New Editor in Chief at Saveur

[Artichoke]

According to this article , from MEDIAWEEK, James Oseland, who was previously Saveur's managing editor has replaced Andrews who "is leaving to finish a memoir on his life in food and to pursue other projects."

I had heard rumblings for a while that the relationship between Saveur and Andrews was fairly acrimonious.

I guess only time will tell what noticeable changes will take place at the magazine, my favorite of any of the U.S. food magazines.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Oseland wrote for Condé Nast's Vogue and Gourmet, American Express Publishing's Food & Wine and Time Out New York. He has also been an editor at Vibe, TV Guide and the Village Voice. Oseland also teaches cooking classes at New York’s Institute for Culinary Education and the New School.

His credentials look quite impeccable ... this can only portend the betterment of Saveur ... also a favorite of mine as well ...

Take a look at James Oseland's website for more of his thinking (his articles) and recipes, etc.

[Corinna Dunne]

I can't seem to access the articles, recipes etc. Is it just my computer or am I missing a trick?

[Gifted Gourmet]

I can't seem to access the articles, recipes etc.  Is it just my computer or am I missing a trick?

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Did you click on each of the items? I just did and it worked ...

[Raoul Duke]

I just received the new issue with the great looking fish on the cover but noted that there has been a change in type as well. Is it me or did some of the articles and recipes appear illegible? The canolli was one of them.

Raoul

[Artichoke]

I just received the new issue with the great looking fish on the cover but noted that there has been a change in type as well.  Is it me or did some of the articles and recipes appear illegible? The canolli was one of them.

Raoul

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I have the new issue, although not in front of me at the moment. I seem to recall however that the latest issue still had Andrews listed as Editor in Chief.

[russ parsons]

this will be interesting to watch. more than any other publication/editor relationship, i think saveur WAS colman (just as the look of it WAS christopher hersheimer). it was sophisticated, well-traveled and always had an interesting take on the stories they tackled. this is not to say it was a perfect magazine. i frequently found myself wishing the stories had been a little more rigorously edited. but as a writer, i'm much more partial to interesting misses than boring hits.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Margo True, the Assistant Editor, left almost six months ago and is now at Sunset... Since there are/were undoubtedly a number of articles in the pipeline that had both True's and Andrew's fingerprints on them, it will be more interesting to look at Saveur a year from now and see how it is different.

[Corinna Dunne]

I can't seem to access the articles, recipes etc.  Is it just my computer or am I missing a trick?

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Did you click on each of the items? I just did and it worked ...

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It must be something to do with my computer. I just tried clicking on the articles again, and no joy. Just a strange "cluck" sound!

[maher]

I can't seem to access the articles, recipes etc.  Is it just my computer or am I missing a trick?

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Did you click on each of the items? I just did and it worked ...

←

It must be something to do with my computer. I just tried clicking on the articles again, and no joy. Just a strange "cluck" sound!

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i think you must have a pop-up blocker which is doing that. check if you have google or yahoo toolbar, and click on the button on it that allows pop-ups and that should take care of it

[Anna N]

I just received the new issue with the great looking fish on the cover but noted that there has been a change in type as well.  Is it me or did some of the articles and recipes appear illegible? The canolli was one of them.

Raoul

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I also noticed this anomoly - the cover promises "beer-battered cod" but the recipe is for beer-battered haddock! Seems a bit odd to me even though I realize that both fish would work equally well. Seems to me that the magazine should offer what the cover promises.

Edited to add:

Take a look at the Chicken Satay recipe - now that one is really hard to take - mis-spaced type, ingredients in all caps, etc. etc.

Edited July 31, 2006 by Anna N (log)

[Jennifer Brizzi]

I was truly saddened to hear about Andrews leaving Saveur. I've always loved the magazine because of its ability to cover the lowbrow/highbrow spectrum of world foods in such an enchanting, intelligent, and real way. I can't imagine how the magazine will be the same without him...surely it won't, and it remains to be seen what path it will take. I agree with Mr. Parsons that Saveur WAS Andrews (and I really miss Hirsheimer's photography).

I really admire Andrews in so many ways and am a huge fan. I've always considered him to be a very skilled and funny writer, extremely knowledgable and devoted to his field. And I found him approachable, never haughty or snooty like some food experts can be, and willing to give me advice and encouragenment. I look forward to seeing what he does next. I loved his books Catalan Cuisine, Everything on the Table and Flavors of the Riviera and I hope to see more from him. I wish him the very best of luck.

[Fat Guy]

Having done some writing for Saveur (I also have some close friends who have worked there) I wouldn't necessarily say Saveur equals Colman Andrews. Colman was one of Saveur's founders, along with Dorothy Kalins and Christopher Hirsheimer. During the time that all three were active at Saveur, the magazine took shape according to a joint vision. Margo True has also been very influential.

The decline of Saveur started around the time of the sale to World Publications in 2000, and there have been rumors of its impending demise pretty consistently since. I wonder how much steam the magazine has left in it. The brand has value, so I suppose the parent company will keep it on life support as long as there are a few dollars to be squeezed out of it, but it's the 2000 sale, not Colman's departure, that for me marked the beginning of the end.

At the same time, James Oseland possesses all the ingredients that could make him a great editor-in-chief. I don't know that he'll have the support needed to pull it off, but I see no reason why, with such support, he couldn't continue the Andrews/Kalins/Hirsheimer vision and maybe even inject the magazine with some new life and rigor. Not that I think it's going to happen, but he surely has the personal ability.

[rancho_gordo]

I wonder how much steam the magazine has left in it.

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There's still plenty of content in each issue. It's the only food magazine left that I'm actually happy to see, the others seem almost like work to make my way through.

[Anewman102]

I resented Saveur at first--who was this arriviste, threatening to knock over my beloved Gourmet magazine?

Not to mention photographs showing crusted-on food, dribbles of ice cream or sauce, a half-empty pan of pasta forno?

But I came to love both the magazine itself and its influence on the food writing scene. When the Ruth Reichl era at Gourmet started, I saw reflections of the more literary, more freewheeling influence of Saveur, and I liked it very much.

Now, it seems that every month brings a little less Saveur. Fewer articles, of less interest. Less in-depth reporting. More mis-prints, typos, disconnects between editorial and production. And always a slimmer magazine, with less advertising pages.

Please, Food Establishment, don't let Saveur die! It was a seismic change in its time and it is still a necessary antidote--lest all food journalism become prettified and Ladies-Home-Journal like. And you know, it could happen...

[Bill Miller]

I don't think Bon Appetit has been the same since Wm. J. Garry died in 2000. He put together a great magazine--he must have been editor for 20 years.

[James Oseland]

Hi, all. James Oseland here, Saveur's new editor-in-chief (and formerly the magazine's executive editor). I'm here to answer your questions (and, if need be, alleviate any concerns that you might have about its future).

First off, though, let me tell you a little about my affiliation with magazine, and how I came to my current position.

I've been involved with Saveur since 1998 when I wrote a story for it about Baltimore. I soon started contributing regularly--there was never a time, in fact, over the following eight years when I wasn't working on at least one feature for the magazine.

Last December, just as I was wrapping up work on a book that's being published next month by W. W. Norton (it's called "Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore," and Christopher Hirsheimer, formerly of Saveur, shot most of the color photos in it), Margo True (Saveur's then-executive editor) called and told me that she was leaving, and asked if I'd like to replace her. The timing was perfect. I took the job, and have, since then, been helping to keep Saveur the smartest, realest, most joyous food magazine out there. Then, a few weeks ago, Colman told me he was leaving. And a few days later, I was offered the job.

So, all that said, I want to let you know that Saveur is alive and strong. There are no Easy Bake recipes in the magazine's future, no stories about The 10 Hot Chefs of Portland; Todd Coleman, the magazine's great new(ish) food editor, and I are busy devising great, pure, interesting recipes for you, and the rest of the staff and I are figuring interesting places to take you to. Sure, there'll be a few tweaks and nudges here and there. But Saveur is Saveur. It has a soul that trancends those of us who work here.

(And my apologies about the strange font in the satay recipe in the August/September issue; a software glitch at the printing press caused it, and the glitch has since been resolved.)

Hope to hear from you all soon!

[Chris Amirault]

Hi James. Great to have you here.

I'll start with the question-peppering. You've read the criticism above about some of the turns that the magazine has taken lately. Can you let us know what sorts of things you expect to maintain come hell or high water, and what sorts of changes we can look forward to in coming months? (This long-time subscriber is hopeful that you'll not have air-guitar-playing chefs on the cover any time soon, by the by.)

[Bill Miller]

Welcome James--happy to have you with us. I love Saveur and have heard it described as "food porn". A compliment--juicy articles and when you do a good recipe it is really good. I've heard the finances are a problem--I have a 3 yr subscription to help you out. Any comment on that?

[BigboyDan]

Welcome James, and good luck; Saveur magazine matters...

[Raoul Duke]

Welcome James and thank you for the response to the minor issues I saw in the latest issue. I'm sure we all hope to see your number of posts in the double or triple digits, time permitting.

Raoul

[Anewman102]

Hi! Here are some of the things I love about Saveur:

Pictures of real people (short, tall, fat, thin, old, young) with real names (usually credited) eating real food and dripping or chewing with mouths open or talking to each other

close ups of what a finished recipe might look like if you are NOT working with a food stylist and a PR rep in your kitchen

Articles which reflect both geography and culture--not everyone in New England or Dallas or Toronto eats the same thing in the same way at the same time

Really good writers who are also interested in food--not just big names who simply aren't food-oriented

Interesting and quirky short articles

Fully-researched and really helpful Source listings.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!

(And, unless Tony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman have exclusive contracts with that other magazine, bring them over!)

[Carolyn Tillie]

In the NYTimes this morning...

Colman Andrews heading to Gourmet

FOOD magazine pioneer Colman Andrews, one of the cofounders of Saveur, is heading to Gourmet as a writer.

"I'll be covering restaurants, but not as a reviewer. It will be what trends we are seeing, how they are changing," said Andrews, who has authored three cookbooks and served as the editor-in-chief of Saveur for 12 years.

[Anewman102]

Looks like he and Ruth Reichl finally renewed their friendship.

[Andrea Nguyen]

How many of you subscribe to Saveur and Gourmet? I do. Knowing that Colman Andrews is going to write for the other publication will allow me to continue to enjoy his work on a regular basis. The fact that Margo True is now at Sunset is big plus for that West Coast periodical (which I also subscribe to). It's good to spread the wealth so more of the masses can benefit from these talented folks.

Saveur is in capable hands with James Oseland at the helm. Todd Coleman is an excellent food editor. I've recently worked with both of them and they are smart, funny, and extremely hard working. They know the magazine well and believe in its core values.

Sure there are going to be initial bumps in the road such as the type glitch in the satay recipe (sorry James!), but let's see what happens in the future. What other magazine would offer an article like Fuschia Dunlop's current one on the wondrous world of Chinese tofu? I have written several pieces for Saveur over the years and have found that it's the only food publication that has continued to look outside the box in order to convey the relationship between people and their food. There's also little advertising, which makes perusing each issue an extra pleasure. In this day and age when print media is suffering, and readers seem to want less text and more big fantasy photos, it's important to continue supporting a publication like Saveur.

Andrea