Not very long ago, food journalism was a category dominated by the big guys — Condé Nast (Bon Appétit), Hearst (Food Network Magazine), Time Inc.(Food & Wine, Real Simple). But a new crop of small, independent publications have taken the stage, dedicated to our culture’s near-cultish obsession with the people, places and ideas behind the new food movement. These are the publications that trim the fat, and cover it best.
Alla Carta
First Issue: 2012
Frequency: Biannual
Country: Italy
If you like: Interviews over dinner with fashion’s new and notable luminaries.
Ambrosia
First Issue: 2015
Frequency: Biannual
Country: USA
If you like: Regional cuisine digested through short interviews and easy-to-make recipes.
Cherry Bombe
First Issue: 2013
Frequency: Biannual
Country: USA
If you like: Food at the intersection of culture, as told by the women who matter most in the industry.
The Cleaver Quarterly
First Issue: 2014
Frequency: Quarterly
Country: China
If you like: Chinese culture and gastronomy, with its kaleidoscopic variations around the world.
Cook’s Illustrated
First Issue: 1993
Frequency: Bimonthly
Country: USA
If you like: Zero advertising and hyper-detailed recipes covering everything from stir-fry to salad dressing.
Honorable Mention: ‘Put a Egg On It’
The pocket-sized zine Put a Egg On It hails from Brooklyn, New York, but it’s made by a team with an appetite for bigger things. Printed on green paper, each issue features essays and photo essays on food and cooking around the world, along with a thematic collection of recipes. Learn More
Diner Journal
First Issue: 2006
Frequency: Quarterly
Country: USA
If you like: Original recipe collections seasoned with art, literature and poetry, from an eclectic array of contributors.
Drift
First Issue: 2014
Frequency: Biannual
Country: USA
If you like: Coffee culture handsomely captured in cities that celebrate the bean. Past issues include Havana, New York and Tokyo.
Edible Brooklyn
First Issue: 2006
Frequency: Quarterly
Country: USA
If you like: Stories about the people and places behind Brooklyn’s burgeoning food movement.
Ernest
First Issue: 2014
Frequency: Biannual
Country: England
If you like: The wild side of food and foraging from rugged cultures around the world.
Fool
First Issue: 2012
Frequency: Biannual
Country: Sweden
If you like: Journalism that sees chefs like celebrities, with a focus on fashion and photography that’s rough around the edges (in the best way).
These Are the Year’s Best-Designed Kitchen Tools
Take a good, hard look at your kitchen. Haven’t done this in a while? It’s time to upgrade. Read this story
The Gourmand
First Issue: 2012
Frequency: Biannual
Country: England
If you like: Food and art, and not always in that order.
Gather Journal
First Issue: 2012
Frequency: Biannual
Country: USA
If you like: Esoteric, seasonally driven recipes, coupled with photography resembling art installations.
Life & Thyme
First Issue: 2015
Frequency: Quarterly
Country: USA
If you like: Culinary storytelling through character-driven narratives across the globe.
Lucky Peach
First Issue: 2011
Frequency: Quarterly
Country: USA
If you like: Fun, insightful musings on food, centered around topics both confined (“ramen”) and obscure (“fantasy”).
Modern Farmer
First Issue: 2013
Frequency: Quarterly
Country: USA
If you like: Insider access to the farmers and thinkers changing the way we eat.
Pallet
First Issue: 2015
Frequency: Quarterly
Country: USA
If you like: Beer, and the entire the subculture that surrounds it.
Render
First Issue: 2014
Frequency: Quarterly
Country: USA
If you like: Ideological journalism from “badass women who are making waves within the persistently male-dominated food industry.”
Sabor Journal
First Issue: 2015
Frequency: Biannual
Country: The Netherlands
If you like: Traveling in search of cultural discoveries, via dishes and customs.
Tapas
First Issue: 2014
Frequency: Triannual
Country: Spain
If you like: Bite-sized insights about the world’s food and fashion and everything in between.
Thrive Magazine
First Issue: 2014
Frequency: Quarterly
Country: USA
If you like: The chefs, celebrities and dishes elevating plant-based cuisine.
