Epicurious
Type of site
Food writing
OwnerCondé Nast Publications
EditorDawn Davis
URLepicurious.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
Launched1995
Current statusActive

Epicurious is an American digital brand that focuses on food and cooking-related topics. Created by Condé Nast in 1995, it is headquartered at the One World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City, where it is part of the publisher's Food Innovation Group that also includes Bon Appétit, with significant overlap in staff between the two companies.[1]

History

Launch and early growth (1995–2004)

Epicurious launched on August 18, 1995, as part of CondeNet, a subsidiary of Condé Nast that was created to develop content specifically for the Internet. Under the direction of CondeNet president Rochelle Udell and editor-in-chief Joan Feeney, former executive editor of Mademoiselle, Epicurious offered recipes, cooking tips and general information on food, wine, and dining out. The site also covered travel at launch and drew from existing content found in Condé Nast properties Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and Condé Nast Traveler.[2][3]

From 1996 to 1997, Epicurious grew to include special initiatives like full Thanksgiving meal recipes lists, and entered into a deal with CNET to provide content for Snap! Online – a website and CD-ROM service designed to introduce specific resources to new Web users.[4][5] Additionally, the site developed a partnership with Discovery Channel for a 26-episode cable television program titled ‘Epicurious.’[6] The program debuted in 1998 on the Discovery Channel and was hosted by Jonathan Karsh.[7]

That same year, Epicurious partnered with the InfoGear Technology Corporation, enabling access to more than 7,600 recipes via the CIDCO iPhone and other InfoGear products.[8] Epicurious entered into an ecommerce deal with Williams-Sonoma that would allow sales of cookware through the site.[9] That year, major changes to content were implemented, with the launch of Epicurious TV – a collection of food videos – as well as the spinoff of travel content into the newly formed Concierge.com.[10]

Rochelle Udell left Condé Nast in 1999, and Elizabeth Shepard was named editor-in-chief of Epicurious the following year.[11][12] The site grew to include 16,000 recipes by 2003.[13]

Tenth anniversary, smartphone era begins (2005–2014)

In 2005, Epicurious added a mobile service called "Epi to Go", which enabled users to download recipes to their phones and PDAs.[14] Tanya Steel joined as editor-in-chief in 2005 and under her direction in 2007, Epicurious partnered with The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) to produce "Inside the CIA", a video series that took viewers inside the culinary school.[15] In addition, the site partnered with Ofoto founder Kamran Mohsenin to create Tastebook, an online tool that allowed users to create their own customizable, hardbound cookbooks using Epicurious’ collection of recipes.[16] The site also expanded content to YouTube, producing a series of two-minute tutorial videos.[17]

In April 2009, Epicurious launched its mobile app for the iPhone, which included search functionality for all recipes on the site, as well as the ability to create custom shopping lists.[18] The app was first available through the iOS App Store, and versions for Android and Windows Phone 7 followed.[19] The Epicurious app was featured in Apple commercials and was named a New York Times "App of the Week" on April 27.v[20][21]

Together with Michelle Obama, Epicurious launched the "Chefs Move to Schools" campaign in the summer of 2010. Chefs Move to Schools enlisted more than 1,000 local chefs to educate students and staff in local schools across the nation about healthy eating practices.[22]

Early in 2011, the Epicurious iPhone app was named as one of Time's 50 Best Phone Apps.[23] In September of that same year, Epicurious announced a partnership with Cooking.com to create an online store that allowed consumers to purchase kitchenware and specialty food items tied to Epicurious recipes and content.[24] In December 2011, the site made 75 Random House eCookbooks available for sale from authors including Tom Colicchio, Bobby Flay, Martha Stewart, and Alice Waters.[25]

In 2012, Epicurious released its own print cookbook; a 400-page print edition that offered more than 250 recipes organized by season, with meal categories including breakfast, starters, mains, and sides.[26] The cookbook debuted on the best-seller list.[27]

Condé Nast announced on May 9, 2012, that it had bought the digital mobile shopping list and recipe service, ZipList. Epicurious became the first Condé Nast site on the platform, enabling users to save recipes from anywhere on the Internet.[28]

Conceived originally by Tanya Steel, Epicurious launched the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge in 2012, a nationwide contest that was created through another partnership with Michelle Obama, as well as the US Departments of Education and Agriculture.[29] The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge attracted 1,300 entrants in 2013.[30][31] The contest continued annually into 2014 and 2015.[32][33]

In June 2013, Carolyn Kremins, xice-president and publisher of Condé Nast Traveler moved over to Epicurious as SVP and GM.[34] Nilou Motamed was named Editor-in-Chief and began working on a redesign with an eye towards highlighting non-recipe content, like restaurants and travel coverage.[35]

By January 2014, Epicurious had developed new versions of its iPad and iPhone apps. Dubbed the "Epicurious Recipe & Shopping List", these effectively replaced the 2009 release, which had seen 7.5 million downloads to that point. The app launches were part of a larger rebranding strategy aimed at positioning Epicurious as a complete lifestyle brand as well as a destination for recipes.[36]

Rebrand, relaunch, and 20th anniversary (2014–present)

Epicurious app as viewed on the Apple Watch Home screen

In August 2014, Condé Nast combined Bon Appétit and Epicurious into a single digital food platform led by Pamela Drucker Mann, Bon Appétit Senior Vice President and Publisher. Bon Appétit Editor-in-Chief Adam Rapoport was named Editorial Director of Epicurious. Kremins left Condé Nast and Motamed, who had remained as Editor-in-Chief at Epicurious, was let go a month later.[37][38] The site's Director of Product Eric Gillin was named Executive Director, managing both product and editorial.[39]

Under Gillin's direction, the Epicurious brand was relaunched on February 3, 2015, with a new logo and new content strategy, focusing on recipe curation and helping home cooks. The new design combined the existing recipe curation with new technology and content aimed at enticing and guiding home cooks. Two new tools were introduced: the algorithm-based ‘Cook It,’ which suggested dishes based on answers provided by the user; and ‘Food Forecast,’ which suggested recipes based on current weather conditions in the area.[40] The mobile apps for Windows and iOS were redesigned as well.[41]

Coinciding with the public availability of the Apple Watch in April 2015, Epicurious offered its own Apple Watch ‘Smart Timer’ app; geared toward helping home cooks time their food preparations based on existing recipes. The app launched with options for cooking five cuts of steak, six seafood preparations, 17 vegetables, and a total of 11 chicken and pork portions.[42][43][44]

On August 18, 2015, Epicurious celebrated the 20th anniversary of its launch by publishing an oral history of the early days of the site. The piece features commentary from Rochelle Udell and Joan Feeney, among others.[45]

On September 17, 2018, Epicurious launched a series on its YouTube channel titled "4 Levels", which consists four chef levels: amateur, a home cook, and a professional, often from the Institute of Culinary Education, cooking the same meal, with a food scientist then reviewing the chefs' work. On October 29, 2019, Epicurious launched the series "FAQ" that consists of four chefs and Rose Trout, a food scientist, answering questions from viewers.

On April 26, 2021, Epicurious announced they would no longer publish recipes that involve beef due to the environmental impact of cattle production. Old recipes that include beef will not be removed from the site, but will not be featured on the homepage.[46]

Awards

2000

  • 2000 Webby Award – Living category[47]
  • 2000 James Beard Award WINNER – Lisa Chernick, Irene Sax[48]

2002

  • 2002 Webby Award – Living category[49]

2007

  • 2007 MIN Award Winner – Best Mobile App[50]
  • 2007 MPA Digital Award – Best Mobile Strategy[51]

2008

  • 2008 James Beard Award WINNER - Best Web Site Focusing on Food, Beverage, Restaurant or Nutrition[52]
  • 2008 Webby Award – Lifestyle Category[53]
  • 2008 OMMA WINNER - Social Networking[54]

2009

  • 2009 James Beard Award - Website Focusing on Food, Beverage, Restaurant, or Nutrition[55]
  • 2009 Magazine Publishers Association Award – Website of the Year, "Service & Lifestyle"[56]
  • 2009 Magazine Publishers Association Award – Best Online Community[56]
  • 2009 The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences New York Emmy Award – Advanced Media: International/ Instructional[57]

2010

  • 2010 ASME Award – Mobile Media[58]
  • 2010 MIN BEST OF WEB – Tanya Steel inducted into Digital Hall of Fame[59]
  • 2010 Webby Award – People's Voice, Lifestyle[60]
  • 2010 Webby Award – People's Voice, Food/Beverage[61]

2011

  • 2011 Webby Award – Website, Food/Beverage[62]
  • 2011 Webby Award – People's Voice, Food/Beverage[63]
  • 2011 ASME Award – General Excellence in Digital Media, Service & Lifestyle [64]
  • 2011 ASME Award – Interactive Tool[64]

2012

  • 2012 Webby Award – Website, Lifestyle[65]
  • 2012 Webby Award – Website, People's Voice, Lifestyle[66]
  • 2012 Webby Award – App, People's Voice, Lifestyle[67]

2013

  • 2013 Webby Award – People's Voice, Food & Drink[68]
  • 2013 MIN Best of the Web – Marketing Campaign[69]

2015

  • 2015 Webby Award – People's Voice, Food & Drink[70]
  • 2015 Webby Award - Webby 50[71]

References

  1. ↑ "Conde Nast's The Food Innovation Group Launches The First Native Private Marketplace Powered By TripleLift" (Press release). Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  2. ↑ Sacharow, Anya (18 May 1998). "IQ News: Condenet Goes Offline to Plug Its Four Online Properties". AdWeek. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  3. ↑ Carmody, Deirdre (May 1995). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Conde Nast to Jump Into Cyberspace". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  4. ↑ Sreenivasan, Sreenath (25 November 1996). "Turkey via E-Mail? Is Nothing Spared?". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  5. ↑ "CNET's Snap! Online Launches Today". The Free Library. PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  6. ↑ Ross, Chuck (17 March 1997). "Conde Nast, Discovery Channel Eye New Show: 'Epicurious' on Cable would Tap Material from Food, Travel Titles". Advertising Age. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  7. ↑ Rubin, Sylvia (22 September 1998). ""Evening" Star / Jonathan Karsh explores Bay Area life for revived KPIX magazine program". SF Gate. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "InfoGear Makes The Phone Cook!". PR Newswire. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  9. ↑ Robson, Douglas. "Williams-Sonoma stakes out new HQ". Biz Journals. Business Times. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  10. ↑ Miller, Bryan (22 September 1999). "A Food Site for Every Appetite, With Cookware to Boot". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  11. ↑ Bounds, Wendy (23 June 1999). "Conde Nast's Udell to Step Down As Self Magazine's Editor in Fall". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  12. ↑ "CondeNet Names Elizabeth Shepard Editor in Chief of Epicurious". PR Newswire. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  13. ↑ Chang, Stephanie. "Epicurious". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  14. ↑ "Epicurious' recipes go mobile". Textually.org. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  15. ↑ Moniz, Karletta. "Inside the CIA". Culinary Muse. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  16. ↑ Kaufman, Joanne (12 November 2007). "A Cookbook of One's Own From the Internet". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  17. ↑ Wharton, Rachel (27 July 2007). "A click of the mousse". The New York Daily News. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  18. ↑ Judge, Jackie. "Epicurious". AppStruck. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  19. ↑ "Official Epicurious App for Windows Phone". 1800 Pocket PC. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  20. ↑ Bryson York, Emily. "How To Get Into An Apple iPhone Commercial". Business Insider. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  21. ↑ Furchgott, Roy (27 April 2009). "App of the Week: An App for the Appetite". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  22. ↑ Goldman, Jessica. "Epicurious comes to San Francisco for a Farmers' Market tour and a White House initiative". lcsc Books. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  23. ↑ Castillo, Michelle (27 January 2011). "50 Best iPhone Apps 2011". Time. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  24. ↑ "Cooking.com and Epicurious Launch One-Stop Shopping Experience". PR Newswire. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  25. ↑ Fabricant, Florence (20 December 2011). "Epicurious Offers 75 Random House Cookbooks Online". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  26. ↑ Garbee, Jenn (26 October 2012). "The End of Cookbooks? Consider the Epicurious Cookbook". LA Weekly. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  27. ↑ Stock, Juliana (27 November 2012). "One For Them, One For You: Book Gifts". The Gifting Whisperer. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  28. ↑ Vega, Tanzina (11 April 2012). "Condé Nast Acquires Online Recipe Service". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  29. ↑ Curtis, Colleen. "First Look: Delicious Recipes from the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge". LetsMove.gov. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  30. ↑ Anderson, Stacy. "Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, In Partnership With Michelle Obama And Epicurious, Back For Second Year". HuffingtonPost. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  31. ↑ "First Lady Michelle Obama and Epicurious Announce Winning Recipes in Nationwide "healthy Lunchtime Challenge"". whitehouse.gov. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2015 – via National Archives.
  32. ↑ Miterko, Kelly. "Calling All Young Chefs: The 2014 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge is Here". LetsMove.gov. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  33. ↑ Miterko, Kelly. "Kid Chefs: Join the Fourth Annual Healthy Lunchtime Challenge!". LetsMove.goc. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  34. ↑ Baziian, Emma (13 June 2013). "Condé Nast Traveler Publisher Carolyn Kremins Moves to Epicurious". AdWeek. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  35. ↑ Bazilian, Emma (15 June 2014). "New Editor Reveals Epicurious' 2014 Growth Strategy". AdWeek. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  36. ↑ Bazilian, Emma (21 January 2014). "Epicurious Rebrands, Launches New App". AdWeek. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  37. ↑ "Condé Nast Brings Together Bon Appétit and Epicurious to Create One of the World's Largest Digital Food Advertising Platforms". CondeNast.com (press release). Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  38. ↑ Bazilian, Emma (25 September 2014). "Nilou Motamed Is Out as Epicurious Editor in Chief". AdWeek. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  39. ↑ Bazilian, Emma (26 September 2014). "Epicurious Hires New Executive Director". AdWeek. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  40. ↑ Bazilian, Emma (3 February 2015). "Condé Nast's Epicurious Gets a Tech-Savvy Makeover". AdWeek. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  41. ↑ Hebbard, D.B. "Conde Nast's Epicurious revamps iOS and Windows apps following unveiling of redesigned website". Talking New Media. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  42. ↑ Ha, Anthony (20 April 2015). "Epicurious Brings Cooking Instructions To The Apple Watch With New Smart Timer App". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  43. ↑ Hebbard, D.B. "Conde Nast's Epicurious revamps iOS and Windows apps following unveiling of redesigned website". Talking New Media. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  44. ↑ Ha, Anthony (20 April 2015). "Epicurious Brings Cooking Instructions To The Apple Watch With New Smart Timer App". TechCrunch. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  45. ↑ Gillin, Eric (18 August 2015). "The Oral History of the Launch of Epicurious". Epicurious.com. Conde Nast. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  46. ↑ Teh, Cheryl. "Epicurious is no longer publishing recipes with beef, prompting an outcry from chefs and readers". Insider. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  47. ↑ "2000 Web, Living". Webby Awards. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  48. ↑ "2000 JBF Awards". James Beard Foundation. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  49. ↑ "2002 Web, Living". Webby Awards. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  50. ↑ "min's Best of Web Winners and Honorable Mentions". MIN Online. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  51. ↑ Dorian (27 February 2007). "MPA Digital Awards: 'F'ing Awesome!'". FishbowlNY. AdWeek. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  52. ↑ "2008 JBF Awards". James Beard Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  53. ↑ "2008 Lifestyle". Webby Awards. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  54. ↑ "OMMA Awards Finalists". Media Post. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  55. ↑ "2009 JBF Awards". James Beard Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  56. 1 2 "Winners of 3rd Annual MPA Digital Awards". MPA - Association of Magazine Media. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  57. ↑ "52nd Annual New York Emmy Awards" (PDF). nyemmys.org. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  58. ↑ "2010 National Magazine Awards for Digital Media". ASME. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  59. ↑ "Tanya Steel inducted into Digital Hall of Fame". MIN Best of the Web. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  60. ↑ "2010 People's Voice, Lifestyle". Webby Awards. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  61. ↑ "2010 Website, Food/Beverage". Webby Awards. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  62. ↑ "2011 Website, Food/Beverage". Webby Awards. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  63. ↑ "2011 People's Voice, Food/Beverage". Webby Awards. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  64. 1 2 "National Magazine Awards for Digital Media Winners Announced". ASME. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  65. ↑ "2012 Web, Lifestyle". Webby Awards. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  66. ↑ "2012 People's Voice, Lifestyle". Webby Awards. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  67. ↑ "2012 Mobile Sites & Apps, Lifestyle (Handheld Devices)". Webby Awards. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  68. ↑ "2013 Food & Drink". Webby Awards. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  69. ↑ "MIN Best of the Web 2013". MIN Online. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  70. ↑ "Food & Drink 2015". Webby Awards. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  71. ↑ "The Webby 50". Webby Awards. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.