Status
Available
Publication
New York : Random House, [2019]
Description
Biography & Autobiography. Cooking & Food. Essays. Nonfiction. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � Trailblazing food writer and beloved restaurant critic Ruth Reichl took the job (and the risk) of a lifetime when she entered the high-stakes world of magazine publishing. Now, for the first time, she chronicles her groundbreaking tenure as editor in chief of Gourmet. �A must for any food lover . . . Reichl is a warm, intimate writer. She peels back the curtain to a glamorous time of magazine-making. You�ll tear through this memoir.��Refinery29 NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Real Simple � Good Housekeeping � Town & Country When Cond� Nast offered Ruth Reichl the top position at America�s oldest epicurean magazine, she declined. She was a writer, not a manager, and had no inclination to be anyone�s boss. Yet Reichl had been reading Gourmet since she was eight; it had inspired her career. How could she say no? This is the story of a former Berkeley hippie entering the corporate world and worrying about losing her soul. It is the story of the moment restaurants became an important part of popular culture, a time when the rise of the farm-to-table movement changed, forever, the way we eat. Readers will meet legendary chefs like David Chang and Eric Ripert, idiosyncratic writers like David Foster Wallace, and a colorful group of editors and art directors who, under Reichl�s leadership, transformed stately Gourmet into a cutting-edge publication. This was the golden age of print media�the last spendthrift gasp before the Internet turned the magazine world upside down. Complete with recipes, Save Me the Plums is a personal journey of a woman coming to terms with being in charge and making a mark, following a passion and holding on to her dreams�even when she ends up in a place she never expected to be. Praise for Save Me the Plums �Poignant and hilarious . . . simply delicious . . . Each serving of magazine folklore is worth savoring. In fact, Reichl�s story is juicier than a Peter Luger porterhouse. Dig in.��The New York Times Book Review �In this smart, touching, and dishy memoir . . . Ruth Reichl recalls her years at the helm of Gourmet magazine with clear eyes, a sense of humor, and some very appealing recipes.��Town & Country �If you haven�t picked up food writing queen Ruth Reichl�s new book, Save Me the Plums, I highly recommend you fix that problem. . . . Reichl is in top form and ready to dish, with every chapter seeming like a dedicated behind-the-scenes documentary on its own.��Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Beamis12
I'm a big foodie, not a baker, but I love to cook. New recipes. Old favorites, comfort food, different ethnic cuisines, I love to experiment with recipes. I've read all of Ruth's books and have enjoyed each and everyone.
As the food critic for the New York times, her meal time was not her own. She
This book covers her time at Gourmet, and it makes very interesting reading.
Her descriptions of food had me drooling. Melted chocolate, caramel, my two favorite ingredients. The way the food is staged, photographed. Occasional looks into her private life, and the challenges of keeping a magazine running, in the dying days of magazines. She would reinvent Gourmet, changing the stuffy image, into a trendy, but elegant magazine. She is a wonderful writer, and she captures a life based on food, and cuisine, effortlessly.
As the food critic for the New York times, her meal time was not her own. She
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regretted not having more time with her husband and son, so when she is approached and asked to become editor of Gourmet Magazine, she accepts. Not that she isn't worried about a job she is not certain she is qualified for, but being able to be home for dinner is a big plus, not to mention the salary and perks.This book covers her time at Gourmet, and it makes very interesting reading.
Her descriptions of food had me drooling. Melted chocolate, caramel, my two favorite ingredients. The way the food is staged, photographed. Occasional looks into her private life, and the challenges of keeping a magazine running, in the dying days of magazines. She would reinvent Gourmet, changing the stuffy image, into a trendy, but elegant magazine. She is a wonderful writer, and she captures a life based on food, and cuisine, effortlessly.
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LibraryThing member librarian1204
An absolute delight for Gourmet fans to read about Reichl’s 10 years as editor of Gourmet . The changes that were made in the magazine during her leadership spread out everywhere to other food magazines, to all of the media and into our kitchens. I have read her previous books, enjoyed them but
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this one was an up close look at the Condé Nast publishing empire and the excitement the staff felt as they upended the Gourmet of old. And the journey with Reichl, who learned the ropes , expanded them, cheered her staff on and gave us, her readers, such good times with great food. Show Less
LibraryThing member Katyefk
Ruth's writing on the foods that she enjoys and her overall dining experiences makes me want to run to the kitchen and start cooking and tasting. I did not know the story of Gourmet magazine's life history and Ruth's incredible influence on its path in the Conde Nast world. Learning what goes on
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"behind the scenes" of our well known institutions is very satisfying for context and perspective in our world today. I always loved reading Gourmet Magazine and will miss its unique way of "tasting" the world of what we can savor and appreciate. Show Less
LibraryThing member Micheller7
Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir is the fourth memoir I have read written by Ruth Reichl. I have also read her novel "Delicious." I especially liked that novel. All her memoirs are pretty bright and breezy, and fun to read. And they are all about her life in food. This one is about the ten
I felt that it was not quite up to the caliber of the others. I found it was mostly about the people that she worked with and many anecdotes about them. However, although these people were important to her, they are not famous and I had a hard time recalling just what role each played at the magazine. Plus these same roles were filled by various folk, as they came and left the magazine. I really wanted to know more about the magazine itself, but only bits and pieces were described. A few chapters stood out, such as her two trips to Paris, and her recounting of her experience during the September 11 attacks on New York City. She does talk some about her family - her parents, husband and son. I had "met" them in her earlier books, so I enjoyed reading more about them. A sprinkling of recipes is also included. I learned that Reichl wanted to include more of them, because she sends out a blog to which I subscribe, and a few times she included the recipes that had been cut.
And then suddenly and surprisingly Gourmet magazine folded. And thus ends her memoir. I am ready for another food related novel. I like her style.
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years spent as the editor of Gourmet magazine. I felt that it was not quite up to the caliber of the others. I found it was mostly about the people that she worked with and many anecdotes about them. However, although these people were important to her, they are not famous and I had a hard time recalling just what role each played at the magazine. Plus these same roles were filled by various folk, as they came and left the magazine. I really wanted to know more about the magazine itself, but only bits and pieces were described. A few chapters stood out, such as her two trips to Paris, and her recounting of her experience during the September 11 attacks on New York City. She does talk some about her family - her parents, husband and son. I had "met" them in her earlier books, so I enjoyed reading more about them. A sprinkling of recipes is also included. I learned that Reichl wanted to include more of them, because she sends out a blog to which I subscribe, and a few times she included the recipes that had been cut.
And then suddenly and surprisingly Gourmet magazine folded. And thus ends her memoir. I am ready for another food related novel. I like her style.
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LibraryThing member kayanelson
As always I love Ruth Reichl's book. Save Me the Plums takes us behind the scenes at Gourmet magazine. It was very interesting and I wish the book had more chapters. Ruth has a way with words, a way with food and a way with writing about food. Looking forward to more from her.
LibraryThing member etxgardener
I have loved Ruth Reichl's writing since I read her first memoir, Tender at the Bone in 1998, with the exception of her unfortunate novel Now, 11 years after Garlic and Sapphires, Reichl brings her memoirs up to date with the atory of her years as Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet magazine
I cannot tell
But then things start to fall apart, thanks to the Internet. The bean counters take over and, ironically, almost immediately after Reichl is name magazine editor of the year, Conde Nast shutters the magazine, Reichl was shocked and, as a subscriber, so was I. I was also angry when my subscription to Gourmet was replaced with the vastly inferior Bon Appetit.
Ruth Reichl is now living a very different life outside of New York City in the country. I hope she has a third act - perhaps on television?
I cannot tell
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you how much I loved this book which i gobbled up whole over a weekend. Reichl seems to lead a charmed life: falling into a plum job with America's finest food magazine, going to wonderful restaurants on the magazine's tab, and working with a seemingly unlimited budget. She turns the magazine from a staid old grand dame to one of the most vibrant magazines I've ever readBut then things start to fall apart, thanks to the Internet. The bean counters take over and, ironically, almost immediately after Reichl is name magazine editor of the year, Conde Nast shutters the magazine, Reichl was shocked and, as a subscriber, so was I. I was also angry when my subscription to Gourmet was replaced with the vastly inferior Bon Appetit.
Ruth Reichl is now living a very different life outside of New York City in the country. I hope she has a third act - perhaps on television?
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LibraryThing member shazjhb
Loved this book. Love books about food and loved Gourmet. Kept all my issues until my last move, big question that was not answered is WHY did it close.
LibraryThing member brangwinn
This was the Oprah Book Club book on my recent Holland America cruise. I was glad to be able to read it now, since the waiting list at the library was so long. It was an interesting look at the struggling publishing industry. It brought back memories of how I had been introduced to foods as a
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child. She clearly had more opportunities in NYC than I did growing in a small mountain town. There was nothing unusual at our table, and fresh, not canned fruits and vegetables, were available only during the summer. I marveled at how money seemed to throw away on a clothing budget. As an Epicurious fan, I was surprised at how Gourmet gave Epicurious the rights to the magazine’s recipes. Loved how she tried to make changes, like the cupcakes. Reminds me of politics, the older readers wanted nothing to change, the younger readers wanted more relevant recipes for their lives. Show Less
LibraryThing member dooney
I enjoyed this book. Ruth Reichl is a good writer and she has a talent for writing about food in a way that makes this reader imagine the tastes and the experiences. I always want to run in the kitchen after reading one of her books. This volume focuses on the author's time as the editor of
But that is all water under the bridge now. Reichl draws the reader into the milieu of the time and place in the publishing and food world with marvelous stories. A fun read.
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Gourmet. I adored my parents copies of Gourmet when I was a small child, and I subscribed as an adult. I loved what the magazine became under Reichl's leadership. At the same time, I could never figure out why Gourmet gave up its voice as part of the Epicurious website, where to my mind it was lost with the inferior Bon Appetit and I was disappointed when the magazine closed. But that is all water under the bridge now. Reichl draws the reader into the milieu of the time and place in the publishing and food world with marvelous stories. A fun read.
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LibraryThing member PennyMck
Ruth Reichl – just the name intimidated me. I’m a pedestrian, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants cook. I hadn’t dared read Gourmet magazine, let alone try out the recipes. But Reichl’s book, Save Me the Plums, about her 10 years as editor of Gourmet magazine is delightful. It’s like sitting down
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and having a chat with a good friend. She shares her anxiety about starting a new job, her concerns about juggling parenting and work responsibilities, her creativity, and her passion. Read it! Ruth Reichl is sure to become your next best friend. Show Less
LibraryThing member bostonbibliophile
Interesting if slightly frivolous, a good beach book for people who've read and enjoyed Reichl's previous memoirs and maybe her novel. I say frivolous because it lacks the depth of her first memoir, Tender at the Bone, still one of my all-time favorite books. But if you like Ruth you'll like this
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too and if you're interested in magazines and media you may also enjoy reading about the last salad days of Gourmet. Show Less
LibraryThing member strandbooks
This is a memoir of Ruth Reichl’s time as editor of Gourmet before it was shut down in 2009. I love food magazines but I’ve never read Gourmet. In the decade she was there I was a Rachel Ray and Cooking Light subscriber. Gourmet was way too fancy for me. Now I want to find back issues to look
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at all the photos and read the articles she mentions. Reichl also talks about her mother’s struggle being bipolar and her own challenges as a mother trying to “have-it-all. Her writing is so good I want to read her earlier memoir about being the NYtimes restaurant critic. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookworm12
Another mesmerizing memoir from Reichl, this one covers her time at the helm of Gourmet magazine. Her descriptions of food and people are equally delicious. I’d recommend reading this one after Garlic and Sapphires as it follows the events in that book.
I loved her discussion of accepting new
“It’s good for a writer to know that the words she’s so carefully crafted today, will be wrapping someone’s fish bones tomorrow.”
”The more stars in your itinerary, the less likely you are to find the real life of another country. I’d forgotten how money becomes a barrier, insulating you from ordinary life.”
I loved her discussion of accepting new
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jobs and challenges even when it terrified her. I also loved the section where she goes to Paris after becoming used to the huge Condé Nast travel budget. She is trying to do Paris on the cheap and she’s able to connect with the city in such a real way. “It’s good for a writer to know that the words she’s so carefully crafted today, will be wrapping someone’s fish bones tomorrow.”
”The more stars in your itinerary, the less likely you are to find the real life of another country. I’d forgotten how money becomes a barrier, insulating you from ordinary life.”
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LibraryThing member tangledthread
Ruth Reichl's memoir of the decade she spent as editor of Gourmet magazine (1999-2009) is engaging and well written. She knows how to craft a story and draws the reader in with her descriptions of people and food. As she describes entering the world of Conde' Nast, her first impressions of the
This was my first book by the author. I will likely seek out her others.
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people she encounters are clearly drawn. Not surprisingly, many of the scenes in the book take place around food. The textures and flavor profile descriptions of the food enhance the social interactions of the setting in a fascinating way.This was my first book by the author. I will likely seek out her others.
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LibraryThing member alanna1122
I liked this book. It has been quite a while since I last read something by Ruth Reichl and I was ready to enjoy her wonderful descriptions of food and life. This one felt different than my memories of the other books I read. It is a record, in her words, of the end of Gourmet magazine. She is a
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complicated character (person!) and I think she does an admirable job of describing her self in a way that feels very true and not always flattering. There were somethings in this book that made me uncomfortable as far as the food served. I knew the ending fo the book before I read it, and that made it feel as though I couldn't quite enjoy the happy times she wrote about because I knew how it would all end - but still a very nice account of those last years. I particularly liked the account of David Foster Wallace's contribution to Gourmet. There was a lot to like here - and I would recommend it. Show Less
LibraryThing member sleahey
Once again Ruth Reichl has written an endearing memoir about her life as a food aficionado, this time from the vantage point of the editor of a magazine. When she was wooed away from her successful New York Times position as a restaurant critic, she had her doubts about her own ability to pull off
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such a high power role as editor of Gourmet Magazine. It turned out that she was excellent at her new job, resulting in new energy and creativity at the highly regarded publication. What's fun for the reader is learning some of the ins and outs of magazine publishing, along with anecdotes about some big names in the culinary world and New York's fast lane. Reichl manages to make the narrative conversational and entertaining, almost as though we're sitting across the kitchen table from her. Knowing about the magazine's demise doesn't detract at all from the end, and the pace is quick and satisfying. Show Less
LibraryThing member nyiper
This was just delightful to read----Reichl doesn't hide what happens and it's a wonderful history of her rise to editor in chief of Gourmet Magazine...until it basically disappeared, through NO fault of hers! NOW I need to go back and read her other books!!!
LibraryThing member carolfoisset
I have enjoyed all of Reichl's books - I love her writing style and descriptions. I did not know much about Gourmet and I found the story interesting, especially the inside scoop of how a magazine like that is run. Audio was very well done.
LibraryThing member spinsterrevival
About two minutes in to Reichl’s reading of her book, I was crying and wishing my grandma could be here to read it. In every house of hers I remember, she had her Gourmet magazines lovingly stacked on a corner bookshelf of her kitchen eating area. I don’t know how far back they went, but she
The only time I remember even reading one was the summer of 1991 when my best friend and I were 14-year-old girls visiting my grandparents for a few weeks. The issue of Gourmet (likely July’s) had a beautiful tart covered in blueberries and raspberries that looked like an American flag. We set about making it, and all I can still remember is what it looked like on the cover of Gourmet, and not if ours was as pretty or even tasted good.
Reichl pours just ten years of her time as the editor in chief of Gourmet into a gorgeous lifetime of anecdotes and stories, and even though this is my first read of hers (I know!) I’m heading to cover all the backlog now. My grandma was the reason I’m a reader, and I still miss talking about books with her. She would have loved this memoir of Reichl’s, and I would have loved to share it with her.
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definitely had what felt like a few hundred. The only time I remember even reading one was the summer of 1991 when my best friend and I were 14-year-old girls visiting my grandparents for a few weeks. The issue of Gourmet (likely July’s) had a beautiful tart covered in blueberries and raspberries that looked like an American flag. We set about making it, and all I can still remember is what it looked like on the cover of Gourmet, and not if ours was as pretty or even tasted good.
Reichl pours just ten years of her time as the editor in chief of Gourmet into a gorgeous lifetime of anecdotes and stories, and even though this is my first read of hers (I know!) I’m heading to cover all the backlog now. My grandma was the reason I’m a reader, and I still miss talking about books with her. She would have loved this memoir of Reichl’s, and I would have loved to share it with her.
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LibraryThing member yukon92
What a delightful book to read... you feel like you are sitting in the kitchen with Ms. Reichl, listening to her remembering the good, the bad and the ugly from her time at Gourmet magazine!
LibraryThing member KimMeyer
Reichl's writing is effortless.
LibraryThing member out-and-about
Read for Bookriot’s 2020 Read Harder challenge #13, a food book about a new cuisine. Gourmet food is definitely new for me. While I enjoy fine dining, that means lobster in my Mac and cheese.
Good fast paced book about a woman getting her dream job, and losing it. I appreciated the food, the
Good fast paced book about a woman getting her dream job, and losing it. I appreciated the food, the
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family, and the business perspective. Show Less
LibraryThing member LibroLindsay
From the outset, Reichl acknowledges her discomfort of moving into the corporate world, and indeed, it is a world that is foreign to me as well. I found my attention straying during the more business-y parts, but dang, Reichl could write about the contents of a fetid dumpster in July, and I would
I have never been good about reading magazines, so the history and world of Gourmet was wholly alien to me. Is there/will there ever be an anthology of the essays Reichl talks about by literary writers? Publisher, please get on that. I know DFW's thing is out there, but I want to read them all! Especially Adichie's.
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line right up to find out what the fuss is about.I have never been good about reading magazines, so the history and world of Gourmet was wholly alien to me. Is there/will there ever be an anthology of the essays Reichl talks about by literary writers? Publisher, please get on that. I know DFW's thing is out there, but I want to read them all! Especially Adichie's.
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LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Digital audiobook read by the author.
Reichl has written before about her time as a food critic and about her mother, here she tackles the years she spent as editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine.
I love her writing. It is nothing short of delicious. She is open, honest and insightful. She writes
And, as usual, she really excels when writing about food, whether is a “yaffy” moment of testing sloppy joe mix or experiencing a truly gourmet-qualify meal in a tiny French restaurant or even making a quick Spicy Chinese noodles snack for her son late at night. I may have gained 10 pounds just reading about her food experiences.
Reichl narrates the audiobook herself. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job of it.
Reichl has written before about her time as a food critic and about her mother, here she tackles the years she spent as editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine.
I love her writing. It is nothing short of delicious. She is open, honest and insightful. She writes
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about not just what happened but how she felt about what was happening. Her bafflement and near terror at realizing she really had no idea about running a magazine comes through. As does her sheer delight in creating something new and exciting, in finding the right business colleagues to push the magazine in new directions. And, as usual, she really excels when writing about food, whether is a “yaffy” moment of testing sloppy joe mix or experiencing a truly gourmet-qualify meal in a tiny French restaurant or even making a quick Spicy Chinese noodles snack for her son late at night. I may have gained 10 pounds just reading about her food experiences.
Reichl narrates the audiobook herself. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job of it.
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LibraryThing member bobbieharv
Interesting and sad to learn how it all came down when Gourmet folded. She is a wonderful writer.