I saw the news earlier today on Serious Eats - Gourmet is ceasing operations after 70 years of publication. Not to be overly dramatic, but I felt a little bit like someone had died, and spent an hour or so combing the web for details, wondering what would happen to Ruth Reichl and Gourmet's savvy staff of writers.
I love the day when Gourmet arrives in my mailbox. The cover always has an amazing photo and even when I don't get around to reading it right away, Gourmet sits on my coffee table, silently luring me into the soft chair to spend an hour or two reading the recipes, living the stories and admiring the "obsessions". This is almost always followed by a lazy afternoon in the kitchen recreating my favorite of the month's offerings.
Saveur was once my favorite food mag, but I fell out of love after Colman Andrews left and it was overhauled. Shorter with fewer stories and less depth, I began to lose interest and let my subscription run out.
Gourmet took Saveur's place in my heart. Classier than Bon Appetit, less restaurant oriented than F&W, Gourmet is like Julia Child to me - they wrote the rules and never forgot how things ought to be done.
Gourmet - I'm going to miss you. This is for me the most painful example yet of the earthshaking changes the world of publishing is facing - today it hit home.
I'm wishing all of the Gourmet staff and writers well and will say a little prayer that you find jobs you love.
Go out and have a drink, you deserve it. Cheers, Gourmet, I'll miss you.
