All Henrico Reads to Feature Award-Winning Author, Food Editor, and Restaurant Critic Ruth Reichl on March 27

Best-selling author will discuss her latest work, “The Paris Novel,” at free event

Henrico’s long-running literary event All Henrico Reads returns on Thursday, March 27 at 7 p.m. with Ruth Reichl, a well-known and leading voice in the culinary world. The event is free and open to the public and will be held at the Henrico Sports & Events Center, at 1 All Star Boulevard, Glen Allen, VA 23060.

Reichl will talk about her most recent book, “The Paris Novel.” A feast for the senses, the novel is a testament to living deliciously, taking chances, and finding your true home. The story follows a young woman named Stella who receives an unusual inheritance prompting her to leave her safe and predictable life to navigate Paris alone in the 1980s. Stella discovers a city filled with food, fashion, and art. Although the tale is fictional, it includes real people and places, including a mystery in a Manet painting.

The event is sponsored by the Friends of Henrico County Public Library, Henrico County Public Library, and Henrico County Public Schools.  

Reichl is the New York Times best-selling author of five memoirs, novels, and the cookbook My Kitchen Year. She was editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, a restaurant critic for The New York Times, and a food editor and restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times. Reichl has been honored with six James Beard Awards, and in 2024 received the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award.

Recognized as one of the leading voices in the culinary world, Reichl was born and raised in New York City and moved to Berkeley, California, in the early 1970s. She began her career there as chef and co-owner of Swallow Restaurant and went on to become one of the top restaurant critics in America, a best-selling author, and host of the PBS series Gourmet’s Adventures with Ruth. A favorite with audiences of all flavors, Ruth shares her current musings on her La Briffe Substack channel. 

“It is an honor to have Ruth Reichl as our author for All Henrico Reads 2025,” Library Director Barbara Weedman said. “Our region is known for its culinary scene, and we’re excited to invite and welcome the community to this event. We are also grateful to our Friends of Henrico County and Henrico County Public Schools for a wonderful and enduring partnership that makes this exciting event possible each year.” 

All Henrico Reads is a one book reading program, encouraging members of the community to all read the same book or a book along the same topic, then discuss it together—whether at Henrico County Public Library book discussion groups or on their own—and hear the author speak at the public event. By bringing people together over a common topic, the aim is to encourage a sense of community, promote literacy, and foster a love for the connecting power of literature. Learn more at https://henricolibrary.org/ahr

Henrico County Public Library’s mission is to promote reading and lifelong learning, connect people with the information they need, and enrich community life.

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