When Conde Nast announced on Monday that it would ~ 30 ~ (or let's see, would that be ~ 86 ~?) Gourmet Magazine, 'The Magazine of Good Living' first published in 1941, food bloggers were among the first to mourn its passing. On Twitter, the word spread like melted butter; within a few minutes of the announcement, 'gourmet' was a trending topic. Even six days later, this morning a thoughtful piece from the Buffalo News is being TWed and RTed.

Ever since, sadness -- there's no other word -- has poured out as food bloggers mourn the magazine's passing.

"I am beyond devastated that this magazine will no longer be delivered to my home - it has always been considered one of my "main resources" for cuisine, cooking styles and methods, restaurant guides, and inspiration. I felt a lump in my throat as I read the news articles about the magazine's ending, trying to fight back tears - yes, the magazine was that important to me. I certainly hope that they do not take down their website at least!"
~ read more at Veggie Girl, Gratitude for Gourmet

"I feel like the world of food writing has been pillaged and robbed by this decision. We aren’t just losing a magazine, we are saying goodbye to an old, reliable friend … a best friend. We are losing our grasp on elegant food writing, and replacing it with accessible, easy, fast … how sad."
~ read more from Sarah Caron at Sarah's Cucina Bella, Goodbye, Gourmet

The Kitchen Sink Recipes ~ Bucatini Carbonara
"Inspired by this Gourmet (sniff) recipe."

Pinch ~ Gasp! Gourmet Bites the Big One
"Oh Gourmet! You were nearly 70 and I was just starting to love you!"

Is Conde Nast surprised at the reaction? "Please be advised that Gourmet magazine will cease publication after the November issue," reads the stark notice on Gourmet.com. Did Conde Nast think, you know, that we wouldn't notice?

In contrast, Ruth Reichl, Gourmet's editor since 1999 (and former New York Times restaurant critic, author and winner of four James Beard awards), who learned the news herself only the morning of the announcement, expresses herself warmly and openly. Two days after the news, she wrote on Twitter: "At Newark airport. Stopped to buy sandwich (no time to eat today), and the woman behind the counter said, 'I'm so sorry; this one's on me.'"

Other bloggers, especially those whose blogs are but one dimension in their writing careers, became thoughtfully assessed Gourmet's place in the food world.

"So what does the food world lose with the closing of Gourmet? I hesitate to use the word 'institution' here, but that's what it does feel like to some extent. but really, what it comes down to is this: If Saveur makes me want to explore the exotic, and Gastronomica makes me approach food with an intellectual perspective, Gourmet made me comfortable. It wasn't always engaging (although it could be) and it wasn't always exciting (but again, it could be). What it was was dependable. Challenging without being overly so, an issue of Gourmet could cover several topics without seeming either patronizing or trend-setting. At times, it was what I wished the food world could be."
~ read more from Kate Hopkins at Accidental Hedonist, The Loss of Gourmet Magazine

"Back in the day I thought Gourmet was about exactly that: food snobs and recipes that can’t be made without importing ostrich eggs from Africa. Only after getting hooked on the website (and not having to leaf through all those awful advertisements that seem to clutter up 90% of magazines theses days) did I see what Gourmet was really about: living frugally. Treating animals and farmers well. Eating locally. Bringing the impact of eating (political, social, and environmental) to an audience that usually doesn’t like to think about the results of their actions. "
~ read more at MadSilence, RIP: Gourmet Magazine

"It seems that most of [Gourmet's] critics stopped reading Gourmet in the 1980s. Or they ignored the 90% of magazine that doesn't have to do France or fine dinnerware. What's so "elitist" about street food in Thailand or a mom-and-pop Chinese barbecue stand? Or a first-person account, not just some fluffy service piece, about living frugally? Or for that matter, in-depth coverage of sustainable food issues? If elitism is defined by reaching beyond the scope of soccer moms and trend-seekers or calling olive oil by its rightful name, then I must be elitist too."
~ read more from the ever-thoughtful and -eloquent Diana Kuan at Appetite for China Gourmet 1941 - 2009 - "Elitist", Intelligent, Loved

BlogHer ~ The Demise of Gourmet Magazine and the Rise of the Cooking Channel
"Gourmet wasn’t about being a food snob, it was about being a food lover."

"The New York Times ... noted that now-prominent chefs and food writers were weaned on the pages and recipes of Gourmet and how it provided a 'home for literate, thoughtful food writing. Its stable of contributors included James Beard, Laurie Colwin, and M.F.K. Fisher…' It even quoted Alice Waters saying that a 'review in Gourmet used to mean everything. "Yes, you could be in The New York Times, but that was sort of fleeting. Gourmet was just a bigger cultural picture."’"
~ read more from The Jew & The Carrot, The Demise of Gourmet Magazine, a Cultural Icon

"Why Gourmet? Because after just one or two issues, it felt like a kitchen I knew my way around in, while Bon Appetit always felt like a restaurant I couldn’t afford or just plain didn’t like. I skipped the froofy travel stuff about Michelin stars and went straight for my favorite sections, “You Asked For It,” “Quick Kitchen” (now “Gourmet Every Day”) and “The Last Touch.” I didn’t know a goddamn thing about food, but Gourmet never talked down to me. Gourmet didn’t care that I’d never tried foie gras (still haven’t); Gourmet said it was okay to make easy-awesome beer-battered fish tacos instead. And easy-awesome orzo with pine nuts and feta. And easy-awesome ribeye steak in a balsamic reduction. And the the decidedly un-easy but definitely awesome, best effing mac and cheese in the world."
~ read more from Beth Boyle Machlan at The Faster Times, Gourmet: The Magazine of Good Living Is Dead

Food blogger Rebekah Denn never thought she'd wrote Gourmet's obituary.

"Gourmet is survived by Bon Appétit, another Conde Nast title, which we like but which really isn't the same. It is also survived by Reichl, who we think of as its mom, by media food editor Zanne Stewart and its other amazingly knowledgeable employees, and by legions of wonderful writers and loyal fans. There is no specified charity for donations, but perhaps contributions could be made by cooking one favorite dish from its archives and raising a glass in thanks for the years of inspiration."
~ read more at Al Dente, The Sad, Sudden Death of Gourmet Magazine

And what's next, what comes AFTER Gourmet?

"I would suggest that the next wave in food publishing isn’t necessarily just blogging–or at least, it’s something that includes blogs but is much larger. This is Web 2.0, folks, the era of social media. ... The thrilling but also terrifying aspect of this new stage of food journalism is that we are all editors. Ideally, consensus builds, great minds do think alike, and the cream rises to the top. Worst case scenario, novel but inane ideas go viral just for the fun of it, and we are the poorer for it. ... Bear in mind, none of this is a replacement for Gourmet… exactly. Nothing will replace Gourmet or the other food glossies that fall because that is a model that no longer works in this media climate. The part of this that worries me the most is the kind of in-depth reporting that print media has traditionally been able to fund. It’s the same problem we face as more and more newspapers fold. Who will pay for the time food journalists spend doing research and polishing their writing? If this new medium is passion driven, is passion enough to ensure quality when unpaid foodists are working in their spare time, after the day job? Who is paying for this writing now?"
~ read more from Adriana Velez at Farm to Table, So Gourmet Is Closing, What Will Rise From Its Ashes?

What can we do, can Gourmet Magazine be saved?

Blogger Kylie Sachs, who calls herself an 'aspiring cook' though isn't a food blogger, grabbed the Twitter handle @SaveGourmet. She wrote:

"Condé Nast and friends, dare to be different and RAISE standards, SET a tone, LEAD a market not just follow every Tom, Dick and Rachael*."
~ read more from Kylie at Chapter XVII, Good Living, One Meal at a Time

Food blogger Julie O'Hara is hosting a food blog event and invites bloggers to 'celebrate' Gourmet by cooking a recipe from Gourmet magazine and posting it by October 15th, Get more information at A Mingling of Tastes, Blog Event: Let's Celebrate Gourmet.

And you?
And you, will Gourmet be missed? Leave a thought, a link to a favorite recipe from Gourmet, or what you're doing to support other food magazines, you know where, in the comments!

BlogHer food editor Alanna Kellogg remembers distinctly how her first issue of Gourmet in 1987 rocked her food sensibility, creating the early inklings of the 'fresh seasonal recipes for everyday healthful living and occasional indulgences' she now collects at Kitchen Parade, the food column her mom started in 1959.