Certain events or songs or magazines bring back a flood of memories, at least for me. When I heard today that Gourmet Magazine, first published in 1940, was closing its operation, I remembered what this magazine has meant to me. I certainly understand their reasoning, as the other food magazine they own, Bon Apetit outsells them two to one. But Gourmet, my go to magazine for over 40 years on everything everything related to food and travel, how could they be going out of business?
When I left Los Angeles in 2003 I left behind a collection of over 500 Gourmet Magazines, dating back to 1968. I subscribed to it since I first married, and eagerly looked forward to its arrival every month. When the little card came telling me I only had two issues left, I would tell my kids and they would buy my subscription for me for the next birthday or Mother's Day.
You might wonder what I liked so much about this particular magazine, after all there are many magazines around with good recipes and menu ideas. Gourmet was special. Each month they would have a special feature, with a fabulous menu and great recipes. For example, around Labor Day, they might have a barbeque feature, with outdoor eating ideas you'd never thought of. And the food photography was spectacular. Everything they photographed was a work of art.
Each month they would also review restaurants from New York and California. Every other month they reviewed a restaurant from Los Angeles, and I always looked forward to this feature, and of course trying the restaurant in question. Editor in Chief Ruth Reichl was the food editor at the LA Times for many years, and I suspect she was personally involved in this particular feature.
Finally, the travel features that they presented each month were fantastic. I never planned a trip without first reviewing past Gourmet articles. They would give in great detail places to stay, restaurants to eat at, and cities and shops to visit. I remember planning one particular trip to Provence, a driving trip, where I followed their route exactly. The Gourmet article was about five years old, but the information was accurate, except for a slight increase in prices. I just loved this feature, and during the years when we couldn't travel much, I was an armchair traveller to some foreign city every time my new edition of Gourmet arrived.
So it is with great sadness that I say goodbye to Gourmet in its original form. Luckily, Gourmet's book publishing, television programming, and recipes on Epicurious.com will continue. And luckily their parent company, Conde Nast is a wonderful magazine for travel. There is so much competition today with the internet that there's just not enough advertising to keep them alive. I for one, will miss my monthly fix of restaurants, travel and great recipes.
When I left Los Angeles in 2003 I left behind a collection of over 500 Gourmet Magazines, dating back to 1968. I subscribed to it since I first married, and eagerly looked forward to its arrival every month. When the little card came telling me I only had two issues left, I would tell my kids and they would buy my subscription for me for the next birthday or Mother's Day.
You might wonder what I liked so much about this particular magazine, after all there are many magazines around with good recipes and menu ideas. Gourmet was special. Each month they would have a special feature, with a fabulous menu and great recipes. For example, around Labor Day, they might have a barbeque feature, with outdoor eating ideas you'd never thought of. And the food photography was spectacular. Everything they photographed was a work of art.
Each month they would also review restaurants from New York and California. Every other month they reviewed a restaurant from Los Angeles, and I always looked forward to this feature, and of course trying the restaurant in question. Editor in Chief Ruth Reichl was the food editor at the LA Times for many years, and I suspect she was personally involved in this particular feature.
Finally, the travel features that they presented each month were fantastic. I never planned a trip without first reviewing past Gourmet articles. They would give in great detail places to stay, restaurants to eat at, and cities and shops to visit. I remember planning one particular trip to Provence, a driving trip, where I followed their route exactly. The Gourmet article was about five years old, but the information was accurate, except for a slight increase in prices. I just loved this feature, and during the years when we couldn't travel much, I was an armchair traveller to some foreign city every time my new edition of Gourmet arrived.
So it is with great sadness that I say goodbye to Gourmet in its original form. Luckily, Gourmet's book publishing, television programming, and recipes on Epicurious.com will continue. And luckily their parent company, Conde Nast is a wonderful magazine for travel. There is so much competition today with the internet that there's just not enough advertising to keep them alive. I for one, will miss my monthly fix of restaurants, travel and great recipes.
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