Comments on: Goodbye Gourmet Magazine

By: Donna in DE

Donna in DE — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:53:13 +0000

I forgot to mention that, as MARY ANN said, the magazine had beautiful layouts that always made you want to purchase it. Because I travel so much, I learned where to go to eat when I was in a different city or country for that matter, through Gourmet. Don’t get me wrong from my previous comments, I also loved gourmet food. Gourmet Magazine and the chefs of the Food Network really got me into cooking, which I hated. My thing was baking up until then. I used to get the magazine for the desserts, then broadened my horizons to other areas in the issues. It was my favorite food magazine and their holiday issues, barbecue and comfort food issues were a “must keep” for me. I will truly miss it. So now I have Gordon Ramsay to help me wow my friends and family, especially my European friends.

By: Mary Ann

Mary Ann — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:14:59 +0000

I was also saddened by the close of Gourmet. I work as a print media buyer, so seeing Gourmet go down, along with many other print magazines in the past year of two leaves me a little unnerved. I loved Gourmet magazine not only for it’s beautiful layouts of food, but it’s reviews of restaurants, travel, etc. The times they are a changing.

By: linda richards

linda richards — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:52:21 +0000

Gourmet had nearly 1 million subscribers each month. I was one of them. I had some issues from which I made a half a dozen fantastic compliment-gathering meals. From most other food magazines I am lucky if there is one original, doable recipe I even save.

I love Rachel Ray on TV but her magazine, which is getting a lot of today’s food advertisers, is so frenetic in its layout, advertising and recipes, I want a Valium after I read it.

I have to admit I now use the Internet more than any printed material of any kind. But I still loved Gourmet Magazine. As a former journalist I am sorry to see more legitimate journalism bite the dust. As an aspiring gourmand and excellent cook I am devasted that Gourmet could not make it through this devastating recession.

By: Penny

Penny — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:05:42 +0000

My history with Gourmet goes back to the 1960′s. I have never thought of it as pretentious. It has stretched my imagination and taught me things about food and travel that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. With contributors over the years like Laurie Colwin, James Beard, M.F.K. Fisher and Barbara Kafka, we were treated to the best talents in the food world. A publication that makes you think about your choices and gives you good prose as a bonus, should not be taken lightly. Unfortunately Conde Nast disagrees. It is a sad day indeed.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:37:15 +0000

Funny…I’m on the same page re: Gourmet versus Saveur. And, hell, the only reason I eat cereal is because I have to! Otherwise, give me good food–community or all by my lonesome. Some of the best meals I’ve eaten have been when I’ve been alone.

By: Maya

Maya — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:39:42 +0000

I have a scrapbook full of recipes ripped out from the pages of both Gourmet and Saveur from about 10 years ago that I have never tried, mostly because they call for weird ingredients I’m happy to eat but don’t keep in stock or because they’re too complicated. I LOVE the pictures though, and getting ideas of things to cook.

Like everyone else, I’ve also stopped buying the mags in the past few years. I would rather spend the money on good organic ingredients and invent my own recipes.

Please let me know when you are trying the chicken-fried steak recipes so I can be sure to come home! My momma’s cooking is THE BEST.

By: Donna in DE

Donna in DE — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:54:42 +0000

I’m shocked! I did not know that the magazine was closed down. I agree with ERIN. I didn’t care if it was considered pretensious or not by some, I learned much from that magazine, and have even saved a few copies from the past. I learned a lot about beers, wines, liquers and the like and again like Erin, skipped over those recipes that did not suit my food sensibilities and went right for those recipes that I considered homey and comforting.

Like LANI though, I have not purchased that magazine in a few years because my thing now is local harvest and organic cookbooks. A good one is called LOCAL FLAVORS, by Deborah Madison, an excellent read and lovely, delicious recipes. You may need to play around with some to get them to your liking, but really good, plus I have an old Mennonite Cookbook that I use for good simplistic cooking.

I was just telling my huband this afternoon, when we were having lunch at an Amish Restaurant in Lancaster, Pa., who needs gourmet when you have this wonderful, simple and delicious homemade food that tastes like grandma made. Ah, to be a child again and eat grandma’s cooking. That was real comfort food.

By: Lani

Lani — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:29:36 +0000

When I was a young bride, Gourmet magazine and cookbooks, Julia Child, and James Beard were my tutors in the kitchen and formed a beautiful world view of food. I cried when she died and, now, almost cried when Gourmet was closed. However, I no longer have their cookbooks nor have I bought an issue in years. So I realized that their time has simply ended….”no longer relevant” is it in a nutshell.

I think my sadness is tied up in watching an era pass, the things of youth which are being replaced. Saying goodbye to a good thing.

But once the goodbyes are done, I look at the legacy of those and other pioneers in bookstores, crammed with every kind of cookbook imaginable and I’m happy again.

By: Erin

Erin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:48:59 +0000

I don’t care if Gourmet magazine was pretentious. I’ve subscribed to it since 1984, and although I occasionally had to skim over an article or two that was geared toward some haute target audience of which I am not a part, I feel like a dearly beloved elderly relative just died. I am terribly sad. That magazine helped to form the roots for the love of food that I have today.

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:52:40 +0000

Giggling with you, Maria, because Saveur really is a dumb name and I remember getting schooled on how to pronounce it which to me is never a good sign for a magazine title but somehow they survived.

I love Ruth Reichl and her books and that’s very cool that you’ve worked with her.