Cookie Crisps

This post is pretty difficult to write. As I'm sure many of you know, CNP folded four magazines yesterday - Cookie, Gourmet, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride. As a magazine fah-reak, this is really hard to absorb, and as a former Cookie intern, it's even harder. I'll be honest, the whole bridal umbrella - not really my thing, but it's still more print publications shutting down and more talented people with jobs lost.

I interned at Cookie two summers ago, and despite having two internships under my belt, the experience was entirely new. For the first time, I was writing. When I was published in Cookie, a national publication, I screamed. And I bought a million copies. The article was about how to poach fish in olive oil - my expertise, clearly. And it was maybe 1/20th of a page. But no matter - I was freaking out. It certainly wasn't the fish that made that summer so incredible (though the cafeteria at 4TS is to-die-for a la Rachel Zoe).

It was the fact that I was given a tremendous amount of responsibility (baby photo shoots are not all fun and games, let me tell you...but those models are damn cute), got to sit in on editorial meetings, and the editors were always open to answer my questions and help me in any way. It truly was a caring environment where everyone put 100+% effort into everything they did, but always managed to have fun while doing it. Not to mention how gorgeous the magazine was. I continued to read it, and was probably one of the few 19-22-yea-olds reading a parenting magazine, but I couldn't help but imagine the bitty clothing blown up in size to fit me.

As for Gourmet, that magazine is a marker of history. Culinary history, for sure, but it also has greatly affected my own upbringing. My friend Katie and I would salivate over the images, and my mother cooked those recipes from back to front. Birthdays, Thanksgivings, and practically every late-night meal was taken from those glossy pages. No matter what she would be cooking, if I saw it came from Gourmet, I knew I was in the clear. It was a comfort, and a beautiful one at that. You know what else was comforting? Seeing Ruth Reichl in the elevator, and noting that she too was a proud curly girl.  

As I write this, I realize that I am an active participant in the web vs. print debate, but seriously, you print publications...I'm here and up for hire at any time! (hint, hint)