Changes coming to Saveur

April 11, 2023 by
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For the past several years we have reported on the demise of beloved food magazines and websites that were falling like a line of dominoes. Gourmet was among the first to go, followed by Cooking Light*, Martha Stewart Living, Sweet Paul, Chowhound, Fine Cooking, and others. Websites such as Epicurious and NYT Cooking changed to a subscription-only format. Some, such as Better Homes & Gardens, shifted into an entirely different paradigm. The recipes on the BH&G website no longer correspond to particular magazine issues, and the only way to find a recipe in the print edition is to know which issue it was in and view that magazine in the (subscribers-only) archive, which is not searchable. I’m skeptical about the long-term prospects for this model. BH&G subscribers would be wise to use EYB to help them locate recipes! A few sites that were gobbled up by larger entities now only post a pittance of new content compared to their independent days (I’m looking at you, Serious Eats).

That’s why when I saw a tweet from Saveur with the headline “A Note from Our Editor,” my heart sank. I am convinced that Saveur once saved my job and the thought of the website disappearing made me sad. However, the news wasn’t what I expected. Instead of announcing another acquisition by or merger with a behemoth like Dot Dash Meredith, Saveur is becoming independent once again. In the note, editor and CEO Kat Craddock said:

“After three years of overhauling our website and rebuilding our team with Recurrent, our deeply loved brand is poised for growth. Today, I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve partnered with an investor to purchase SAVEUR from its most recent parent company. Effective immediately, I, along with our core editorial team, will begin transitioning our operations to thrive as a nimble and independent publication.” 

I am curious as to whether Saveur can buck the trends of consolidation and collapse. If they do – and I am hoping they can pull it off – Saveur can serve as a blueprint for other publications and food websites to follow. It’s definitely a gamble in these turbulent times for food websites.

*Update to add: Cooking Light stopped publishing in 2018, but they brought the print magazine back in late 2020. Apologies for the oversight.

Category: Food Online

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16 Comments

  • matag  on  April 11, 2023

    ?

  • ethedens  on  April 11, 2023

    I am a “magazine insider” for Meredith and saw a preview for a Serious Eats magazine so they may actually be getting a magazine of their own! I hope Saveur can pull it off!

  • feliciakw  on  April 11, 2023

    Please please!!

  • Marsaluna  on  April 11, 2023

    Go Saveur. I would subscribe to support this independent model. Most extant “merged” magazines are sadly short on content.

  • FuzzyChef  on  April 12, 2023

    That would be really cool. I canceled after they got acquired; would love to resubscribe.

  • Rinshin  on  April 12, 2023

    Saveur, along with Fine Cooking, Milk Street and Cooks Country are my favorite magazines.

  • cfrailey  on  April 12, 2023

    Wish them every success and hope and pray Fine Cooking is watching.

  • cadfael  on  April 13, 2023

    wish them well will have to support

  • BarbaraM48  on  April 13, 2023

    I will subscribe.

  • bittrette  on  April 14, 2023

    What a die-off! Cooking Light ceased publication when I wasn’t looking. And I’m still mourning the big recipe websites of the nineties and aughts.

  • bittrette  on  April 14, 2023

    Cooking Light bit the dust? Not according to the Cooking Light website, which is still inviting you to subscribe.
    Or did I reach a ghost site less than half an hour ago?

  • sayeater  on  April 14, 2023

    Cooking Light and Fine Cooking were my fave of the cooking magazines. My mom had like 3 decades of Gourmet mag saved that I didn’t keep after she passed, but kind of wish I had.

  • shawsc  on  April 14, 2023

    That’s wonderful news! I can only hope that they will continue with their focus on global foods, customs and cultures rather than just recipes. I loved their writers’ perspectives on food culture and unique people/places with generations of experience.

  • brigitm  on  April 19, 2023

    Hope Saveur can make this work.

    At one time I had almost every issue of Martha. Desperately fighting the tide of paper in my house, I culled all but the Christmas and decorating issues from mid-2004 onward- it seemed to me that the magazine’s distinctive aesthetic changed around the time she went to prison. When I heard it was ceasing publication, I was kind of sorry I didn’t keep them all and continue to the end.

  • slimmer  on  April 28, 2023

    Wish I could find a home for my 200-odd assorted cooking magazines (DC area). I tried selling them to BackIssues.com, but they said they weren’t buying — but I was welcome to donate them (ha! And ship at my cost?). Even as some of the sites disappear, I seem to find new ones whenever I search for a recipe. Unfortunately, many follow the annoying blog format of blah blah blah for a screen and a half before you get to the recipe.

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