanero Pumpkin Pudding with Ancho Maple Sauce, for instance.
Note to readers with weak stomachs: this is not the book for you, particularly late in the book, when a feast includes llama blood, maguey worms, guinea pig, and dog. Cooks will appreciate the recipes and the detail, as other readers may not. I”ve prepared several of the recipes from this novel, and they are well worth the time and the search for exotic ingredients. (No, I have not tried the dog. I promise.)
Secrets of the Tsil Café is based around food, and so of course it is tempting to compare it to other culinary based books, but I won’t. This book deserves to stand on its own, without insipid comparisons. I am primarily a reader of fantasy, science fiction, and mysteries and I frequently find myself bored by modern ‘literature’. Here, Averill’s characters manage to contemplate their navels succinctly and successfully without degenerating into whining, armchair pop psychology, or sensationalism.
This book is delicious.
Sample recipe from the book:
Wes Hingler’s Green Salsa
12 1- to 2-inch tomatillos Quarter cup pumpkin seeds, roasted 1 jalapeno, minced
Unhusk and quarter the tomatillos and soften by heating in slight amount of water and chile-vinegar. Blend with remaining ingredients in food processor until smooth. Eat with chips or serve as a garnish for tamales.
(Bluehen Books, 2001)
