When I started reading Gourmet, the word foodie did not exist. I was also an avid reader of Teen Beat at the time, so maybe my palate was not fully developed yet. But yeah, I was a 13-year-old who knew what Shaun Cassidy wanted in a girlfriend and who Zanne Early Stewart was. Gourmet was special to me. It didn’t matter if you were 13 or 70, a shared love of good food and (at a certain age) wine welcomed you into a loyal community. The writing was inviting and never pretentious. The editors weren’t foodies who dictated! We all were food enthusiasts! Alright, I’m channeling Nora Ephron, but I’m also in mourning. I will admit that I wasn’t always happy with the magazine's changes over the past few years, but nothing is perfect for 68 years in a row. I'm glad that Food & Wine, Bon Appetit and Saveur are still, well, cooking along. I still have something in print to look forward to every month. There are, however, some less savory aspects to consider in this new Gourmet-less world: Rachael, Sandra and Paula. The culinary axis of evil.
—Posted by Cindee Weiss
