READERS GUIDE

Reading Group Guide
Just One Taste

A Conversation with Lizzy Dent
1.         What inspired you to write Just One Taste?
I wanted to write about food again and my favorite travel destination. I was thinking a lot about how fun it would be to see a critic have to become a part of the industry they spend so much time critiquing, and so Olive was born.
 
2.         Much of the novel is set in Italy. Why did you choose Italy? Do you have a connection to the country?
I have spent almost all my holidays in Italy. Rapello, Portofino, Rome, Sicily, Venice, and Tuscany are some of my most beloved places. I live in Austria, so Italy is our neighbor and it is just a few hours’ drive to get to the north of Italy.
 
3.         Just One Taste takes place in the food and restaurant industry. You have previously shared that you have experience in hospitality. Did you draw on any specific experiences when writing this book?
Yes! I worked in a lot of restaurants, bars, and hotels when I was younger, but Olive’s character was mainly drawn from the harsh music, film, and food critics I’ve read over the years. (Shout-out to Jay Rayner’s review of Le Cinq in Paris. A hilarious eat-the-rich, classic review.) So, while I have that restaurant experience, I used a lot of food critics as my inspiration for this book.
4.         Did you have to do any research in order to write Just One Taste?
A lot. I spent ten days in Sicily visiting Mount Etna, vineyards, and eating at as many places as I could in Catania. Such a difficult job . . . ha!
5.         What’s your favorite meal you’ve ever had in Italy? What made it special?
Years ago, a writer from Wallpaper* magazine, the local guide for Rome, gave a friend and I invaluable advice for eating in Italy. She said, “consider not ordering from the menu.” She told me that if the restaurant is decent, ask your waiter to just “bring what’s good” and that you’ll say stop when you’re done. We were skeptical but tried it right away. At the very first restaurant, we got fresh zucchini flower with soft cheese and honey in a trattoria in Monti, a place famous for its carbonara. The delighted waiter told us it was the best batch of new-season zucchini he’d seen and he was bereft no one was ordering it. At the second restaurant, the waiter just brought sharing dishes—thinly sliced porcini, a crispy-skinned fish in nothing but oil and salt, a plate of particularly fine mozzarella that had arrived that morning. There is a pride in Italian cooking and service that stops them from offering the last of the leftover chicken, as you might expect elsewhere. I would hasten to add that every country has its tourist traps. J
6.         Did you have a favorite character to write in Just One Taste? Why?
I probably enjoyed writing Leo’s auntie, although she wasn’t quite as outrageous in the final version of the book.
7.         This was your fourth novel, were there aspects of the writing process that became easier? Aspects that became harder?
This one was difficult as I couldn’t just use plot to push the characters forward; it was about emotional growth. I’m not great at that, and I’m still learning how to write with more depth and insight.
8.         If you had to write a cookbook for any cuisine, and travel to that country for research, what cuisine would you choose and where would you travel?
Easy, Thailand or Japan. I’d say, after Italy, the greatest place to eat is Tokyo. I had some absolutely incredible meals there. Eating is such a ceremony in Japan. Although it’s so much more than sushi, I did eat sushi at the famous fish market (before it moved), and it blew my mind.
9.         What do you hope readers will take away from Just One Taste?
I hope they want to go to Italy!
10.       What’s next for you?
A big change of direction; writing a spicy, fun novel set in the world of F1.

Discussion Questions
1.   If you were Olive, would you keep the restaurant or sell it?
2.   What was your favorite scene in the novel and why?
3.   Why do you think Olive’s father chose to make Olive and Leo work together?
4.   Why do you think Olive and Leo are drawn to each other?
5.   Olive learns some surprising news at the end of the novel. How do you think that news changed her and her outlook?
6.   What do you think of Olive’s mother and the choices she made over the course of Olive’s life?
7.   If you could travel to any country to experience its cuisine, where would you go and why?
8.   What’s been your favorite dining experience? What made it special?
9.   If you had to pick someone to write a cookbook with, who would it be and why?
10. What does food mean to you? Are there specific foods that mean more than others?