This past week has been a sad one for the culinary industry. On Thursday, we learned that landmark restaurant Chanterelle was closing. Opened by David and Karen Waltuck in 1979, Chanterelle pioneered the downtown restaurant scene, creating an elegant, but unpretentious dining room with top-notch food and service. I was fortunate to have dined there twice, and I can honestly say that it was an honor. It was a truly special place that made me feel privileged to work in the business that I do.
On Monday, we learned that Gourmet magazine, whose editor Ruth Reichl is my hero, had been forced to shut down due to McKinsey cutbacks at Conde Nast. I experienced first-hand that the closing of this beloved publication created an outpouring of sadness across a range of industries including journalists, television location managers, carpenters and celebrities, demonstrating again that food does bring us together in many ways and on many levels. It’s a heartbreak.
My grandmother began subscribing to Gourmet in 1941 when the magazine first started publishing and my family has been collecting issues ever since. I’m lucky to have almost all of them in my possession. I’d like to use them for something, and I need to figure out what that is.
These events coupled with other things going on in my life had me feeling somewhat shutdown and not feeling very inspired. Luckily, my finance Chad was up for making dinner and he cooked last night using a recipe for Chicken with Black Pepper Maple Sauce (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-with-Black-Pepper-Maple-Sauce-233973) from the March 2006 issue of Gourmet. It was exactly the kind of dinner I needed, simple and prepared with care.
It feels like the end of an era in many ways, and I hope that Gourmet will find a way to stay relevant online or otherwise with younger readers who are passionate about food and are seeking inspiration in the kitchen and knowledge about all things culinary. That’s what the magazine did for me.
great having you on board colu!