Season to Taste - How I Lost My Sense of Smell and Found My Way

“A rich, engrossing, and deeply intelligent story….This is a book I won’t soon forget.”

—Molly Wizenberg, bestselling author of A Homemade Life

“Fresh, smart, and consistently surprising. If this beautifully written book were a smell, it would be a crisp green apple.”

—Claire Dederer, bestselling author of Poser

Season to Taste is an aspiring chef’s moving account of finding her way—in the kitchen and beyond—after a tragic accident destroys her sense of smell. Molly Birnbaum’s remarkable story—written with the good cheer and great charm of popular food writers Laurie Colwin and Ruth Reichl—is destined to stand alongside Julie Powell’s Julie and Julia as a classic tale of a cooking life. Season to Taste is sad, funny, joyous, and inspiring.

It’s a journey into a world without scent and a testament to how the senses shape our lives.

A Life-Altering Accident: One morning, an aspiring chef’s world goes silent when a car accident steals her sense of smell, forcing her to abandon her culinary dreams. The Science of Scent: Dive into the fascinating neuroscience of olfaction as Molly Birnbaum explores what it means to live with anosmia and learns how the brain can relearn to perceive the world. A New Way to Taste: When flavor vanishes, texture, color, and temperature take center stage. Discover how she rediscovers the joy of food through senses she once took for granted. A Culinary Comeback: More than just a story of loss, this is a heartfelt culinary memoir about finding your way back to the kitchen—and yourself—against all odds.