Food Person – FoodReads Book Club, September 2026

Welcome to FoodReads, a book club where we explore and discuss all types of food literature, from food-centric novels, to non-fiction picks about food and food systems, to memoirs written by food industry professionals, home cooks, and food lovers. And of course – we are chocolatiers – each book club gathering will involve our delicious, ethically-sourced chocolate!

Our September book selection is Food Person: A Novel by Adam Roberts. Book Summary: Isabella Pasternack is a food person. She revels in the beauty of a perfectly cooked egg, she daydreams about her first meal at Chez Panisse, and every inch of her tiny apartment teems with cookbooks, from Prune to Cooking by Hand to Roast Chicken and Other Stories. What Isabella is not, unfortunately, is a gainfully employed person. In the wake of a disastrous live-streamed soufflé demonstration, Isabella is summarily fired from her job at a digital food magazine and must quickly find a way to keep herself in buckwheat and anchovy paste. When offered the opportunity to ghostwrite a cookbook for Molly Babcock, the once-beloved television actress now mired in scandal, Isabella warily accepts. Unfortunately, Molly quickly proves herself to be a nightmare collaborator: hungover, flaky, shallow, and—worst of all—indifferent to food. But between Molly’s bizarre late-night texts, goofy confessions, and impromptu road trips, Isabella reluctantly begins to see Molly’s charms. Can Isabella corral Molly out of the gossip rags and into the kitchen? Can she find the key to Molly’s heart and stomach? Or will Isabella’s devotion to her culinary idols and Molly’s monstrous ego send the entire cookbook—and both of their careers—up in flames?

You may find the book through the Monroe County Public Library System. Click here to find the book at the library.
If you would like to purchase the book, we have partnered with local bookstore Ampersand Books to offer all book club selections at a 15% discount! (Click here to find the book at Ampersand). 

This gathering includes: 
Behind the scenes access to the Laughing Gull Chocolates shop
A space to gather, discuss the book, and share in community
Chocolate to enjoy during the book discussion

Book Club Gathering Details:
Thursday, September 24th, 6-7pm
Laughing Gull Chocolates
1868 E Main St
Rochester, NY

In an effort to make FoodReads accessible, we are offering tiered pricing.
Subsidized: $5
Help us cover our costs. Consider this pricing tier if you are unable to afford other tiers, or if you hold identities that have been socially or historically marginalized.

Break Even: $10
This tier allows us to cover costs and allows us to pay our staff to put together the book club.

Pay It Forward: $15
This tier allows us to offer accessible ticket pricing and ensure that no one is excluded for lack of funds; Please also consider this tier if you hold identity that have been socially or historically advantaged.

MINIMUM ATTENDANCE: to run book club, we must have at least 6 people signed up. You will be notified and refunded if the gathering is cancelled.