Bon Appétit’s Recipe For Building A Diverse Community Around The Dinner Table

Editor-in-chief Jamila Robinson debuts her first full issue with a focus on content and community.

Anna Wintour called her “an absolute star in the kitchen.”

But it may not be Jamila Robinson’s baking prowess (she likes to bake croissants from scratch) that catapults her to the top of the foodie world. The newest editor-in-chief at Conde Nast’s Bon Appétit and Epicurious titles is, what Wintour calls, a community builder. And Robinson is steadfastly committed to building and uniting her new community around the things she loves most – recipes, restaurants and food culture.

A Recipe for Success

Robinson is a 20-year veteran in the food journalism world. She packs a powerful combination of journalism skills and food experience that undoubtedly landed her atop the Bon Appétit masthead. “I’ve always had a role that was adjacent to food one way or another,” she says.

Robinson most recently served as the assistant managing editor of the food content franchise at The Philadelphia Inquirer. She also worked in food and lifestyle content and strategy at USA Today and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and has held leadership roles within the James Beard Foundation.

“I always found such joy in the way writing about food brings people together,” says Robinson. “It opens the door to conversation.”

Forging Community Through Conversation – And Hotdogs

Check out the cover of Robinson’s first full issue, out today, and you’ll likely find yourself talking about hotdogs – Chicago-style hotdogs, that is. The food for which the city has become so well-known takes center stage with a cover photo and mouthwatering feature, including a top-8 list (definitely check out the Superdawg!), for anyone from or traveling to the Windy City.

The feature is part of Bon Appétit’s new section called Best in Town, the magazine’s initiative to combine content around dining and travel – and to spark conversation. Robinson wants her readers to connect about food and forge community over common interests; for example, the best hotdog in Chicago or the best pizza in Detroit. “Having food at the center gives us a great lens for storytelling,” she says. “And I find storytelling is a great way to encourage community because food intersects everything we do.” Whether you’re tailgating before a football game or dining before theater, “we always find a food connection,” she says.

Expanding Audiences Through Inclusive Content – And Coquitos

Bon Appétit has been serving its base since 1956. One of Robinson’s challenges, then, is to continue providing readers with content they have come to expect while expanding content to new audiences.

“It’s not an ‘either or’,” Robinson explains. “It’s a ‘yes and’.” For the brand’s 2023 holiday issue, for example, Robinson knew people would be coming to the magazine for cookie recipes. However, she also felt it was important to appeal to new audiences.

“Coquito is a drink that Caribbeans drink during the holidays and yet we had never had a coquito recipe,” she shared. “The question was, do we put cookies or coquitos on the cover?” Robinson’s solution? “We did both.” Robinson and her team decided to send the coquito cover to subscribers and the cookie cover to newsstands as a way to draw audiences in.

That strategy paid off. Featuring a reliable staple in addition to new content that spoke to a diverse audience attracted new readers without disappointing the base. “I’m seeing a new energy with different kinds of recipes that speak to my background,” Robinson shared. “We even had a plant-based coquito recipe for people who could not tolerate dairy.”

Food Trends For 2024

Grab a Fino Martini (check out the final section of the magazine, Last Call, for the recipe) and check out Robinson’s food culture predictions for 2024.

A Focus on Beverages

Like the Fino Martini, Bon Appétit’s readers are interested in beverages, from kombucha to cocktails, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and specialty waters of all kinds.

Plant-Based Ingredients

Robinson says plant-based ingredients have become extraordinarily popular, particularly for baking.

Gluten-Free Baking

The March issue features a section entitled, “Gluten-Free Baking for Everyone.” “These are extraordinarily delicious, beautifully textured cakes and cookies,” says Robinson. “Even if you aren’t sensitive to gluten, but someone in your family is, this gives you an opportunity to bake.”

Vegetable-Forward Pastas

Robinson sees foodies leaning more into pasta recipes full of vegetables, rather than meats.

Dinner Parties

There is a continued movement toward large, at home dinner parties and a perfect resource, Robinson says, is the BA56. This new initiative, prominently featured in the March issue, shares some old and new favorites from the Bon Appétit archives, all with a modern makeover. As the March issue explains, “Our editors combed our humongous archive and curated the 56 recipes you must make this year.” Kimchi Udon with Scallions, for example, is this month’s featured recipe.

Robinson’s mission is to connect the world through food. As she shared when she took the helm of the magazine, “For me, food is an art form that intersects with every part of life and connects communities. This role is an exciting new chapter in my commitment to building a longer table and showing the world that food culture is for everyone.”