THE SECRET INGREDIENT

THE SECRET INGREDIENT, a charming and quirky coming-of-age tale, features Olivia, a young teenager growing up in the hip, funky Silverlake district of Los Angeles. Sixteen-year-old Olivia and her older brother, Jeremy are adopted, and their household is definitely not traditional, but to them having two dads is perfectly normal. Lately, though, Olivia and Jeremy have noticed tension between their dads. Usually upbeat and nurturing Enrique, an ex-dancer turned fashion stylist, seems drawn and distracted, and Bell, an ambitious chef, seems more troubled than usual. Though never told explicitly, Olivia and Jeremy suspect money troubles, and each develops a way to contribute to the family pot. Olivia gets a job at a casting agency despite her disinterest in Hollywood (her dream is to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Paris), and her brother makes a dodgy arrangement involving an ice cream truck, but their efforts only bring more turmoil.

On her way to the interview with the casting agent (in her sneakers), Olivia has a chance meeting with a surprisingly nonchalant psychic who tells her this summer will be pivotal. Something will change her life drastically. Soon after, Olivia has not one but two unusual encounters. The first is with Theo, a sweet, philosophical wannabe bike racer who has the most unusual reason for not hooking up with her the previous year. Olivia's discovery of a mysterious vintage cookbook spark both an imaginary dialogue with a housewife from the 1960s and a true one with herself, which, along with the cookbook and Theo, lead Olivia to become curious, for the first time, about her birth mother. With the help of her chic and energetic British best friend Lola, Olivia sets out to find the mother she never knew. Her summer adventures - the cookbook, her search for her birth mother, and her developing relationship with Theo - are pivotal in Olivia's coming of age, and in her acceptance of a family that goes beyond DNA and the conventions we're taught to uphold.