Food Person

Brought to you by Penguin.

When twenty-something Isabella Pasternack is fired from her job at a digital food magazine, she accepts a thankless job for the paycheck: ghostwrite the very past-due cookbook for a once-beloved thirty-something actress, Molly Babcock.

Molly, trying to repair her reputation after a serious downward spiral, meets Isabella’s earnest attempts to connect with inconsistency, indifference, and cruelty. But, for the first time in her life, Isabella is determined to dig in her heels, and figure out if there’s anything Molly actually knows how to cook (or even likes to eat).

Isabella’s slice of contemporary New York is filled out by a cast including: Isabella’s acerbic roommate and best friend Owen, her widowed mother whose cooking isn’t only bad, it’s dangerous, and of course a handsome chef love interest. Hilarious and hopeful, at its core, FOOD PERSON is about commitment to self-discovery, the beauty of community, and how unapologetically forging your own future can lead to everyone getting the ending they deserve. And of course, very delicious food.

© Adam Roberts 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025