Dana Cowin steps down as editor of Food & Wine

There is yet another departure from a major food publication as Dana Cowin is stepping aside as editor of Food & Wine magazine, a post she has held for 21 years. She will retain a tie to the publication, however, as her new job will be “chief creative officer of Chefs Club International, the parent of Chefs Club by Food & Wine, a restaurant group with locations in Manhattan and Aspen, Colo. The restaurants are showcases for prominent chefs, notably those selected as “Best New Chefs” by the magazine.”

Cowin will stay on at Food & Wine through mid-January to finish the March, 2015 issue. At Chefs Club, she will join culinary director Didier Elena, who worked with Alain Ducasse; chef Matthew Aita, formerly of Le Philosophe; and business development director Louise Vongerichten, daughter of Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

In addition to staying on through the March issue, Cowin will help select her successor at Food & Wine. Cowin said that she hadn’t considered leaving until she was approached by Chef’s Club president Stephane De Baets. “I’m surprised that I could find something new that’s this exciting,” she explained.