Alumni Association University of Michigan Winter 2010 : Page 32Ruth Reichl, ’68, MA’70 When Conde Nast announced it was closing Gourmet, foodies were shocked. So was Editor in Chief Ruth Reichl, who posted on Twitter on the day of the announcement, “Thank you all SO much for this outpouring of support. It means a lot. Sorry not to be posting now, but I'm packing. We're all stunned, sad.” Still, Reichl continued to crisscross the country for Gourmet. The hefty new “Gourmet Today” cookbook launched shortly before the magazine closed, and “Gourmet’s Adventures with Ruth” premiered on public television two weeks after, chronicling Reichl’s culinary travels around the world. In an interview with Terry Gross on National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air,” Reichl talked about Gourmet’s “devoted, devoted readers,” and said, “I just couldn’t imagine that the magazine itself would go away.” Reichl earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in art history at Michigan, but after graduation, food became her medium of expression. She was chef and co-owner of the Swallow Restaurant in Berkeley, California, from 1974 to 1977, then began ascending the ladder of food writing, including the LA Times, then the New York Times and Gourmet. She has collected four James Beard Awards, among other accolades. Her first food book was “Mmmmm: A Feastiary” in 1972, which she followed with “Tender at the Bone,” “Comfort Me With Apples” and “Garlic and Sapphires.” Her latest book, “Not Becoming My Mother: and Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way,” is a memoir of her late mother’s life. “I’m very optimistic about the future of food in this country.” With Reichl promoting the new cookbook and television series and the intense interest in Gourmet’s demise, Publishers Weekly reported a bump in sales for “Gourmet Today.” Reichl told the New York Times Magazine that Conde Nast collects the royalties, adding, “I’m not making a penny. I did it as part of my job, and it’s a book I’m really proud of.” Ruth Reichl, former head editor of Gourmet magazine, is a major name in food circles. In November, Reichl was part of a panel discussion at the New York Public Library. Though the topic was New York’s food history, panelist and chef Dan Barber spoke what many in the audience were feeling. “I’m very sorry about the end of Gourmet,” he said, praising the magazine and Reichl personally for their influence on amateur and professional cooks alike. He said Reichl led Gourmet to a “new level of writing,” before asking what she’s doing now. Reichl answered that she thinks there will be a second season of “Adventures with Ruth” and that the TV series “Diary of a Foodie” will continue. In the meantime, “I’m still on book tour,” she said, and “We have two more books in the can.” I hoped to share a meal with one of the most influential women in food journalism, but when I approached her after the panel, she smiled and said, “I’m so tired of talking about it.” She still has plenty to say about food, though. On the panel, she spoke of Americans’ tastes changing—to appreciate more spice and acidity, and to be willing to try new flavors. “I’m very optimistic about the future of food in this country,” Reichl said. An audience member asked about the rise of amateur food writing, from blogs to social media sites like Yelp, where anyone can submit a review, and what it means to pros like those formerly at Gourmet. Reichl responded, “It’s a fascinating time. … Restaurant critics have never been more closely read or held less power.” -Colleen Newvine Tebeau, MBA’05, is a freelance writer in New York City. Online offshoots Read more about the writing of this article on the author’s blog, Newvine Growing. Visit our Web site below for a link. Also on the site, see samples from a series of 30 food paintings in 30 days by John Tebeau, ’86, who was inspired for the project after taking photos of Michael Stern for this story. umalumni.com/get-informed/michigan-alumnus-magazine/issue-extras 32 | Michigan Alumnus • Winter 2010 • umalumni.com Brigitte Lacombe, Gourmet Publication List |
