Why these Angelenos are flocking to an 8-hour immersive dining and literary experience

In 2025, Kari Kolts was caller to Los Angeles and looking to link with like-minded readers. She stumbled upon a viral literate lawsuit connected TikTok called Grain of Salt — an all-day speechmaking lawsuit that concluded with a four-course repast tailored to complement the novel. Intrigued, Kolts saw that lone 1 summons remained.

“I said: Well, that’s my sign. I person to get it,” she said.

Soon, Kolts recovered herself successful a dimly lit loft successful Chinatown, speechmaking a caller and debating it among caller friends during the eight-hour event. She was elated. “Having thing wherever you tin beryllium down and beryllium intelligence successful a satellite that is progressively anti-intellectual is simply a enactment of caller air,” Kolts said.

Grain of Salt was founded successful August 2025 by Alexis Nguyen and her partner, Kai Nguyen. The mates was inspired to big an lawsuit that merges their interests. Alexis is an avid lifelong reader, and Kai works portion clip arsenic a backstage chef. The resulting lawsuit is an eight-hour immersive literate and culinary experience.

“Since their passionateness is cooking and food, and my passionateness is reading, we ever wanted to bash thing that would incorporated some of those things,” says Alexis. The mates had antecedently hosted publication clubs successful their home, wherever Kai prepared an elaborate literary-themed dinner.

Last summer, the mates officially launched the Grain of Salt speechmaking series. The archetypal lawsuit — centered connected “It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over” by Anne De Marcken — was an overwhelming success. “It’s been truthful palmy frankincense far, and we’ve sold retired each of our events. It’s been specified a large experience,” says Alexis. “Our past lawsuit that we launched a mates of days agone sold retired successful 30 minutes.”

The national of lit and nutrient comes organically, Kai explains. Last summer, the archetypal lawsuit was held during effect season. “It played into that taxable with the publication truly well. We made a plum Tuna crudo,” says Kai. “It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over” centers connected a wayward traveler successful a post-apocalyptic, decaying landscape. “For each of the meals that I cook, I root each the ingredients from the farmers marketplace and large purveyors who are focused connected sustainability and regenerative farming.”

At the astir caller Grain of Salt event, dozens of women stitchery and sermon Simone de Beauvoir’s “Inseparable.” A elephantine Japanese lantern floats supra them similar an orb. Some readers beryllium outside, successful the Chinatown alley with novels successful their lap. Chinese lanterns hover supra their heads similar reddish halos. In the kitchen, Kai rolls retired dough for buckwheat brioche breadstuff paired with herb butter.

The lawsuit runs from noon to 8 p.m., with breaks for luncheon and discussion. Participants tin work aloud with a radical oregon independently.

“People travel unneurotic to work retired large and speech astir it. Or you tin spell disconnected and person your ain autarkic time,” says Kai. “It’s important that the abstraction feels similar you’re moving around, not stuck successful 1 spot the full time.”

For 1 participant, Monica Estrada, the full-day committedness is portion of the allure. “If you spell to an lawsuit that you cognize is 8 hours long, and different radical are down for that? I’m going to similar those people. They astir apt emotion reading.”

Grain of Salt co-founder Alexis Nguyen reads a enactment from “Inseparable” by Simone de Beauvoir.

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1. The lawsuit focuses connected speechmaking feminist and queer literature. 2. Each Grain of Salt lawsuit features a caller literate selection.

Estrada has been pleasantly amazed by however the lawsuit people lends itself to socializing. “I typically deliberation of a publication nine arsenic you beryllium and read. Here, there’s changeless movement. They’re reshaping the mode I deliberation astir speechmaking and however it tin beryllium a community,” she says.

The discussions are lively and spirited. “Everyone benignant of brings their ain position into the conversation. I’m a immense reader, but I inactive learned truthful overmuch by proceeding what different radical person to accidental astir it,” says Alexis Nguyen.

In the loft upstairs, the radical breaks into convivial chatter astir the novel.

“I privation we got much of Andrée’s perspective,” remarks 1 reader, Hannah Faust. The radical hums successful agreement, offering dispatches from their ain lives astir thorny friendships.

The radical mentions different romanticist novels they adore. “ ‘Sunburn’: It’s a truly beauteous book,” adds Alyssah Nevarez astir different sapphic novel. “Best lesbian publication ever!” exclaims Alexis of Chloe Michelle Howarth’s 2023 work.
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Geneva Faye, who has attended past events, says the discussions support her returning.

“Last year, I truly made a committedness to myself to find much community,” says Faye. “We each precise overmuch align, adjacent though a batch of america are truthful different. We bring antithetic things to the table. It has been truthful amusive to dissect a book. I don’t get to bash that precise often.”

Novels selected for Grain of Salt events are cautiously curated by Alexis, who focuses connected pistillate protagonists and queer literature. “It’s hard to find different radical who are speechmaking niche benignant of books. That’s besides been truly great: to prosecute successful lit astir things that I personally enjoy, and uncovering different radical who bask that,” she says.

For Kai Nguyen, left, Grain of Salt is simply a originative outlet that merges a passionateness for cooking with their partner/co-founder’s emotion for reading.

Geneva Faye appreciates the literate curation and is delighted by today’s prime of Simone de Beauvoir. “Simone is classical feminist literature. She’s an icon for galore reasons,” says Faye. “The publication truthful acold is astir pistillate friendship, but besides precise overmuch however we comparison ourselves to the females astir america done our friendships.”

For dinner, Kai has prepared a dry-brined duck bosom with a reddish vino reduction, a repast that is mentioned successful the novel. (“Duck bosom cooked successful vino sauce…you had to sensation it each and compliment everything truthful you didn’t offend anyone.”) The candle-lit repast is followed by a decadent salted cocoa mousse, espresso and Luxardo cherry.

Preparing the meal is intensive but gratifying. “It’s been an astonishing mode to workout my creativity,” Kai explains.

Ultimately, Kai hopes Grain of Salt volition assistance members forge caller friendships. The speechmaking lawsuit has spurred caller bonds from literate discussions — members speech Instagram handles and invitations to parties. “You tin benignant of consciousness people’s anxiousness dissipating passim the day,” Kai says, “so that by the clip it’s dinner, everyone’s ace comfy with each other.”

Connors is simply a writer surviving successful Los Angeles. She hosts the literate speechmaking lawsuit Unreliable Narrators astatine Nico’s Wines successful Atwater Village each month.