Earlier this week, Lorraine Chuen, a Toronto-based writer who's one of the co-founders of data journalism project Intersectional Analyst, released "Food, Race, and Power: Who gets to be an authority on 'ethnic' cuisines?" For the report, Chuen crunched numbers on the bylines of recipes in the New …
What Does The Future Of Food Media Look Like?
Traditional food media witnessed upheaval after upheaval in the last year and far-reaching scandals rocked legacy institutions. The digital food media space also saw the continued rise of influential food bloggers as well as recipe developers, writers, and other independent creators not necessarily affiliated with traditional media organizations. Are these "new" voices the future of food media?
Issues In Traditional Food Media
In the last year in particular, allegations of racism, sexism, gatekeeping, and more have rocked legacy food media.
A national discussion has erupted, again, over racism in food media. But that discussion is one part of the problem. The oldest cliché of the food world is a simple one: Food brings people together. It’s a warm maxim that could serve as the slogan for a farming cooperative or a brand of prepackaged …
Ever since I first saw the recipe, I’ve been wondering what Weeknight Pad Thai is. Or Weeknight Mapo Tofu. For anyone familiar with these two iconic …
On June 8, Bon Appétit editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport resigned from the publication after a photo resurfaced showing him and his wife dressed up as Puerto Ricans for Halloween. The photo, which circulated on Twitter after writer Tammie Teclemariam posted it, prompted employees and contributors to …
Some personal news: I’m writing a food memoir. Just kidding. I wouldn’t do that to you. Or to myself. The culinary memoir comes with limiting parameters. We have the chef’s memoir, the restaurant critic’s memoir and, the bulk of the category, the food writer’s memoir. The first two have been dominated …
Back in May—what seems like truly an eternity ago—I was sitting in my parents’ backyard in Dallas, catching up over FaceTime with Yewande Komolafe, a talented recipe developer, writer, and author of a highly anticipated cookbook on Nigerian food out next year. The conversation turned to discussing …
New Perspectives In The Food Media Landscape
From food bloggers to influencers and independent writers monetizing their newsletters, "new" avenues to engage with the food media space often don't involve legacy institutions. These emerging digital outlets are showcasing more diverse food traditions and perspectives, driving and creating new trends, and speaking out on pressing social issues.
Jollof rice, strawberry soda, coconut collard greens, Ghanaian kebabs: The menu for a public potluck slated for Friday’s Juneteenth holiday is the stuff of mouthwatering, and soul-feeding, dreams. But like so many things these days, this spread will be virtual, as about 70 black culinary creatives …
In the rarefied world of small-batch cheese, the closest a product may get to widespread fame is Tom Colicchio’s shout-out for his favorite bloomy rind on “Top Chef.” That’s why Anne Saxelby, the founder and co-owner of Saxelby Cheesemongers, in New York City, was so surprised when a supplier told …
Amanda Saab photograph by Malaika HilsonAmanda Saab is not easily defined. You could call her a baker, but for every tantalizing photo she posts of a …
The Future of the Food Magazine? Four Teenagers May Have the Answer. Published by a crew of innovative high schoolers, Pass the Spatula offers a fresh …
I have always been a bit in awe of Alicia Kennedy. Her writing focuses on the intersection of food, capitalism, and ethics, and it’s always …
It's Not All Pretty Pictures And Prose
From pay disparities s in the influencer space to issues of appropriation and exploitation, "new" food media is not immune to controversy.
Influencers are too often an easy punchline for those who don’t have the time or inclination to consider this digital career on a more serious …
(CNN) — Not everyone wants to cook mung bean popsicles. Judy Leung, one of the people behind recipe website The Woks of Life, understands that. So when she shared her recipe online, she opened her blog post by taking the reader back to Shanghai, where she grew up. There, she wrote, popsicle peddlers …
Asian Americans and other fans of Tieghan Gerard and her massively popular Half Baked Harvest food blog are asking her to engage more thoughtfully …
After asking for a free takeaway meal, the influencer told the pub he would be "happy to advertise" them via his Instagram stories There is no such …
The dark secret at the heart of the social media economy Rachel Duah realised she was being short-changed because of an admin error. A PR agency contacted her to offer gifted products, asking Duah to create a range of content for them in exchange. The model enquired about payment – the work being …
Looking To The Future
Given new funding mechanisms such as Patreon and Substack, the future of food media may involve a whole lot more bloggers, independent writers, and yes, influencers. At least, as a digital food creator, writer, and influencer, I’m trying to.
With former ‘Bon Appétit’ stars and food bloggers now on Patreon and Substack, the relationship between food creators and their followers is changing. What would you pay to have direct access to your favorite recipe developer? For video star and cookbook author Molly Baz to answer questions about …
The Future of Food Media Is in Your Inbox Indie newsletters are booming, and they’re home to some of the most exciting food writing today. The …