Bon Appétit moves to NYC, Barbara Fairchild Leaving Editorial Post

[David Ross]

Conde Nast announced Tuesday that later this year Bon Appetit will close the main editorial offices in Los Angeles and move to New York. Barbara Fairchild will sheperd the move, but will be leaving her post as Editor-in-Chief once the transition is completed. One hopes this is a matter of corporate consolidation and isn't the precursor of Bon Appetit suffering the same fate that befell Gourmet Magazine.

[janeer]

maybe they will bring Gourmet back! i would not miss Bon Apetit...

[Pierogi]

I am *not* happy about this. Although BA isn't Gourmet, and Fairchild isn't Reichl, I always liked BA better than Food & Wine. I've only just returned to F&W because without Gourmet, I need another voice.

But I gots me a baaaaaad feelin' in my bones about this, I really do.

[David Ross]

I've been a subscriber to Bon Appetit for many years and I hope many more to come. Like food, cooking and dining, Gourmet and Bon Appetit always fit different tastes in style, format and both editorial and culinary content. The same differences hold true between diverse magazines like Food and Wine, Saveur or BBC Good Food. To each his own as it were when it comes to our tastes in food publications. It's hard to say one magazine is better than the other.

Some "food" magazines tend to be heavily swayed toward the professional side of the pendulum, (Food Arts), while other magazines focus only on serious or advanced level cooks (Saveur), who seemingly must possess a deep knowledge of ingredients and world-travel in order to attempt to replicate the recipes printed in the magazine. Another level of food magazine (Food Network Magazine), focuses primarily as a platform to promote celebrity Chefs that appear on their cable network, along with easy-level recipes using branded products that can be found in supermarkets.

Now some of us may consider an Editor purely in the journalistic sense, but remember, a large part of the responsibilities involve a consideration for the cycle of subscription numbers, newsstand sales, advertising pages and advertising revenue. All of those elements go hand-in-hand and feed the bottom line-money, money, money--bringing in the applewood smoked bacon for Conde Nast. The most graceful, delicious writings of M.F.K. Fisher would not necessarily be enough to keep a print magazine afloat in today’s economic times and New World of electronic media. (The shocking and sudden fate of Gourmet last year after 69 years in print is the most stark example). Americans are no longer willing to wait each month for the "Specialities de la Maison" feature to appear in Gourmet reporting on just three New York restaurants--and advertiser's won't wait that long to get their message in front of the public.

Barbara Fairchild seemed to be an Editor that had the unique quality to bring together Chefs, home cooks and trends in restaurant dining to the pages of Bon Appetit. I think she balanced those different interests quite well. Yet at the heart of the magazine has always been the promotion and education of cooking and good eating at home. On a number of levels, I think that’s what I worry about could be lost with a corporate move East and the loss of a long-term Editor. Only time will tell.

[David Ross]

A number of media outlets are reporting that Adam Rapoport, (currently the style editor at GQ), will be introduced as the new Editor-in-Chief at Bon Appetit. It will be interesting to see how the content of the magazine will change under Mr. Rapoport's guidance.

[nakji]

A former style editor running a food magazine? Aside from his general magazine knowledge, I don't see the fit. But then, I don't read Bon Appetit much at all, as the few times I've picked it up I have found very little usable content for me in it. Considering what I have to pay for English-language magazines, I save my money for Saveur, which I much prefer. It's more related to the food I like to eat.

[runwestierun]

I REEEEEAALLLY miss Gourmet.

[David Ross]

A former style editor running a food magazine? Aside from his general magazine knowledge, I don't see the fit. But then, I don't read Bon Appetit much at all, as the few times I've picked it up I have found very little usable content for me in it. Considering what I have to pay for English-language magazines, I save my money for Saveur, which I much prefer. It's more related to the food I like to eat.

According to the bio posted on GQ here, Mr. Rapoport does have a background in food writing--"Prior to joining GQ, Rapoport edited the restaurant section at Time Out New York for three years and worked as an editor and writer for the James Beard Foundation's publications office."

I'm willing to give him a chance to see if he will bring some new, refreshing ideas and "style" to Bon Appetit. I'm still a loyal subscriber and it fits within part of my interests in food and cooking. I would agree with you though on your preference for Saveur. It's my "top" choice in food magazines.