Is food practical? An art? Or a medium for art, like wrinkled tubes of paint? In 10 journals, it is the catalyst for conversation on a wide variety of social issues. From food safety to hunting to class and cultural identity, the topic of food has cut a bold swath of explorations through words, graphics and photography. Each of these "foodieodicals," (as Elizabeth Thacker Jones, the founder of the Food Book Fair, a creative expo on food issues explored through literature held in New York this month, dubbed them) approaches food from all three modes of communication. What binds them together -- according to their editors -- is a universal need to eat. The journals here might be viewed as the long-and-leisurely, fine-dining counterpart to fast food. But before you start feeling haughty and elitist about reading them, know that they feature a distinct clash of high and low, ugly and beautiful; photos of a grungy table after the food is cleared, lipstick stains or a field of apples. Here's a handful to bring to your coffee (or kitchen) table soon.
Fool
Founder -- Per-Anders Jörgensen
Location -- Malmö, Sweden
"We look at the world of gastronomy the same way a fashion or design magazine looks at clothes or a chair, drawing inspiration not only from food." -- PJ
This journal's subtitle is "Food insanity brilliance & love," and it lives up to its promise. Its no-holds-barred enthusiasm and worldly compass have its contributors spending days with one of the world's greatest chefs, Michel Bras, or tracking down a sagelike farm-to-table Chinese chef in the misty mountains of Zhejiang, to report on what's currently brilliant in food. Resplendent photography and a funky 1970s font type add flair to stories like crazy garnishes on a plate.
What do you see as upcoming trends in food?
"Japanese and Chinese cooking trends will continue to grow in influence. Increasingly we will look at their traditional cooking techniques. These ancient cuisines have exciting ways of enhancing taste naturally, rather than adding chemicals. We have only seen the beginning of natural processes of fermentation, drying, ageing and preservation." -- PJ
Gather JournalFounders -- Fiorella Valdesolo, Michele Outland
Location -- Brooklyn, NY
"Food defines pretty much all of my memories -- I generally remember people and places and experiences best through the meals we shared." -- FV
Founded by former fashion magazine editors, Gather Journal is a celebration of cooking and entertaining at home. Filled with recipes and beautiful photography, it swaps in artichoke petals or rusted silverware to paint its pages instead of brocade or jewelry. It's an aspirational yet practical and realistic encouragement to enjoy food with others, and learn from the entire process -- from making to savoring.
What do you see as upcoming trends in food?
"We included a piece on fermentation and I think that trend continues to grow... I've loved seeing Fernet Branca popping up on cocktail menus, and I'm hoping that Branca Menta, the brand's minty variety, is soon to follow -- it's my nonna's favorite." -- FV
MeatpaperFounder -- Sasha Wizansky
Location -- San Francisco, CA
Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress has nothing on this playful homespun journal devoted to meat. Its founding editor Sasha Wizansky launched it after completing an art project in which she asked for people's thoughts on meat. Finding that so many people had intense reactions or deep reflections on heritage and upbringing, Wizansky decided to open the topic up to more voices and histories through a quarterly. At various times sobering, ebullient, scholarly and mouth-watering, the journal dissects one subtopic of meat each issue.
What makes food uniquely inspiring?
"For me, the most inspiring thing about food is what it elicits in people. Just as meat is not neutral, food is not neutral. It connects us to our cultural heritage, our familial origins, our sense of rootedness in place." -- SW
Modern FarmerFounder -- Ann Marie Gardner
Location -- Hudson, NY
"What's inspiring to me is the story behind the food. Growing is fascinating. The weather is endlessly absorbing and totally relevant to the end result." -- AG
A new breed of farmers with a reverence for the history and heritage of food production is the main subject, audience and inspiration for this new quarterly magazine. Through stories about food security and climate change or how to find a farm stay in rural Italy, the magazine invites anyone who eats to the table, too. Examining food production from all levels, its founders hope to connect agriculture with popular culture.
What do you see as upcoming trends in food?
"As the organic movement has gone mainstream, we're seeing a whole new class of farmers emerge. For instance, the number of small farms grew in the U.S. for the first time in 70 years. We're on the cusp of a major change in how we eat and produce food, a move towards urban farming and self-reliance, all aided by new technology." -- AG
Put A Egg On It
Founders -- Sarah Keough, Ralph McGinnis
Location -- Brooklyn, NY
With a punk-rock aesthetic marred only by the fact that the pages are a cheery mint-green, this irreverent, whimsical food biannual focuses on "the communal joys of eating with friends and family." Stories and short snippets of prose reveal interesting characters and memories, like a somber Jean-Michel Basquiat buying smoked eel from Dean & Deluca, and recipes that actually work. Keeping things down to earth, it costs only $7 an issue and fits in your pocket.
What makes food uniquely inspiring?
"We literally looked around and thought, 'Well, there are too many magazines about sex right now so let's go with food.' But since then I've really fallen in love with cooking and the community of eaters and drinkers and chefs and adventurous friends that has built up around our project." -- SK
Founder -- Kelly Carámbula
Location -- San Francisco, CA
Practical cooking how-to's and long-form personal essays both find a place in the pages of colorful food quarterly Remedy. Inspired by -- and somewhat resembling -- a church's community cookbook, the journal brings together professional writers and grandmas alike with something savory to share. It's a compelling reason to run to the stove.
What makes food uniquely inspiring?
"I grew up a picky eater, so having the opportunity to discover new foods and flavors as an adult has changed my life. I love tasting something new and thinking about how different flavors will react with one another -- the discoveries are endless and totally inspiring." -- KC
White ZinfandelFounder -- Jiminie Ha
Location -- New York, NY
Like a group show at a gallery, this biannual magazine features unique takes on food from many different artists. Its founder Jiminie Ha knew food was rich fodder for art from her lifelong obsession with both. Each issue unites -- in big print on tall, sketchbook-sized matte pages -- works of visual and verbal art inspired in some way by food.
What makes food uniquely inspiring?
"Food is kind of the basic foundation for everybody. Everybody has a relationship to food no matter if they love it or hate it. I thought I'd use that as a catalyst to see how other creative people would reinterpret the theme. It's an artistic experiment using parameters and guidelines." -- JH
The GourmandFounder -- David Lane
Location -- London, UK
"Food is a focal point and a talking point. We look forward to it, plan for it and enjoy it. We always have and we always will."-- DL
Anyone unsure what it means to be a gourmand can be educated by picking up this London-based food journal. A project born from a long dinner party discussion, The Gourmand serves up substantial interviews with artists and authors, essays on rare topics like ambergris and refreshing sides like restaurant recommendations from a chef. With a good balance between words and images, this thick and sumptuously printed magazine is something to be long savored.
What do you see as upcoming trends in food?
"I believe, as with most things in an economic crisis, that good quality will win over temporary fashions. Food trends will become less about gimmicks and more about basic good food... I think a rise in the variety of wines available, especially biodynamic ones, will support the trend of ethically sourced food as people are starting to express more of an interest about the source of the food."-- DL
SaucyFounder -- Kristen Taylor
Location -- Brooklyn, NY
A quarterly publication that's the sole work of its Brooklyn-based founder, editor, writer and photographer Kristen Taylor, Saucy looks at food through curious, childlike eyes. It forages through the weeds or snowy fields for a beautiful, sunlit moment to capture and features diary-like vignettes that linger. In each issue, the magazine tackles broad themes with soft strokes, favoring lush photography over politics.
What makes food uniquely inspiring?
"Food can bring strangers together, but also often divides us by allergy, disposition and class. Thinking seriously about our personal patterns of food consumption lets us become better friends, lovers and humans."-- KT
Founder -- Celestine Maddy
Location -- Brooklyn, NY
You might feel like Henry David Thoreau emerging from Walden Pond after diving into this scenic, absorbing retreat of a magazine. Wilder Quarterly hones in on the growing world, from the farms to the forest and all the natural places in between. Its stories explore the origins of not just plants but also other natural goods (like wool) and delve into small communities for a taste of food culture.
What makes food uniquely inspiring?
"If you care about food, then you care about where and how it's grown. Being able to consider how we produce food in our society -- backyard to mass farms -- and how we enjoy what we've harvested inspires me each and every issue." -- CM
Magazines photographed by Ryan Kobane / Special thanks to Leif Hedendal