Books › Save Me the Plums
Save Me the Plums
454 pages
A sensory, behind-the-scenes journey through the golden age of food media and the personal evolution of an unexpected leader.
What it feels like
Reading this memoir feels like stepping into the glamorous, high-stakes world of legacy print media just before its twilight. The narrative moves at a steady, engaging pace, immersing the reader in a bustling atmosphere of vibrant restaurants, editorial meetings, and transformative culinary moments. It balances a candid, reflective tone with a deep, sensory passion for gastronomy. The prose is inviting and rich, weaving personal anxieties about corporate compromise with the vibrant energy of a cultural revolution in dining. It is a bittersweet, inspiring journey that traces an emotional arc from hesitant leadership to confident innovation. This book will delight food lovers, magazine enthusiasts, and anyone drawn to stories of holding onto one's soul while navigating the heights of professional success.
- Mood
- glamorous
- bittersweet
- inspiring
- bustling
- Tone
- reflective
- passionate
- nostalgic
- candid
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- navigating corporate culture · the golden age of print · culinary passion · leadership and identity · cultural shifts in dining
- The writing
- Engaging and sensory, blending personal reflection with vivid culinary and cultural observations.
- The arc
- Moves from hesitant apprehension about corporate leadership to passionate transformation and bittersweet reflection on a bygone era.
- Who it's for
- Food lovers and media enthusiasts who enjoy behind-the-scenes memoirs about cultural shifts and personal growth.
About the book
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. And 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. Readers 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.--Dust jacket.
Description from Open Library.
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