Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir

In this endearing memoir, James Beard Award–winning food writer Reichl (Tender at the Bone) tells the story of her 10-year stint (1999–2009) as editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. Reichl made it her mission to return a stuffy Gourmet to the artistic and culinary glory she remembered from her childhood, taking it online and replacing high-brow guides to hosting with boundary-pushing cultural exposés and stories on street food. Recipes mark turning points in her story, like the Jeweled Chocolate Cake that won her credibility in the test kitchen (“the dark, dense, near-bitterness of the cake collided with the crackling sweetness of the praline” topping); the Thanksgiving Turkey Chili that she and her staff delivered to firefighters in the aftermath of 9/11; and Spicy Chinese Noodles—the midnight dish she often prepared for her son. Gourmet magazine readers will relish the behind-the-scenes peek at the workings of the magazine: Reichl details her decision to run “the edgiest article” in Gourmet’s history, David Foster Wallace’s controversial piece on the ethics of boiling lobsters alive, and shares anecdotes about such writers as the late L.A. food critic Jonathan Gold and novelist Ann Patchett. Reichl’s revealing memoir is a deeply personal look at a food world on the brink of change. [em](Apr.) [/em]