Lucky Peach "likely" to cease publication in May.

liuzhou · March 15, 2017

Quote

Lucky Peach, the six-year-old indie food media outfit from writer Peter Meehan and restaurant mogul and Momofuku founder Dave Chang, is going through a major upheaval. The entire staff learned on Monday afternoon that their employment would end in May.

Full article.

JoNorvelleWalker · March 15, 2017

Can't say I'd miss it but I feel very bad for the staff. I know what that is like.

Anna N · March 15, 2017

I'm saddened. I subscribe to their email updates and find some interesting material but I have never subscribed to their print magazine although I think there's one issue around here somewhere that I acquired. Perhaps they were a little too edgy.

IowaDee · March 15, 2017

I just pulled the trigger to order Lucky Peach #23 so we shall see. Hope it survives but if not, I will have a copy of every issue.

liuzhou · March 15, 2017

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

I'm saddened. I subscribe to their email updates and find some interesting material but I have never subscribed to their print magazine

Exactly the same as me. Although I've never seen a print issue, there have been a number of interesting articles.

TicTac · March 15, 2017

Print Magazines - going the way of the Dodo bird.

Never bought one as they were vastly overpriced. From what I glanced through and have seen online, some good content none the less.

IowaDee · March 15, 2017

One reason they are so expensive is all the odd stuff, stickers, lift the flaps, fold outs removable envelopes, etc they include. Not every issue has all that stuff but there is almost always something you never expected to find. The early issues are by far the best for that type of stuff. Gimmicks, yes, but still damn creative and not cheap to produce. I've seen the first issue sell for more than $150 on eBay.

TicTac · March 15, 2017

The issue as I see it is they started a business model built on a media platform that is going nowhere good. At a premium no less (gimmicks or not).

I don't have a lot of experience with their publication, from what I can recall though there wasn't a ton of Ad space either, which obviously will impact the bottom line.

Certainly created/run with passion and love for the craft, but perhaps not the best business mindset.

My bet is they will move to an online only publication, perhaps with some occasional 'special' printed material.

IowaDee · March 15, 2017

I agree with the idea of special material. In fact, they have already stuck that toe in the water with ones on Asian food and also on meats and on vegetables. I think they have also published a cookbook. I like the on-line version too.

heidih · March 15, 2017

Hope they keep their FaceBook up - always something interesting there

bonkboo · March 15, 2017

I love to watch David Chang and learn a lot. I own a couple Lucky Peach cookbooks and they are good. The magazine never appealed to me, much as I wanted it too. Don't have a particular reason.

Too bad for the staff. Hope they get decent severance packages.

MelissaH · March 15, 2017

I enjoy the magazine, or at least bits and pieces thereof. But some of the articles I find nearly unreadable—it's as though attitude or ego or something gets in the way of what they're trying to say, and I get so turned off by the way they're saying it that I quit reading. However, I'm saddened that we're likely to lose a unique voice in the world of food journalism.

**FrogPrincesse** · March 15, 2017

41 minutes ago, MelissaH said:

But some of the articles I find nearly unreadable—it's as though attitude or ego or something gets in the way of what they're trying to say, and I get so turned off by the way they're saying it that I quit reading.

I was a magazine subscriber from issue 1 but didn't renew past issue 12 or so. Too much navel-gazing for my own taste.

Edited March 15, 2017 by FrogPrincesse (log)

jmolinari · March 16, 2017

I read 7 or 8 issues and the only one that had any true value was #1, so it's no real surprise that it's going for good $.

I did not enjoy any of the others. It was too esoteric for my taste. I do find their articles online generally interesting...and i do feel terrible for all the writers.

btbyrd · March 16, 2017

I wish they'd reprint the first issue, though a lot of that content is on their website. I'd like a hard copy though.

lindag · March 17, 2017

I got one of their first issues and, indeed, as AnnaN speculated, it was w-a-y to edgy and over-the-top for the kind of cooking that I enjoy. I looked no further.

(I would have described it as downright weird.)

Edited March 17, 2017 by lindag (log)

cakewalk · March 18, 2017

On 3/15/2017 at 9:15 AM, IowaDee said:

One reason they are so expensive is all the odd stuff, stickers, lift the flaps, fold outs removable envelopes, etc they include. Not every issue has all that stuff but there is almost always something you never expected to find. The early issues are by far the best for that type of stuff. Gimmicks, yes, but still damn creative and not cheap to produce. I've seen the first issue sell for more than $150 on eBay.

During the summer I was working on the upper west side, and Symphony Space was having a book sale. Used books in boxes all over the place, by subject. I was looking through the children's books and came across an issue of Lucky Peach with all the cut outs and lift the flaps that you mention. I told the salesperson that it wasn't a kid's book, but belonged in the cooking section. A few days later I went back (it was a favorite lunchtime haunt) and Lucky Peach was back in the children's section. I should have bought it, I think it was 2 bucks or thereabouts.

**FrogPrincesse** · March 19, 2017

The mysterious demise of Lucky Peach magazine and its uncertain future (article in the Washington Post)

Behind Lucky Peach’s Closing, Colliding Visions (New York Times)

Edited March 19, 2017 by FrogPrincesse (log)

Anna N · March 19, 2017

3 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

The mysterious demise of Lucky Peach magazine and its uncertain future (article in the Washington Post)

Behind Lucky Peach’s Closing, Colliding Visions (New York Times)

Thanks. Interesting reading.

tikidoc · April 9, 2017

Does anyone know if the website will stay up, or is this just the print version? If the website is going away, I have a bunch of recipes I'd like to save before it happens...

liuzhou · April 9, 2017

27 minutes ago, tikidoc said:

Does anyone know if the website will stay up, or is this just the print version? If the website is going away, I have a bunch of recipes I'd like to save before it happens...

It isn't clear, but I would save them just in case.

tikidoc · April 9, 2017

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

It isn't clear, but I would save them just in case.

Gah, I was afraid of that. I have the slowest internet in the world. This is gonna take a while.

IowaDee · May 23, 2017

Oh my, I've been following auctions for back issues of the magazine. Prices for the first issue are just out-a-sight. Would you believe that once #24 arrives later this month, I will own the entire set 1-24. All but two issues are in pristine condition. No flaps lifted, stickers removed or anything tampered with. Might be looking at some decent money here. I have yet to see an entire set come up for auction. And someone asked if the website is going down too. yes, as far as I can tell, it will be or already is. Maybe the whole thing was just to creative for the times?

liuzhou · October 26, 2017

I have no idea what this signifies, but I was in my local bookshop, the state-run Xinhua, this morning and discovered that the first three issues of Lucky Peach have been translated to Chinese. They sport a 2017 copyright date.

Here is issue 2.