How a liquor store giveaway transformed into a digital media powerhouse and then imploded
In short: Bon Appétit began as a modest 1956 promotional tool for liquor stores. Decades later, it became a cultural juggernaut, redefining food media through personality-driven YouTube series. Yet, the brand’s meteoric rise was abruptly halted by internal reckonings over systemic pay disparities and a toxic workplace culture that shattered its public image.
Founded in Chicago in 1956, Bon Appétit spent its early years as a bimonthly giveaway before evolving into a subscription-based monthly magazine under the guidance of editor-in-chief Paige Rense in the 1970s. By the 2010s, the publication underwent a massive digital pivot. Moving its headquarters to New York City in 2011, the magazine embraced the internet, eventually launching a YouTube channel that prioritized casual, unproduced aesthetics over traditional, polished culinary instruction.
The channel’s success was anchored by series like It’s Alive with Brad Leone and Gourmet Makes with Claire Saffitz. These shows, characterized by shaky-cam filming and a focus on kitchen mistakes, created a cult following that significantly boosted digital revenue and subscriptions. By 2019, the brand’s influence was so pervasive that it dedicated an entire magazine issue to its Test Kitchen staff, leveraging their newfound celebrity to attract advertisers like Mitsubishi and Glossier.
However, this growth masked deep-seated internal issues. In June 2020, editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport resigned following the circulation of a photo showing him in brownface and allegations of discriminatory pay practices. The subsequent fallout saw a mass exodus of prominent Test Kitchen stars, including Sohla El-Waylly and Priya Krishna, who cited a lack of progress in addressing workplace culture. The brand was forced to undergo a total leadership overhaul, eventually appointing Dawn Davis as editor-in-chief in late 2020.
The crisis prompted a broader reckoning within Condé Nast Entertainment, leading to the formation of a union in 2022. While the magazine has since attempted to rebuild under new leadership, including the appointment of Jamila Robinson in 2024, the events of 2020 remain a defining chapter in the publication's history. The transition from a posh, curated brand to a personality-led digital platform ultimately proved both a catalyst for its greatest success and the source of its most significant institutional failure.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Bon Appétit
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