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Monday brought news that Condé Nast had closed Gourmet magazine (as well as Cookie, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride). But final say on the fate of the food magazine's flagship event, the Gourmet Institute, scheduled for October 23 to 25, didn't come until Tuesday, when a note posted on the event's Web site announced its cancellation.

"The decision was not made easily," said Gourmet director of special events and strategic partnerships Erica Morris, who added that staffers spent Monday discussing options before deciding to cancel. "The event really just couldn't go on without the magazine behind it."

Condé Nast will issue refunds to all of the registrants for the institute's weekend of culinary seminars, and Morris spoke with many of the participating chefs about the decision. "All of the chefs were wonderfully gracious and sad to hear about it," Morris said. Tuesday also marked her last day on staff. —Michael O'Connell

Condé Nast, Gourmet magazine, Gourmet Institute

TED KRUCKEL 10.06.09 4:59 PM

As Gourmet Bites the Dust, October Is Food Month in New York

Jacques Pépin at New York magazine's Culinary Experience
Photo: Larry Busacca

It’s getting hot in here and the pressure is mounting. I’m in the kitchen with Jacques Pépin and about 20 students who are racing against the clock to complete their stuffed ballotines of chicken. Pépin is perspiring and working furiously as he goes from one student to the next, showing each the main steps that he demonstrated twice onscreen already.

It is 4:15 on a Saturday afternoon at the French Culinary Institute, and I’m sitting in on a New York magazine-sponsored deluxe weekend of instructional cooking, the New York Culinary Experience, with some of the world’s leading chefs. In addition to Monsieur Pépin, fellow F.C.I. deans André Soltner (formerly of Lutèce) and Alain Sailhac (formerly of the 21 Club) are sauntering around the room, assisted by six sous chefs, by my count. In two days, the announcement that Gourmet is closing will shock this community, but today we are all blissfully enjoying Food Month. MORE >>

New York Magazine, Gourmet magazine, Bon Appétit, French Culinary Institute

EVENT REPORT 06.09.09 4:44 PM

Big-Name Chefs Hawk Street Food at Citymeals Benefit

Food trucks at the Citymeals benefit
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash

It's hard to turn a corner in New York without seeing a street food vendor of some kind, whether it's a classic cart selling pretzels or one of the new wave of sophisticated food trucks like Dumpling Truck or Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. Nonprofit Citymeals-on-Wheels used all forms of street food as inspiration for this year's "Street & Savory" benefit, which drew more than 1,000 guests to Rockefeller Center's rink and surrounding area Monday night.

Heather Gere, Citymeals' director of special events, said the theme was based on the rising trend of food trucks, as well as a nod to these budget-conscious times. "Nick Valenti and Gael Greene came up with [the theme] last fall. They were discussing what would be the right feel for the times—knowing that this wasn't the year for a theme that felt overly indulgent or rich. We had talked previously with [sponsor] Gourmet about ideas that centered around comfort foods and childhood memories, and eventually settled on this—because really, many chefs do draw their inspiration from classic street foods from their countries and cultures. And everybody loves street food! It seems to have become quite a trend over the last year or so, so we feel that we couldn't have done this at a better time." MORE >>

Citymeals-on-Wheels, Patina Restaurant Group, Fiji Water, Nespresso, American Airlines, Riese Restaurants, Gourmet magazine, Affinia Hotels, The M.O. & M.E. Hoffman Foundation

EVENT REPORT 04.01.09 12:42 PM

Gourmet, Macy's, and Showtime Partner to Launch New Season of The Tudors

Gourmet's Tudor table
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash

Tudor period garb and table settings inside the Condé Nast executive dining room designed by Frank Gehry may seem about as unusual a juxtaposition as you could find. A similarly unconventional mix marked the marketing partnership that brought Gourmet, Macy's, and Showtime together for Monday night's premiere party for The Tudors at the magazine publisher's Times Square headquarters. Around 150 guests joined the trio of sponsors to celebrate the show's third season and the promotional campaign highlighting Tudor-style food and design.

"We're in a multichannel arena, and everyone is just looking for ways to increase viewers, readers, and consumers," said Gourmet associate publisher of marketing and creative services Susan Bornstein. "When we look at partners, there has to be a way to showcase everyone as individuals, but in a way that's always organic." MORE >>

Showtime, The Tudors, Gourmet magazine, Condé Nast, Macy's

NEWS 03.25.09 1:16 PM

In the News: Hollywood Wants Junkets Back, Economy Doesn't Slow Product Launches

Hollywood Wants Junkets Back: Surprising fact: An estimated 90 percent of film junkets take place at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, with most of the remaining 10 percent falling elsewhere in Beverly Hills. The developers of the new W Hotel in Hollywood are hoping to bring some of that business back to film's birthplace, when they open at the iconic crossroads of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, which is in charge of overseeing Hollywood's redevelopment, is looking at more than a dozen proposals for venues that could also woo junket planners. [NYT]

Fashion Cuts Back on Charity Events: Flagging profits for fashion houses mean charity endeavors and sponsorships are falling under question. Liz Claiborne Inc. and Tommy Hilfiger, in particular, have reportedly reduced their budgets for charity events. This means participation in larger-scale events, like New York's Costume Institute Gala, which may have to reduce table prices this year to fill seats. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Museum of Art doesn't anticipate matching last year's record-breaking $7.3 million haul. [WWD] MORE >>

Junkets, W Hotels, Four Seasons, Liz Claiborne, Tommy Hilfiger, Costume Institute Gala, Metropolitan Home, Showtime, The Tudors, Gourmet magazine, Spray 'n Wash, 2016 Olympics

EVENT REPORT 06.18.08 3:33 PM

Street Signs Mark Stations (and Menus) at Citymeals Fund-Raiser

The crowded tent for Citymeal-on-Wheels
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash

The Citymeals-on-Wheels Chef's Tribute benefit doesn't seem to have much luck with the weather. On Monday night—as at last year's incarnation—wet weather forced the event and guests indoors and under tents. Luckily, the signage for the stations became more than just a visual element: The tall signposts allowed guests to see the menu items and chefs' names over the crowds huddled under the tents at the Rockefeller Center rink.

The not-for-profit's annual summer event was dubbed "Crème de la Crème," and took on the look of a Parisian boulevard with plants dotted about and street-sign-inspired signage. Planned by the organization's director of special events, Heather Gere, the fund-raiser honored renowned French chefs such as Georges Blanc, Paul Bocuse, Gaston LeNôtre, Pierre Gagnaire, and André Soltner. U.S.-based chefs cooking for the crowd from stations in the sunken rink-level space included Jean Joho of Everest in Chicago, Gotham Bar and Grill's Alfred Portale, and David Myers of Comme Ça in Los Angeles. MORE >>

Citymeals-on-Wheels, Patina Restaurant Group, MK Global, Gourmet magazine, The M.O. & M.E. Hoffman Foundation, American Airlines, Fiji Water, MasterCard, Nespresso, Affinia Hotels

TREND SPOTTED 04.04.08 9:45 AM

Diffa's Color Trend: Yellow

A rich goldenrod-colored linen covered Ralph Lauren Home's table.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash

Perhaps as a nod to spring, many designers at Diffa's Dining by Design event incorporated yellow accents into their tables this year, with shades of the color popping up as table linens, vases, statuary, and flowers. Here's a look at an array of the warm settings. MORE >>

Diffa, Diffa Dining by Design, Gourmet magazine, J.C. Penney, Ralph Lauren Home, Michael Tavano

EVENT REPORT 04.02.08 3:44 PM

Diffa Showcases Big Tabletop Designs in Smaller Venue

David Stark's dining environment for Benjamin Moore was made mostly out of paint swatches and paper.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash

This year, Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS’s annual Dining by Design fund-raiser moved from its most recent home at the Waterfront to the downtown venue Skylight. The new location had a strong impact on the experience of walking through the showcase, which recruits a slate of designers and sponsors to build imaginative dining environments.

Compared with the Waterfront, with its exposed brick and steel beams (and the benefit's previous homes at the Hammerstein Ballroom and Roseland) Skylight's big white box provided a brighter, less distracting background for the designers' intensely layered creations. And the new site's smaller size necessitated a tighter collection of tables (cut down from more than 50 to 39) that made for a more focused—and more easily navigable—forum for locating trends and gathering ideas.

“It’s always a challenge to find a venue here, and for us, [Skylight is] a very user-friendly venue, with two load-in points—plus it’s a blank canvas for us; it’s a gallery,” said Diffa’s special events manager, Steven Williams. “It’s a little more exclusive because it’s smaller, and we have more sponsors this year.”

So, speaking of trends and ideas, how did the designers fill the new location? MORE >>

Diffa, Diffa Dining by Design, Architectural Digest, Benjamin Moore, Beringer, Domino Magazine, Gourmet magazine, Hewlett-Packard, Kravet, Nautica, New York Design Center, The New York Times, Skidmore Owings and Merrill, Stolichnaya Elit, Vivienne Tam

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