Aubergine, by Julia Cho (San Diego, CA)

Ray believes in the power of food. As a gourmet chef, he’s seen a bowl of berries help a woman to fall in love. He’s heard stories of a meal prepared by a mother to keep a son from leaving home and moving to the other side of the world. Now with the help of his uncle, who arrives unexpectedly from Korea, Ray is tasked with preparing a family soup recipe to keep his father alive.

When words fail, a home-cooked meal transcends differences in this touching story of intergenerational connectedness, forgiveness and the sweetest spice of life: love. As a Korean family struggles to relate across emotional and cultural divides, it’s the ingredients they share in common that lead to understanding. Aubergine is a mouthwatering meditation on the beauty of life where hope is no mere ingredient—it’s the main course.