Gourmet (magazine)
Gourmet magazine was a monthly publication of Condé Nast and the first U.S. magazine devoted to food and wine.[1] The New York Times noted that "Gourmet was to food what Vogue is to fashion."[4] Founded by Earle R. MacAusland (1890–1980), Gourmet, first published in January 1941,[5] also covered "good living" on a wider scale, and grew to incorporate culture, travel, and politics into its food coverage. James Oseland, an author and editor in chief of rival food magazine Saveur, called Gourmet "an American cultural icon."[6]
Editor in chief
Ruth Reichl (1999–2009)
Gail Zweigenthal (1991–1998)
Jane Montant (1980–1991)
Earle R. MacAusland (1941–1980)
Monthly
Earle R. MacAusland (1941–1980)[1]
Condé Nast (1983–2009)
January 1941[1]
November 2009[2]
USA
The magazine's contributors included James Beard, Laurie Colwin, M.F.K. Fisher, Lucius Beebe, George Plimpton, Anita Loos, Paul Theroux, Ray Bradbury, Annie Proulx, Elizabeth David, Madhur Jaffrey, and David Foster Wallace, whose essay "Consider the Lobster" appeared in Gourmet in 2004.[6][7][8]
On October 5, 2009, Condé Nast announced that Gourmet would cease monthly publication by the end of 2009, due to a decline in advertising sales[9] and shifting food interests among the readership.[10] Editor Ruth Reichl, in the middle of a tour promoting the Gourmet Today cookbook, confirmed that the magazine's November 2009 issue, distributed in mid-October, was the magazine's last.[2]
The Gourmet brand continues to be used by Condé Nast for book and television programming and recipes appearing on Epicurious.com.[9] Since the end of its regular run, Condé Nast has also used the Gourmet brand in a series of special edition magazines, covering niches ranging from grilling and Italian food, to quick recipes, holiday foods, and comfort foods.
As of 2009, the editor in chief for Gourmet was Ruth Reichl. The executive editor was John Willoughby, the executive food editor was Kemp M. Minifie, and the executive chef was Sara Moulton.
Editors in chief:
Expansion into television[edit]
Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie premiered on PBS in October 2006.[33] The series won a James Beard Foundation Award in 2008.[34] In October 2009, Gourmet's Adventures With Ruth premiered on PBS as a follow-up to Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie.[35] The show featured Reichl visiting cooking schools around the world with well-known chefs.