Gasp! Goodbye, Gourmet

Another casualty of the recession and the general decline in print journalism: Gourmet magazine will be ending publication after it's November issue is released. A major decline in advertisers over the past year has resulted in Conde Nast publishers axing what is notably the most widely-respected food publication after 25 years of circulation.

The blogosphere has responded in full force since the official announcement was made last week:

Gourmet showed us the real possibilities of food: It wasn't just to nourish the body or excite the palate, but to engage the mind and imagination, to magnify our experience, bringing us more fully into our senses, allowing us to be more completely alive." -Diana Abu-Jaber, NPR

Gourmet challenged American palates to explore everything from the most exotic to the most humble and down-home. I, for one, have learned about everything from Korean banchan to how to bake better bread, and my life and the lives of those I feed are better for it. -Amy Griffith Redfern, Christian Science Monitor

My perspective? Food magazines have encouraged and fostered my love for the culinary arts. Whenever I travel, my guilty pleasure is to spend 5 or 6 dollars on a glossy issue of Gourmet. Reading a food magazine is like a cookbook coming to life. I love food writing (hence, the motivation for this blog). The images draw me in to learn about new ingredients, techniques and recipes beyond anything I've seen or eaten before. Sure, there are lots of websites and blogs which capture some of the same spirit. But no online content will replace the feel of a fresh-off-the-newsstand copy of Gourmet.