Gourmet gone... sad, sad day

Today the blogosphere (well, the foodie one, and the publishing one too) was quite ga-ga over the news that Gourmet magazine (as well as Cookie, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride) are all being canned over at Conde Nast. As originally posted in the NYTimes, the decision was a shock even to insiders, who expected Bon Appetit would take the fall before Gourmet. What a sad day, I must say.

Of all the food magazines, Gourmet has long been considered one of the very best in terms of writing, photography and general usability of the recipes; some say Ruth Reichl saved it from its self-important self since taking over editorship in 1999... That's probably about when I started paying attention to the magazine, so my pre-Ruth knowledge is scanty at best. Some of my very favorite holiday ideas and recipes have come from Gourmet... and I have many of the magazines still around--they are the last of the last to get ripped up and the recipes stashed in files. As many bloggers today attested, Gourmet is a keeper, a collectible magazine with a sharp eye toward travel, food, recipes and lately especially, food politics. I have also shamelessly utilized the great photography for inspiration on food photo shoots for work...

I will greatly miss Gourmet. While my food magazine subscriptions have dwindled greatly in recent years and the internet has taken more and more of my attention with easily accessible recipes, I have maintained my Gourmet subscription stubbornly and looked forward to those gorgeous glossy covers each month in my mailbox. Sniff. Whatever past issues still exist on my cookbook shelves will NOT be ripped up... can we say laminated?! Buried with me?! Well, that may be going a bit far...

Here are a few interesting links to the news from around the web:
Slashfood (which reports staff must be out of the building by end of day Tuesday!)
The Atlantic (a lovely optimistic view...)
Across the pond at the Guardian, a sweet tribute by Jay Rayner, one of the judges from Top Chef Masters