'Gourmet' Magazine: 1941–2009
"For me Gourmet has always been the gold standard for food magazines."
The editor's letter from the premiere issue (January 1941) of Gourmet magazine.
By now you've all read the shocking news this morning, courtesy of the New York Times, that Gourmet is going to cease publication with its upcoming November issue. The news hit anyone with a love for great writing and seriously delicious food hard. Really hard. For many of us Gourmet symbolized much of what we love about food journalism: terrific writing, careful editing, and beautiful photos. In recent years Gourmet editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl has also added food politics and harder food news reporting into the magazine's editorial mix, which was much appreciated by me, at least.
With the uber-consulting firm McKinsey snooping around Condé Nast headquarters for the last three months, rumors have been swirling about the future of Gourmet and its sister publication, Bon Appétit. Although some people have expressed surprise that the powers that be at Condé Nast (that would be the Newhouses) decided to axe Gourmet instead of Bon App, I had always heard that Bon Appétit was in fact the more profitable magazine. When the bean counters are counting beans at a company like Condé Nast, the magazine with the biggest pile of beans behind the masthead is generally the one left standing. Even Reichl's undeniable rock star food-writer status could not stand in the bean counters' way.
"I can't talk about it now, it's too raw. I've got to pack up my office." —Ruth Reichl, on L.A. Times' Daily Dish
Some will undoubtedly point the finger at the popularity of the web as the principal reason for Gourmet's demise. I am sure it did play a role, but, truth be told, Condé Nast owners the Newhouses have never exactly embraced the digital world, so any finger-pointing in this situation would have to start with them. The reality is that Gourmet was built in a different time (1941 to be exact) for a very different sort of media universe. (See our post where we look at the first issue of Gourmet.)
For me Gourmet has always been the gold standard for food magazines. I remember how insanely proud I was when my byline first appeared in Gourmet. I have gotten to know many of the editors and writers at Gourmet over the years, starting with Ruth Reichl predecessor Gail Zweigenthal, and I have found them to be an extraordinarily talented and savvy bunch, a group that was equally passionate in discussing pizza and hamburgers as foie gras and caviar.
RIP, Gourmet. Serious eaters everywhere lament your passing.
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17 Comments:
This is very sad as I think Gourmet is better than bon Appetit...RIP
Elle13 at 6:15PM on 10/05/09
Very sad, although it was surprising to me that they seemed to have the entire content online for free.
jennywenny at 6:17PM on 10/05/09
I'm hoping Ruth (and others I don't know by name) take their passion to other arenas and carry on the mission. I guess I'm partially to blame as I let my subscription lapse....
Pete Spande at 6:24PM on 10/05/09
It's hard times for magazines, many are folding, and the ones that survive are getting thinner all the time. I'm partly to blame, I read mine for free at the library.
dmcavanagh at 6:52PM on 10/05/09
Gourmet and Wine Enthusiast were the first "foodie" mags i ever subscribed to. I , as well, let me subscription lapse as I wanted to investigate Food and Wine, and Saveur.
I think magazines are a dying business just like newspapers. Who needs to leaf through pages upon pages for a recipe when you can google?
R.I.P GOURMET
donnie at 7:01PM on 10/05/09
What very sad news!
I have been reading the comments on the NYT website. Quite a number are on the old theme of "Gourmet recipes call for ingredients no one can find." That comment made sense years ago--I'm sure my mother (a lifelong subscriber) couldn't have found many of the ingredients in our small southern city--but now, in 2009, I would have to look hard to find a Gourmet recipe asking for ingredients I can't find. And no, I don't live in New York or Chicago or LA.
If people didn't like Gourmet, that's fine. I just wish they wouldn't drag out criticisms that don't make sense anymore.
I really hope Epicurious will continue, and that they don't take down all the Gourmet recipes just to be mean.
cliocooks at 7:11PM on 10/05/09
I have been reading and enjoying Gourmet for many years. I will have to admit that it seems to have lost its focus in the last couple years and just seems to be wandering recently.
I recently subscribed to Bon Apetit as well as I found I was enjoying those issues that I was buying more than Gourmet
Not sure I can quite put my finger on it, but am not surprised that Gourmet and not Bon Apetit was the one that was cut. I'm holding my breath on Bon Apetit though in this current environment. There are just too many magazines for the shrinking market to support all of them. I don't think it is as much the current economic climate--challanging that it is--but more of the shift from 'old' media to 'new' media.
SoCal at 7:29PM on 10/05/09
For anyone feeling bad about letting their subscriptions expire, that's not the problem. It's the advertising $$$ that makes the money for a magazine, not the subscriptions, and lately there is not that much money being spent by advertisers in any (well, most) magazines.
valerie at 7:37PM on 10/05/09
I am bereft, I love the magazine, I look forward to it each month, and read it from cover to cover. I love the politics, the behind the farm scene looks, the stylish photos. I know Ruth will recover with aplomb. Bon Appetit is really a subpar magazine. I would rather have my money back.
MellyMells at 7:41PM on 10/05/09
RIP - it certainly did have its purpose for quite a long time - longer than most magazines, however, I agree with SoCal - in recent years, Gourmet's focus turned to high-end eating, not on culinary creation. It lost its core audience.
finewinendine at 7:47PM on 10/05/09
I remember my mom having stacks and stacks of Gourmet around when I was a kid. She took me to a crepe restaurant around that same time in Oklahoma City and told me that it was the type of food they wrote about in Gourmet. This is a big loss, but I do understand that the times change.
FreshAmericanBison.com at 7:51PM on 10/05/09
Such are the times we live in, that not even the celebrated and iconic are immune from the final judgement of the spreadsheet. Now I have to see if those copies I saved are still stacked at my friends house.
chanterelle at 8:41PM on 10/05/09
God, I am just sick about this. "Gourmet" was brought back to life by Ruth Reichl around the same time "Saveur" began going downhill in a big way. While I like "Bon Appetit" well enough, it's just not the same. What's left? I suppose I should be grateful that "Fine Cooking" is still around.
This feels very much like the Food Network dropping Puck, Batali, and Moulton (exec chef at "Gourmet," by the way) and giving Rachael Ray half a dozen more shows.
P.S. From what I've read, Conde Nast plans to keep epicurious.com up and running, complete with full "Gourmet" content as before.
AuntJenny at 9:20PM on 10/05/09
I have adored Gourmet since college- it is farrrrrrr better than Bon Appetit, imho.
RIP, Gourmet. I will miss you.
sbelle at 9:27PM on 10/05/09
I just can't believe it. All day as details have leaked out about the numbers behind the Gourmet v. Bon Appetit decision, it seems to be even more of a heartless bottom-line call, which stings.
magmae at 10:43PM on 10/05/09
For me, I'm sorry to say that Gourmet was irrelevant. And I suspect that a lot of folks secretly agree with me. Take a quiz. What would you rather read? Gourmet or Cook's Illustrated or this website? To me, the former was about glamourizing the art of cooking. Having the right range, the right blender, the right ingredients...it wasn't about cooking. It was about looking good while you thought about cooking. For those who actually spend some time over the hot stove or the grill, give me Cook's Illustrated or this website.
Johnny Cash Forever at 7:46AM on 10/06/09
Meh, it was becoming more foodie lifestyle mag than anything else. I liked the recipes well enough, but the writing was pretty terrible.
ham_snadwich at 11:50AM on 10/06/09