Tenderheart
by Hetty Lui McKinnon
James Beard Award Winner • IACP Book Award Winner • One of Bon Appétit’s Best Books of the Year
Part cookbook, part love letter, Tenderheart celebrates the bond between family, culture, and the vegetables that connect them. Hetty Lui McKinnon—beloved author of To Asia, With Love—offers more than 180 recipes inspired by the fruits and vegetables that filled her childhood home in Sydney, where her father, a Chinese immigrant, sold produce at the local market.
Each recipe, from Miso Mushroom Ragu with Baked Polenta to Broccoli Wontons with Umami Crisp, is rooted in her signature blend of comfort and creativity. The result is a collection that feels deeply personal yet universally inviting—a tribute to home cooking, heritage, and the quiet joy of feeding the people we love.
As Portland’s James Beard Market prepares to open nearby, we’re celebrating the spirit of thoughtful, vegetable-forward cooking with a lineup of award-winning titles like Tenderheart—books that nourish both kitchen and soul.
