RIP Gourmet (1941-2009)

The culinary world mourns a devastating loss

By Khalil Hymore

This week publisher Condé Nast did the unthinkable. It shuttered Gourmet magazine. This, by now, is not news to you, especially if you're a regularly reader of this blog (you know how much I loved my Gourmet). Truth be told, I was actually planning to discuss the merits of boneless, skinless chicken breast this week...no, seriously! But how could I now, with the culinary world still mourning a big loss.

On Monday, the foodie blogosphere was horrified to learn that Ruth Reichl and the Gourmet staff were asked to close up shop. It took many of us who work in the magazine industry by surprise and left us scratching our heads, why? Gourmet was the only magazine that I actually read cover to cover consistently every single month, which is saying something, because when you work for a magazine you read a lot of them. Gourmet was different though. It fed me, literally and figuratively. But at the end of the day, it was just a magazine...right? Well, yes, and no.

The demise of Gourmet is shocking because it is such a venerable brand, premiering in 1941. Our grandmothers subscribed, our mothers subscribed, and thus we so did we. Gourmet was an American icon that flourished in a post World War II America and quickly established itself as the place where home cooks and chefs collided. Where the line was blurred between the restaurant world and our kitchens at home. Gourmet was a cultural touchstone, for sure, but it was also a dear friend.

Though the newsstands seem to be cluttered with food magazines, none of them come close to capturing the style, sophistication, and elegance of the articles and recipes contained within the pages of Gourmet. Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and Saveur, while all fabulous publications in their own right (I especially love Saveur), they don't take us to far off lands (a boon to those of us who cannot afford to jet-set on a moments notice), do not stage elaborate and inspirational food stories, and do not engage us in the world of food politics in quite the same way.

Anyway, there really isn't all that much more to say (see below, for others' reaction to the news), except that the loss of Gourmet magazine, in my world, and if you give a damn about food at all, yours too, is devastating. My stack of old Gourmets just became a lot more valuable.

• The New York Times remembers Gourmet and fills us in on what's next for Editor-in-Chief Ruth Reichl

• Gabriella Gershenson of Time Out New York reminisces about what Gourmet meant to her

• A great blog entry by The Freckled Citizen that hits the nail on the head regarding Gourmet's demise

• Paul Smalera at True/Slant hypothesizes why Condé Nast took such drastic measures

• Chefs mourn the loss of Gourmet and pay tribute at New York Magazine's website

• A lovely piece from Diana Abu-Jaber on NPR's site about writing for Gourmet