BA is back with a new issue on the stands and a website

[gfweb]

So why did Conde Nast fire everybody and announce the demise, only to re-invent the thing? http://www.bonappetit.com/

I haven't seen the magazine but the website is a little chummy and casual in its writing style. Phrases like "our bad" and other (not-so-)trendy wording. Perhaps they want the Bitchin Kitchen audience.

[Joe Blowe]

Perhaps you're thinking of Gourmet Magazine?

NYT - Condé Nast to Close Gourmet, Cookie and Modern Bride (login req.)

As far as I know, Bon Appetit (under Conde Nast) never announced mass layoffs or ceased publication...

Edited April 12, 2011 by Joe Blowe (log)

[AnneN]

This is the first issue under new editor in chief, Adam Rapoport. They have redesigned the magazine and website.

[gfweb]

Ah yes. My bad.

[David Ross]

I just received my copy of the May edition of Bon Appetit in the mail last week. I had been anticipating the May magazine because I knew it would be the "debut" if you will of the new Editor, Mr. Adam Rapoport.

As noted in our discussion topic here, Mr. Rapoport replaced the venerable Barbara Fairchild at the helm of Bon Appetit, a throne upon which she reigned for well over 20 years.

I must say that I wasn't overly enthused about the change when I first heard about it. How could a "style" Editor at GQ even assume that he knew about food and cooking? Another case of "style" over "substance, I concluded. Yet what I should do is give Mr. Rapoport and his staff a chance-a chance to settle into their new roles and see what changes will come about on the pages of Bon Appetit. I'm hopeful after reading Mr. Rapoport's first editorial that we'll find his contributions will give Bon Appetit a refreshing, new focus. He's quoted in his first editorial by saying, "Now, I'm not much of a numbers guy either. But I do care deeply about making a magazine that matters and presenting the kind of food you'll want to cook for the rest of your life."

That's a positive statement for the serious home cooks and avid diners in the crowd, but will it pass the muster of the large demographic that supports the mass-market products advertised in the magazine?

The newly designed pages are a stark contrast to the recent designs of Bon Appetit. Formerly known for close-up shots of cakes coated in chocolate frosting and teensy white type describing the dishes (that was hard to read), the new format appears jumbled on the page and is a bit hard on the eyes. On page 104of the May issue, I counted 6 different typefaces in regular, bold, underlined, italics and quoted. There are red, green, black and maroon ink colors, 2 black and white illustrations and 1 color photo-and that's just one page. Catchy and trendy I suppose, but also confusing. Even the pages devoted primarily to the travelogue style of reporting seem jumbled from a graphic design standpoint with sidebars and varying type that seems out of sorts with the rest of the article.

I find the new focus on cuisine, ingredients and cooking technique interesting, but they can do probably do without silly references like "in Italy, anchovies are not the Rodney Dangerfield of fish." As if anchovies don't get respect anywhere else?

I'll hold Mr. Rapoport to his promise that "the core of what has made the magazine so strong for 55 years won't change. Bon Appetit is still going to be about cooking. But how we present this information will differ a bit. We don't want to just tell you what to cook--we want to tell you how to cook it and why to cook it, now. In May, 2011." Let's hope that the readers of Bon Appetit will be much the richer for his efforts.

[Bree20]

I too was disapointed in the May issue of BA the type is way to small (so small that I got a headache trying to read just the first several pages. I put the magazine aside and did not pick it up for over a week) and they have crammed to much on the pages making it diffcult to follow. Way too busy looks like they are trying to save space or someone who does not know how to edit. Some of the pages I could not tell if they were ads or stories. I am so hoping that they work out these issues I have been reading BA since the late 70's and this is by far the worst "update" they have done so far.

[OliverB]

I wasn't too impressed either. Seems a bit forced and cluttered. I'm no fan of fancy fonts scattered all over in super size. Take page 102/103, the opening pages for the Italy article. On first glance it looks like three ads on the left and a b/w picture on the rest of the spread (why?) and not much text. IMO wasted space and the headline text in that bubbly font is hard to read. Looks more like a greeting card. And I absolutely hate if there's no page number in magazines! Bad enough they don't number pages with full size ads, but on the opening pages of a big article? Next page is a convoluted mess of boxes, fonts, colors, line drawings and one food photo.

I also hate ads that are made to look like they're part of the magazine, confusing and disappointing waste of time.

Overall there's nice info in the magazine though, I haven't read it all yet, but I'll keep getting it. And maybe they'll calm down a bit with time and get a bit less flashy. Just because you can use 20 fonts in 50 colors doesn't mean you have to :-)

I thought it's an odd choice for an editor, I've never read his old magazine though. And he seems enthusiastic about his new job, so let's see where he and the magazine go!

[gfweb]

Looks like a webpage designer did the layout. Perhaps an attempt to be hip ...which usually backfires.

[gfweb]

Apparently the new editor is a dude. http://www.wwd.com/media-news?module=tn#/article/media-news/the-dudes-abide-3615935?full=true

Barf.

Edited May 18, 2011 by gfweb (log)

[fyfas]

Add me to those who've already been critical of the the new, improved Bon Appetit.

What is most telling (imo) is Gyneth Paltrow on the cover. Yes, she is excellent actress and the cookbook is better than many and I do know Father's Day is soon upon us; still.

There is a place for an article/review of this book and its somewhat different premise in the magazine. To make it "cover material" implies that it is the most important topic in the magazine which does not portend well for where this publication is heading.

[OliverB]

I actually must say that I love the current Paltrow issue! I actually find it refreshing to see a (delicious) person on the cover instead of a dish, but I'm biased, I really like Mrs Paltrow as an actress and am sad I missed her show with Batali. Still, a fun choice for a "serious" non celebrity based magazine (like Rachet Ray and others).

But that aside, the fonts gone crazy seems to have calmed down quite a bit, and there are literally (of course) pages upon pages of things I want to make! From wonderful chicken recipes (I have to make those lettuce wraps!) to the most delicious looking popsicles, and to top it off, a good dose of Fergus Henderson, one of my personal kitchen heroes, this is probably my most favorite cooking magazine issue to come along in quite a while! And while I've never had a mint julep, the recipe offered has me craving one! I just don't have the booze to make it in the house (yet).

My interests tend to shift every couple of months, currently my coffee table is largely occupied by photography magazines (which in due time will be replaced by music, art and movie magazines, in random order) and I haven't been to ecstatic about other recent food magazines I subscribe to, but this issue makes me want to hit the kitchen immediately!

It appears to me that they are hitting the road running, making some good changes and the photography is top notch!

I'd say check it out!

And gfweb, why does a guy as editor make you barf? That seems an odd statement. Or is it his prior magazine? Shallow entertainment for the wannabe hot guys, yes, somewhat entertaining (to this guy) as low calorie fun feed while sitting in the sun with a drink, though I can't recall the last time I bought it. But it is a trendy magazine, and a good food magazine has to be trendy too I think, I doubt you could publish a "Famous Traditional French Dishes" or some such magazine without going under.

Anyway, just my 2ct, I'm really excited about this issue and am looking forward to what they offer in the future. And if they do NOT show a roasted turkey come txgiving on the cover, I'll subscribe for life!

[gfweb]

Its not that he's a guy its that he's a "dude". You need to read the revoltingly fawning link I referred to.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

[OliverB]

Ah, I guess that can make sense :-)

Still like the new issue though, lots of good stuff I'll have to try out soon!

[Dakki]

The linked page won't load for me. Is this a Big Lebowski dude or some other kind of dude?

[heidih]

The linked page won't load for me. Is this a Big Lebowski dude or some other kind of dude?

The linked article describes them as

"These guys say “Hey, man” as a salutation. Dude-itors don’t practice lines for lunch at the Century Association — they practice their golf swing in the office, toss around Nerf footballs when an issue is closing, and occasionally play pickup basketball together."

and

"they’re boys, they’re men, they’re literary, they’re digital. They’re bros who run a magazine, albeit — being the magazine world, after all — slightly sensitive ones who can appeal to both women and men. They are guys who might keep a six-pack in the bottom drawer with the baseball and the moisturizer — the last of which Rapoport does."

[Dakki]

Too bad. I'd read a food magazine edited by The Dude. I mean, he's obviously committed to freshness in milk at least.

[Jen Rehm]

BA jumped the shark . . . really.

I'm over it.

[Bree20]

Gads! I recieved my June issue of BA and it is just as bad as the May one - A celebrity on the cover I thought the mailman put a People magazine in my mail box. I was hoping that the new edito in chef would understand that he is no longer working at GQ and people do not want to see celebrities. Also the font is still way to small and not one recipe that was even tempting me to keep this issue either (after looking throught it in the trash it went). I was hoping that maybe they would work on having the pages not look so much like ads but alas they failed again. Someone really needs to work not only on the type size but the backdrop behind. I must say that if this is the quality I will have to come to expect I will not renew my subsciption this coming December which is a shame as I have always loved this magazine and have been recieving it since the 70's.

[Badiane]

I got the issue. As soon as I saw Gwenyth Paltrow on the cover I threw it in the bin and didn't pick it up for a week. I paged through it, thought the articles were ads and ignored most of it. It seems to be aimed at the twitter crowd - guess I'm just not in the demographic anymore. And I hate hate hate that the occasionally interesting back page has been reduced to a picture of a dirty napkin with some scribbling on it.

[Cyberider]

I hated it when they got rid of Gourmet magazine because I actually liked it better than BA. Now, Barbara Fairchild isn't editor of BA anymore and it's going downhill.

[Bree20]

I thought I was the only one that hated the dirty napkin look glad to see I am not alone also the writing is so bad I could not make out what some of it said and had to read it three times before gettting it. I still miss too busy to cook that they got rid of years ago wish they would bring that back. That feature was the first thing I would always go too - with these past few months I have yet to find a "go to page".