Some people who have nothing to do with food have lately been floating this idea that Gourmet + Bon Appetit are somehow interchangeable to the point where one should be folded into the other. While it is an interesting exercise in pure statistics, it misses the point entirely. The two publications each stand for different things – aesthetics, state of mind, attitudes. To weight one over the other is not at all the objective decision that people make it out to be – even by looking at the covers, you can tell that each occupies a different and necessary space.
This Bon Appetit cover, styled by Big Leo’s own Heidi Johannsen and shot by Lisa Hubbard, is fresh, vivid, and exciting.
This Gourmet cover, the lead-in to a massive 18-page story styled by Susan Spungen and shot by the master John Kernick, is darker, much more moody and classic.
I’m not going to write an essay deconstructing the merits of each magazine’s creative vision. They both produce gorgeous work from different points of view – it would be a shame for some accountant somewhere to pick and choose. Certainly we are beholden to economic necessities, but when it comes to beautiful work like this, how can anyone place a value on a creative point of view? Instead of comparing – relish the differences.
