Putting the PLAY back into Food and Wine
Excited is not a word often used to describe me. I’m pretty even keel for the most part — though my Italian passion does show its ugly face from time to time. Yet when the moment came to buy Quench Magazine, things boiled over. Passion met excitement. It took me a while to come down.
When I started at Quench (then Tidings) over 20 years ago, things seemed simpler. Even though it wasn’t my first magazine, everything seemed new. I lived with food and wine but I didn’t breathe it. Working with John Sambrook at the time, I had a lot to learn. Luckily, I was a quick study.
As the years progressed and we reconfigured the magazine, circulation grew and grew. Right as we pushed past 500,000 readers per issue, the publishing industry changed, and it was time to pivot again. There is no rest for the wicked.
That was around the time that I met Pierre Chanzonkov, Quench Magazine’s former publisher. He seemed to understand innately that change was coming and never shied away from a challenge — and there were many. We invested in our digital properties and had some quick successes with our social engagements. Because we had always kept Quench svelte, we could navigate more quickly through the new media landscape.
Now it’s my turn to take on the mantle as publisher, in a media space that is not easily defined. Readers are not the same but their passion for food and drink has never been so present — as your grandmother’s overuse of food shots on Instagram can attest to. We are Quench Magazine and that is what we will stay. Not stuffy and dry. We put the play back into food and wine.
So, as we work to quench your thirst — whether in digital or print — one thing can be sure. You may see me more excited than ever.