The name’s rather generic, but The FOOD Magazine‘s all CAPS title definitely stood out among the rack of rags at Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, where I first spotted the new gastronomic periodical. The other thing that caught my attention was the magazine’s lime-green banner across the top, which shouted: “THE PREMIERE ISSUE FOR A HEALTHY NEW YOU!” Nothing like getting in on the ground floor, I thought.

Turns out the magazine is based in Arlington, where publisher Candus Jane Zanghi says she hopes to “create a publication that would give our readers rich content—-the stories behind the recipes and compelling articles about their favorite celebrity chefs,” according to her publisher’s note. Zanghi’s Editor in Chief is Chelsea Hedquist.

So how is the magazine?

I think it’s way too early to render a judgment, but the debut issue relies, no surprise, heavily on celebrities to sell itself. Mario Batali beams out from the cover, looking about 20 pounds lighter than in more recent pics; the story on the celebrity chef dead-ends into an advertisement from Crocs work shoes, Batali’s signature footwear. Brett Favre‘s 11-year-old steakhouse in Green Bay, Wisc., gets a feature-story treatment. Nigella Lawson‘s soft, zaftig features are displayed next to an article about picking winter vegetables—-by someone else completely, a Whole Foods “produce team leader” in Venice, Calif. Both Gordon Ramsay‘s and Michael Pollan‘s latest books are reviewed. You get the drift.

The magazine presumably is also targeting a national audience—-why else write about Favre?—-but it has a decidedly D.C. bent over the course of its 96 pages. Former White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier is profiled. There’s a small piece on favorite presidential foods, and Arlington food stylist Lisa Cherkasky offers tips on kitchen knives.

There is an e-mail contact for the editor and publisher of The FOOD Magazine, and I will try to find out more about this upstart publication.