Gourmet magazine to close, the end of an institution

October 6, 5:07 PMDC Baking ExaminerKatherine Sacks

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Gourmet Magazine will come to a close after November's issue

Yesterday was a tough day for the baking and cooking world, as Conde Nast announced Gourmet magazine, a food lover's guide, recipe resource, and source of inspiration, has reached an end.

Parent company to numerous significant magazines including Vogue,Vanity Fair, and Bon Appetit, Conde Nast announced October 5th that it will shut the doors to Gourmet. The November issue will be the magazine's last, and 180 employees, including famed editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl, have already begun to pack their belongings and vacate offices.

Gourmet was first published in December of 1940 and had become an institution in the publishing world. A leader in long form food journalism, Gourmet had a rigorous test kitchen and covered topics ranging from food history to politics to seasonal produce and recipe ideas. Reichl took over as editor in 1999, and vowed to turn the magazine into The New Yorker of the food world. Through award winning writing, photography, television shows, and the creation of the magazine specific website(previously it had a shared a website with Bon Apitite at Epicurious.com), Reichl cemented the magazine as the forefront publication in the food industry. As stated yesterday in the New York Times, the magazine had reached "almost biblical status in the food world."

Reaction to the dismissal of such a prominent publication have been seen across the board, from industry insiders to food lovers. Newspaper coverage, blog reports and social media sites all continue to record reactions, predominately remorseful. Reichl herself posted on the popular social media site Twitter, stating "I so love the people I've worked with at Gourmet. Hard to believe it's over."

While the magazine will cease publication, Conde Nast has stated the company will continue the brand's book-publishing and television endeavors and keep its recipes on Epicurious.com. It is uncertain what will happen to the magazine's website or whether Reichl will continue at Conde Nast.

The mega-publisher also announced the closings of  Cookie, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride, along with 25 percent cuts for all other current publications. These actions are the result of a three month study by cost analysis company, McKinsey &Company.