The May Issue: A New Direction for Bon Appétit?

Bon Appétit has seen a lot of changes in the last year, from its cross-country relocation to the appointment of former GQ style editor Adam Rapoport to editor-in-chief. Is the magazine's content going to get the same kind of shake-up?

Judging from a recent interview with Rapoport, beginning next month we can expect a whole new Bon Appétit.

Speaking with Women's Wear Daily, Rapoport said that although "time-tested cooking advice" is the foundation of the magazine, he wants it to have a "buzziness" that it currently lacks. With a mostly female readership with a median age of 49, the new Bon Appétit will juggle trying to keep longtime readers happy while also publishing content that appeals to men and food blog readers, two groups Rapoport would like to reach.

The May issue of the magazine has an exclusive excerpt of Gabrielle Hamilton's memoir, Blood, Bones & Butter, as well as a first look at David Chang's new iPad app. Noted chefs may not be the only famous faces in the magazine; the New York Post reports that Gwyneth Paltrow will grace the next cover.

Will all of these changes attract the younger, hipper, more masculine audience Rapoport is looking for? Only time will tell. But we're certainly more excited about seeing the next issue of Bon Appétit than we've ever been before.

• Check it out: Adam Rapoport Dishes on Bon Appétit - WWD

As readers of food blogs and members of Bon Appétit's new target audience, what would motivate you to become a subscriber? If you are already a fan of the magazine, what do you think of the upcoming changes?

(Image: Bon Appétit)

Comments (25)

I loved Bon Appetite BEFORE the changes,i.e cover and layout in the magazine. I looked forward to every issue. THEN the infamous first Thanksgiving issue, turned me sour on the magazine big time!! I'm not an old timer, but the original was so much better. I did not renew my subscription, and instead leapt on over to Fine Cooking. If Bon Ap can be changed one more time to make it better than it is now, I'll give it a shot.

I read Bon App/I'm a subscriber and I like where they're at, but can see how a few changes wouldn't hurt. Suggesting wines that are 45 dollars a bottle has been a problem I've seen in BA and Food & Wine-it would be nice to have my age group considered—maybe not the ONLY focus, just considered. I wish all of them the best!

Yeah putting Gwyneth on the cover of a food magazine is a great idea. She is bound to bring in the twenty-somethings.

Oh-please don't put any celebrities on the cover! That is not why I subscribe to the magazine! I really hope they are not going that route..

Nooooooooo not Gwyneth!

I'm in my mid twenties and love to learn more about cooking both healthy and unusual dishes but my biggest problem is that many cooking magazines completely disregard that, ahem, some of us still have to shop on a budget. If they're going after the 20-something demographic they shouldn't ignore that this age group has a much higher unemployment rate than the national average right now. I'm not saying to turn it into a budget gourmet mag but maybe have a page or two with this in mind? Like a "15 awesome wines for $15 or less" article.

The magazine needs something. Perhaps this will help. Has appeared to have been in decline for quite some time. Was hoping for a change for the better after the demise of Gourmet - perhaps this will be that. Ten or so issues from now I will cast my vote by renewing or dropping it.

I'm a subscriber, but if I weren't, putting Gwyneth on the cover (or any 'foodie celeb for that matter) would deter me rather than seduce me, for sure. We'll see...

I agree with Elizabeth! I loved BA before that awful Thanksgiving issue. Fine Cooking is my current favorite, though their makeover was a bit hard to stomach as well. At least FC is still about the food. It seems BA wants to be more about celebrity chefs and, um, celebrities.

I'm in my 20s, and I'd disrespect Bon App even more if I saw Gwenyth on the cover.

No, what they really need is to put more lousy Food TV chefs on the cover.

Seriously, BA has been lousy for years.

I miss Gourmet.

I got stuck with BA when Gourmet went down, and I've always seen it as an imperfect alternative. Now I'm starting to just think it isn't the right pub for me - I love the recipes and the how-tos, but I don't have the income to make use of 95% of the restaurant, bar, and travel reviews and info, and I'd rather be cooking for myself anyway.

Depending on the change, I may not renew, either.

Interesting to read these -- I'm not a Bon Appetit fan, and liked Gourmet (though I also got frustrated with the superspendy aspects) -- what's a really good magazine for an avid home cook? Just curious if there's anything out there that you really like and find useful?

No one's mentioned Saveur…any thoughts?

Argh. I've subscribed to BA, Food and Wine, and Saveur for years, and miss Gourmet terribly. I've been seriously underwhelmed by BA since the makeover, and will not be renewing that or F&W. For me, one of the biggest problems is the repetitiveness of the cuisines that are profiled: Looks like the next BA will be yet another issue of yet another magazine that is all about Italy. Italian food is wonderful, and one could spend years learning about the regional variations, but it seems like all of the magazines are in a rut. A main story on French or Italian food, a story about a "real-life" dinner party (usually in Napa but sometimes in NYC), and maybe an article about a South American country (usually Argentina or Chile). Plus wine and restaurant recommendations.

What about American regional cuisine, or the multitude of African cuisines, or Southeast Asia? Why not forego yet another "Italy" issue for one about India? Only Saveur comes close to covering the wider culinary world (outside of the U.S. and western Europe), and I think that lots of readers would be interested in learning about new places, cuisines, and cultures. After all, there was a time (not too long ago!) when in the U.S., pizza and Chinese food were impossibly exotic. Magazines need to step up and push cooks to the edge of their comfort zones!

Gourmet, where are you?????? I just got my May issue of BA today and I'm depressed. Where are the recipes? Where is cooking? It's become, like most other magazines, a lifestyle mag. Glad my subscription is almost run out, this new makeover is not for me.

It's awful. The only piece of the new demographic I do not meet is being male. Otherwise I am young, female, tech-saavy, and I devour food blogs. This redesign stinks. To start, they've taken their inspirations from Saveur, Donna Hay...Fine Cooking...WAY to literally. With each turn of the page I felt like I was looking at a different magazine. I sometimes couldn't distinguish between the ads and the editorials. Too many fonts, the type treatments are trendy and will not stand the test of time, not to mention the fact that they are nearly impossible to read.

And, I love Paltrow, but I would hate to see her on the cover of a food magazine. Food magazines are for food. If I want to read about tech I'll pick up Wired. If I want celebrities I'll pick up Us.

I understand that a new editor wants to make his or her mark, but this redesign was FAR too heavy-handed.

Pinky, Fine Cooking, hands down. It's accessible but the recipes are not too far-reaching. It's a perfect balance. It's the one I use the most.

I agree with M-A and pennyluxe--I mean, I've been subscribing to BA for a little while now and I love flipping through and finding inspiration for new recipes but this latest issue is just terrible. I felt like there weren't any recipes, and the few that were there were difficult to find. I'm young, I read foodie blogs, I don't make a ton of money, and until reading this I had no idea this new issue was supposed to appeal to me. And frankly, I don't care about reading about restaurants all over the country that I'll never be able to afford to eat at. I want recipes! Is that so weird?

I hate hate hate the new format, and can't imagine that MORE new changes will make it any better -- unless the changes are to make the magazine exactly as it was before the redesign happened. I even wrote to Barbara Fairchild to express my disgust, and received a very nice email back stating that they were working on ironing out the mag's kinks, and to be patient. That was two years ago, and I'm still waiting. What do I find so offensive about the magazine? Many things, too many to name; but the most important thing that needs changing, pronto, are the huge, oversized, photos. Gigantic closeups of messy food (in colors that look to be muted, or faded, for some reason) does not inspire me to cook.

ugh. canceling my bon appetit subscription after 20 years. i think it is a mess. recipes are great, i don't deny that. but all the fluff and the gazilion different fonts and ads. and what is up with the "text after marriage" thing? garbage. if i wanted to read gq i would.

Doesn't the fact that they chose the former GQ Style Editor say it all? It doesn't bode well for the food aspect at all. And while I don't mind Gwyneth Paltrow I don't need her or any other Hollywood-types on the cover of my food magazines.

I really did not like the current issue featuring Gwyneth Paltrow. I'm not subscribing to BA to ogle at beautiful celebrities romping around the kitchen in a skimpy dress.

I also agree that the layout and design of the magazine feels like it's geared more towards men. I really don't like the new BA. If things don't get better by the time my subscription runs out in August, I won't be renewing it.

Bring back Gourmet!

Hate the new BA. Been a subscriber for many years. Hard to tell the ads from the content under the new design. Celebrities on the cover a huge turn off.

This is an extremely late comment to this thread but as much as I wasn't fond of the May issue, the cigarette ad in the August issue is the real indicator to me that the magazine is going in a direction that I don't like. Know your audience, Rapoport. I'm not saying nobody who reads Bon Appetit smokes, but I'd assume that those who do are few and far between and recognize that they're hurting their food experience by doing so.

Well, I guess that's just one less subscription I'll need to spend money on in the future.