Y&H noticed an e-mail in his inbox with the subject line: “Gourmet statement from Edible Chesapeake.”
How nice, I thought. The local magazine wants to pay homage to one of the oldest and finest food magazines in the country.
That’s not exactly what editor Renee Brooks Catacalos decided to e-mail to the food media. Instead, she used Gourmet‘s demise as a chance to promote her own publication. You would think an editor with experience in public relations and diplomacy would have thought twice about such a tactic.
I mean, not only did she exploit a sad situation but she also, in essence, said that Gourmet and editor Ruth Reichl were out of touch with the current culinary zeitgeist.
We hear Renee will be appearing at the unemployment office next, telling everyone how worthless they are.
The statement is after the jump.
DEMISE OF GOURMET COINCIDES WITH RISE OF REGIONAL FOOD PUBLICATIONS
October 6, 2009… Riverdale, MD … The demise of Gourmet, a standard bearer for American cooks for 70 years, occurred yesterday when its parent company Conde Nast Publications closed down the magazine.
Says Renee Catacalos, editor and publisher of Edible Chesapeake, which covers the food scene focusing on locally and sustainably raised, produced and distributed foods and products in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia, “We lament the passing of Gourmet. It was an important publication that helped us understand and appreciate the foods of the world. But the media landscape has changed. Today’s cooks are regionally focused and extremely interested in publications like Edible Chesapeake. People want to understand what is happening in their own region and what they can eat that is grown and produced nearby. In addition, advertisers want to target their outreach to educated readers who are conscientious and mindful about the origins of their food. Magazines like Edible Chesapeake fill that need, profiling local farmers, chefs and restaurants offering locally grown ingredients, examining timely policy issues and developments in the natural, organic and sustainable food industry, listing local events and resources and offering a plethora of seasonal recipes.”
Edible Chesapeake has a distribution of 35,000-40,000 copies per quarter in Maryland, Washington, DC, parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania. For more information or details, contact Renee Catacalos at (301) 675-2299 or renee@ediblechesapeake.com.
Image by cbertel via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution License