mizchef

posted by admin on Oct 10

I was stunned when I heard the news that Gourmet magazine is shutting its doors. It has been a staple of the culinary world since 1940. We’ve suffered a lot of losses this past year, and companies that have been around for decades (or longer) have said their goodbyes.

But, as shocked as I was, if any foodie magazine was going fall prey to economic hard times, I’m not really surprised that it was Gourmet.

And here’s why.

1. Gourmet is folding because of a drastic decline in ad revenue. That’s the official reason. Because of the magazine’s status, it’s probably more expensive to place an ad in there than in other food pubs, including its sister magazine, Bon Appétit. (I have no knowledge of ad prices for these pubs, so I’m only surmising.) And, of course, advertisers want as many people as possible to view their ads. According to Charles H. Townsend, a chief executive at Condé Nast, in a New York Times article, Gourmet has a circulation of about 978,000, whereas Bon Appétit has a circulation of 1.352 million, and the company made higher margins from the Bon Appétit circulation.

2. The demographic for Gourmet is well-to-do people who think nothing of taking a trip to Europe and seeking out a 5-star restaurant that was mentioned in the magazine. Well, this demographic is shrinking. Fewer and fewer people can afford high-end restaurants or high-end products. Which brings me to my next point…

3. The recipes in Gourmet, while fabulous, often call for expensive ingredients, and sometimes they’re just too frou-frou for the average person to want to try. I, personally, have been known to indulge in the occasional frou-frou dish, but am I going to pay for a year’s worth of frou-frou recipes? No. But Gourmet is not just about the recipes, you say? True. They talk about restaurants, food trends, and “lifestyle” issues. But here, again, they’re targeting the luxury market. Most of the restaurants they tout, I’ll be visiting only in my dreams. (Imagine my despair at being a foodie, living in New York, where some of the finest restaurants are at my fingertips, and all I can do is walk by them with the hope of getting just a whiff of something fabulous as a patron opens the door.) And, again, the number of people with that kind of disposable income is dwindling. Overall, Gourmet is simply not as accessible to the masses as other food magazines.

4. Statistics show that ever since 9/11, people have been cooking more. People began what experts referred to as “cocooning.” That is, they began staying at home and spending more time with their families, and cooking became a big part of that. Comfort food, in particular, became popular again on a wide scale. As a practical cooking guide, Gourmet falls short. If you were looking for a menu for a special occasion, it was fine. But for people who were eating out a lot and/or were just learning how to cook, Gourmet simply was not in a position to be the go-to guide.

5. For numerous reasons (weight loss, fear of food-borne illnesses, the desire to eat more healthily), people have also become interested over the past decade in cooking real, honest food. Local food. Traditional ingredients and methods. Regional recipes. And while Gourmet did offer some of this, it still existed on a plane higher than what people were now reaching for. This newfound interest in cooking is what sparked what’s known in the travel industry as “culinary tourism.” People will go someplace to learn to cook regional cuisine with local products, whether it’s in Maine, Tuscany, or Singapore. (I wrote an article about that for Travel Agent magazine, which can be found HERE.)

So, for all those reasons, I was never a big Gourmet reader. I have always preferred other food magazines, such as Saveur, Fine Cooking, Cook’s Illustrated, and even Bon Appétit. But I’m still very sad to see Gourmet go. While I felt it was targeted to a group of people I was never a part of, I still always respected it for its quality, its classiness, and its dedication to the food world.

On a personal level, this turn of events bums me out because not only does it not bode well for print magazines, but it also narrows down the job market. All those people who worked at Gourmet are going to be scouring the job market, just like me. And if and when jobs open up at the other food magazines (or any magazines), who’s going to hire me over someone who worked at Gourmet? No one, that’s who.

I see which way the wind is blowing. I’m just not sure if I should go with it, or run in some other direction.

Next week, I’ll be talking about Mountain Pies. I can see the eyebrows raising out there, so come back next week if you want to put your mind at ease. It’s not as bad as it sounds.

Have a great week, everybody.