I too saw that Gourmet has ceased to exist, I am more so not that sad to see it leave the stands as you may have noticed by my Twitter the day it occurred. I do understand it was around for some 68 years, and that is sad, as it would be to see Reader’s Digest or Life Magazine come to a printing end. I do believe that it is a sign of the times.
We as Canadians read more, Toronto Public Library has the LARGEST circulation in North America. But more and more, people are turning to the web to find recipes. Some food websites now charge a site fee, Cook’s Illustrated for example requires membership to view the site.
As for keeping Bon Appetit as opposed to Gourmet, Conde Nast has their reasons. People have Blogged and Twittered about it, but many have shown no surprise to its demise. The words “stodgy” has been used in many an article this past week in reference to Gourmet. Bon Appetit outsells Gourmet 2 to 1. It is the “food and entertainment” guide. Gourmet has always been more of the “haute couture” magazine and as more and more people embrace cooking at home, that may be too upper crust for them.
Myself, I have never been drawn to the magazine. I have never really enjoyed leafing through it, I have other magazines that I am drawn to reading , for whatever reason.
So, RIP Gourmet Magazine, may your legend live on in the glorious 1,000 page reference cookbook that is now available on shelves.
Join in the conversation: what do you think? Leave your comment below.