Food & Wine

What Food & Wine does

Food & Wine is a culinary media brand founded in 1978, currently operating as a subsidiary of People Inc. (formerly Dotdash Meredith), a diversified American publishing conglomerate. The brand produces editorial content across food, drink, restaurants, travel, and product categories, anchored by a proprietary archive of 12,000+ chef-developed, expert-tested recipes. Distribution spans the foodandwine.com website (16.4M monthly readers), a print magazine, email newsletters, social channels (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X/Twitter), a mobile app, the Tinfoil Swans podcast, and third-party aggregators including Apple News+.

The core product surface consists of the Food & Wine website, the print magazine, and the recipe database, extended by three proprietary franchises: the Best New Chefs annual recognition program, the Global Tastemakers culinary travel awards (now in its fourth year, voted on by 400+ industry experts), and the Food & Wine Classic live events held in Aspen and Charleston. The technology stack is a standard digital media publishing platform with a recipe database and content management system; no API, SDK, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

Food & Wine generates revenue through five streams: print and digital magazine subscriptions (managed via buysub.com), display and sponsored advertising on the website, affiliate commerce on kitchen and food products, brand partnerships and sponsorships, and events. The go-to-market is content-led, leveraging the editorial authority of its franchises to attract a horizontal audience of food enthusiasts, home cooks, wine and drink enthusiasts, culinary travelers, and kitchen consumers. Key commercial partnerships include Resy (sponsored partner for Best New Chefs Restaurant Guide) and Oceania Cruises (flagship cruise/hospitality partnership via Best New Chefs alumni as ship godparents).

Name

Food & Wine

Legal name

Food & Wine

Website

https://foodandwine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Food & Wine is a 1978-founded culinary media brand owned by People Inc., operating foodandwine.com, a print magazine, and a 12,000+ recipe database reaching 16.4M monthly readers. It monetizes via subscriptions, advertising, affiliate commerce, and brand partnerships, anchored by its Best New Chefs and Global Tastemakers franchises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Culinary Media & Publishing

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food, Wine & Beverage Festivals/Expos (MPAGAFAE)

Keywords

• Culinary media publishing
• Recipe content platform
• Lifestyle magazine
• Food journalism
• Wine beverage content

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital magazine subscription revenue through subscription management portal at buysub.com
2. Digital Advertising: Banner advertisements, sponsored content, and display advertising on foodandwine.com website reaching 16.4M monthly readers
3. Affiliate Commerce: Product recommendations and affiliate links for cookware, appliances, and food products featured in editorial content
4. Brand Partnerships & Sponsorships: Sponsored content and brand partnerships with food, beverage, and kitchen brands aligned with editorial content
5. Events: Events including Global Tastemakers awards and editorial events that create sponsorship and partnership opportunities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Food & Wine publishes a monthly print magazine and operates foodandwine.com, a digital media platform delivering chef-tested recipes, restaurant reviews, travel guides, drink content, and editorial features about food and beverage culture. The portfolio includes a 12,000+ recipe database, the Best New Chefs franchise, the Global Tastemakers awards, the Tinfoil Swans podcast, email newsletters, and curated product recommendation content.

Product overview

Food & Wine operates as a culinary media brand offering a multi-platform portfolio centered around food and drink culture. The core offering consists of the Food & Wine website (foodandwine.com) and Food & Wine Magazine, which deliver recipes, restaurant reviews, travel guides, drink content, and editorial features. The recipe database serves as a central pillar with over 12,000 chef-tested recipes. Brand extensions include the Best New Chefs franchise (annual talent recognition), the Global Tastemakers Awards (culinary travel awards program), and the Tinfoil Swans Podcast (editorial storytelling). Additional modules include newsletter subscriptions, sweepstakes promotions, and the What to Buy product recommendation section.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Best New Chefs: A prestigious franchise recognizing exceptional emerging culinary talent annually
• Global Tastemakers
• Food & Wine Classic

Products and services

• Food & Wine Magazine (Print) Print magazine covering culinary content, recipes, restaurant reviews, and food/drink culture, distributed to subscribers with subscription-based access managed through buysub.com.
• Food & Wine Recipe Database

Quantifiable outcome

• 16.4M monthly readers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Oceania CruisesflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 October 2025Food & Wine's Best New Chefs alumni served as official godparents for the christening of Oceania Cruises' new ship, Oceania Allura. The partnership highlights the cruise line's dedication to culinary excellence, with alumni chefs officiating the November 2025 christening event in Miami and showcasing the ship's culinary features including 12 dining venues and Jacques Pépin's French restaurant.
• ResycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerResy serves as sponsored partner for the Best New Chefs Restaurant Guide, integrating restaurant reservation capabilities with Food & Wine's editorial restaurant recommendations. The partnership provides readers with easy booking access to featured restaurants.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Eater: Digital-first food media brand covering restaurants, dining culture, and food news — competes with Food & Wine for restaurant content and food-obsessed readers but with a digital-native model.
• Serious Eats: Award-winning digital food publication known for rigorously tested recipes and food science — competes with Food & Wine for the home-cook audience valuing recipe reliability.
• Taste of Home: Reader-focused food brand with recipes, cooking videos, and a longstanding magazine — a direct peer in the food media category with mass-market consumer reach.
• Cooking Light: Dotdash Meredith-published food magazine focused on healthier cooking, recipes, and culinary content — a sister-brand under the same People Inc. parent and a direct peer in food media.
• Wine Spectator: Leading wine-focused publication covering wine reviews, ratings, and wine culture with both print and digital editions — directly comparable to Food & Wine's wine editorial pillar (Ray Isle column).
• Epicurious: Recipe-centric food media site with a long-running recipe database, tested recipes, and cooking content — directly comparable to Food & Wine's recipe-database value proposition.
• Saveur: Food and culinary travel magazine covering world cuisines, restaurants, and food culture with a print heritage and digital edition — directly comparable editorial positioning to Food & Wine's food-plus-travel mix.
• Bon Appétit: Condé Nast-owned food and entertaining magazine with a major digital presence, recipes, and restaurant coverage — the closest direct competitor to Food & Wine across both print and digital.
• Travel + Leisure: Travel magazine with significant food and culinary-travel coverage, owned by People Inc. — overlaps with Food & Wine's Global Tastemakers travel content and shares parent-company synergies.

Broad incumbents

• Condé Nast Traveler: Premium travel publication covering hotels, restaurants, and culinary destinations globally — overlaps with Food & Wine's travel/restaurant content and competes for culinary-travel ad dollars from a wider portfolio base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/foodandwine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/foodandwine
• Facebookfacebook.com/foodandwine
• Instagraminstagram.com/foodandwine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Food & Wine