As food professionals, chefs, and just plain appreciators of great story telling and restaurant reporting, it was with heavy hearts that we broke the news last week that Food Arts Magazine was
closing via our twitter feed.
Parent company M. Shanken officially and briefly first announced the news the following morning, saying it is “suspended publication” of the magazine, and then Food Arts left a goodbye note on Facebook:
"It is with great sadness that, after 25 years, we announce the closing of Food Arts magazine. We have loved working with everyone in the food industry—our writers, photographers, chefs, restaurateurs, hoteliers, and everyone else we’ve raised a glass with along the way. Thank you for all of your loyalty and support throughout the years. We wish you all the very best. Keep the kitchen fires burning!"
The beloved industry publication was launched by the formidable culinary couple Michael and Ariane Batterberry in 1986. The pair had previously founded Food & Wine Magazine and began Food Arts to chronicle and celebrate the chef-led American food revolution. Which it did in glorious, glossy-paged, geeky detail. Food Arts was a vital chronicle of what chefs were doing around the world in a pre-internet age from medieval techniques to molecular masterpieces. It ran recipes at several pages, followed the travails of bakers who traveled with their sourdough starter, and gave us glimpses into kitchens and flavors around the globe.
For more reminiscences, check out
this interview with Food Arts editor Beverly Stephen on Heritage Radio Network.