In Good Taste

If I didn’t love Ruth Reichl before, I sure as heck do now. For those who don’t know her, she is one of the most spirited women in the food industry -- working her way up from local restaurant critic to New York Times critic to celebrated author and, most recently, editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. I’ve admired her for a long time, but lately she’s become a super-star in my book. And it’s not for something she’s done as much as it is for something she didn’t do. Let me explain a bit. 

By now you’ve probably read or heard about the closing of Gourmet magazine, where Reichl had been at the helm since 1999. Maybe you even got one of those sad little postcards, like I did  – “officially” informing you of the magazine’s closure and moving your subscription over to Bon Appétit, another Conde Nast publication. And maybe, like me, you were a little heart-broken by the whole thing. 

For over 70 years Gourmet had been the “grand dame” of culinary publications, helping put numerous chefs, trends, restaurants, and foods on the map. To be fair, the publication always had it critics. Some thought it was too difficult or stuffy – many recipes used hard-to-find ingredients and could be challenging. But since taking over, Reichl made it her mission to “update” the publication without losing its hard-core foodie soul. She accomplished this by bringing in fabulous writers and tackling key issues like sustainable eating and farming – making food more accessible on every level -- while continuing to provide the types of recipes and in-depth examinations of ingredients and techniques we’d come to love and expect.

As I looked at my last issue of the magazine – the November 2009 edition – it struck me that no one could be as heart-broken about this whole thing as Reichl. After all, this was her baby for the past 10 years. So I went online and started reading as much as I could about the closing and that’s when I fell in love with Ruth all over again. In every comment, every interview, every Tweet and every blog post, Reichl handled herself with grace, honesty, and integrity.  Something – in this age of Jon & Kate-style finger-pointing – you don’t see everyday.

She admitted she was surprised by the magazine’s closing – especially since Gourmet had over 1 million subscribers – but understood the financial reasons behind it. Conde Nast said it had been losing ad sales for years now – to the tune of 8,000 pages across its various titles – and consultants McKinsey & Company recommended the cuts in order for the publisher to survive. But even with declining sales, a sluggish economy, and the world’s continuing move to digital vs. paper content, no one expected to see Gourmet – a culinary icon -- go. The decision was handed down quickly and it sounds like Reichl and her staff had about 24 hours to gather their things and leave the building – pretty brutal.

Yet, instead of sounding off against Conde Nast or Si Newhouse (it’s chief), Reichl and her team finished the last issue of the magazine (although it was never printed), left the office and headed to her apartment to mourn the magazine and celebrate all their amazing work with one last fabulous meal. And in subsequent interviews, Reichl has remained loyal to Conde Nast yet honest about her feelings – no mean feat. She’s talked about how hard this decision must have been for Newhouse yet how sad she is at the outcome.  She’s also talked about the changing landscape of publishing – how print is giving way to online and how that may spell the demise of the kind of in-depth writing of which she and her readers were so fond. She’s talked about the new Gourmet cookbook and PBS television series Gourmet’s Adventures with Ruth that she is still promoting for Conde Nast. And she’s talked about the future – her next book and the one after that. All with her trademark good humor and directness – showing once again what a class act she really is.

There have been some journalists and foodies, since the magazine’s closure, who have speculated about whether the concept of being a “gourmet” will survive. Whether the departure of Gourmet magazine signals a shift in our culture and that the very idea of a person or food being “gourmet” is no longer relevant. I think that’s a bit premature. If anything, the definition is evolving. As Reichl so aptly put it, years ago a gourmet could be described as a fat, rich male who would best be described as a snobby bon-vivant. But today, it’s simply someone who loves food (regardless of its fat content). Maybe that’s why Reichl is handling this abrupt transition so well. She knows things will continue to evolve and she’s confident she’ll be part of it – like she always has been. So here’s to a truly Spirited Woman – thank you Ruth Reichl – I can’t wait to see what you’ll do next!

- Sharen Santoski, www.SignalRockCommunications.com
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Sharen Santonski, foodie extraordinaire, and a former member of the Spirited Woman Blogger Team will be guest blogging for Spirited Woman on her favorite subject "food." Growing up in an Italian/Polish/American home, Sharen cultivated her love of food at a very early age. She is an amateur aficionado of cooking, dining, entertaining and exploring. Bon Appetit!