Gourmet

Gourmet

Cover of the February 1974 issue.
Editor in chief	Ruth Reichl (1999-2009)
Former editors	Gail Zweigenthal (1991-1998) Jane Montant (1980-1991) Earle R. MacAusland (1941-1980)
Publisher	Earle R. MacAusland (1941-1980)[1] Condé Nast (1983-present)
First issue	January 1941[1]
Final issue	November 2009[2]
Country	United States
Website	http://www.gourmet.com/
ISSN	0017-2553

Gourmet magazine was a monthly publication of Condé Nast Publications and the first U.S. magazine devoted to food and wine.^[1] Founded by Earle R. MacAusland and first published in 1941,^[1] Gourmet also covered "good living" on a wider scale.

On October 5, 2009 Condé Nast announced that Gourmet will cease monthly publication by the end of 2009, due to a decline in advertising sales^[3] and shifting food interests among the readership.^[4] 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 will continue to be used by Condé Nast for book and television programming and recipes appearing on Epicurious.com.^[3]

History

Founding

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Gourmet was founded by Earle R. MacAusland, who went on to serve as publisher and editor in chief for nearly forty years.^[1] Its first issue was January 1941, and its main competitor at the time was American Cookery, formerly the Boston Cooking School Magazine which had been published since 1896.^{[citation needed]} Much of the content was similar - articles on food, recipes by the magazine, recipes submitted by readers, recipes requested by readers and advice sought by readers. But American Cookery was in black-and-white, printed on newsprint, with smaller pages and content focused on America. Gourmet was upscale, slick, in color, with a focus on Europe and New York City, and most of its recipes carrying French names.^{[citation needed]} Gourmet began publication just before the outbreak of World War II, which brought war rationing. Its upscale audience was urged to save the issues and to use the recipes after the war and rationing ended.

Subsequent years

This section requires expansion.

Condé Nast Publications bought the magazine in 1983.

On October 5, 2009 Condé Nast Publications CEO Chuck Townsend announced that the magazine will cease monthly publication; the company "will remain committed to the brand, retaining Gourmet’s book publishing and television programming, and Gourmet recipes on Epicurious.com. We will concentrate our publishing activities in the epicurean category on Bon Appétit."^[5]

Editors

As of 2009, the editor in chief for Gourmet is Ruth Reichl. The executive editor is John Willoughby, the executive food editor is Kemp M. Minifie, and the executive chef is Sara Moulton.

Editors in chief:

• Ruth Reichl (1999-2009)^[6]
• Gail Zweigenthal (1991-1998)^[7]
• Jane Montant (1980-1991)^[8]
• Earle R. MacAusland (1941-1980)^[1]

Gourmet Today

In the aftermath of the announcement that Gourmet is folding, Gourmet Today, its cookbook that was released a few weeks before the news, saw a significant spike in sales.^[9] The cookbook includes over 1,000 recipes for everything from vegetable dishes to cocktails.^[9]

Expansion into television

In October 2009, Gourmet will launch Gourmet's Adventures With Ruth on PBS as a follow up to Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie which was also on the public television channel. ^[10] The show will feature editor Ruth Reichl visiting cooking schools around the world with well-known chefs.

References

External links

• Official website
• Photos from the last days of Gourmet

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