Save Me the Plums

New York Times Best SellerTrailblazing 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 (The Best New Books of April 2019)] Named one of the best books of the year by Real Simple Good Housekeeping Town & Country.When Condé 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. Listeners 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 (The Must-Read Books of Spring 2019)]“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)