food

Part cookbook, part coffee table decor, the latest crop of artful foodie magazines is chock full of thoughtful essays, stunning photography and must-try recipes. These five indie titles will inspire you experiment in the kitchen and gather your friends for a casual meal — complete with homemade chevre, of course.

Cherry Bombe: Launched in spring 2013, the biannual Cherry Bombe is an explosion of food-meets-fashion eye-candy and food for thought. The founders were interested in focusing on women’s contributions to food and their first issue features such tastemakers as supermodel (and co-founder of Karlie’s Kookies) Karlie Kloss, food stylist Victoria Granof, Momofuku Milk Bar’s Christina Tosifashion and fashion blogger Garance Dore. Fun fact: You’ll also learn the fascinating history of the humble Maraschino cherry within these pages.

Kinfolk: Based in Portland, Oregon, Kinfolk focuses on food, place and the shared aspect of eating. Featuring soft-focus shoots of hipster foodies gathering to feast on rustic spreads, the quarterly publication practices what it preaches and hosts community gatherings for artists and food enthusiasts. Flip through an issue and you’ll be calling on your friends to meet for a picnic in the park. But, remember — just because you read about an artisanal honey harvester, doesn’t mean you should attempt to make your own for the gathering.

Lucky Peach: This quirky, super-smart foodie mag is the brainchild of Momofuku’s David Chang, food writer Peter Meehan, and the team at McSweeney’s. Each quarterly issue has its own theme (our favorite so far: The Apocalypse) and features essays from celebrated chefs and food journalists. Chock full of essays, art and trippy art direction, this magazine will be the hottest title on your shelf.

Sweet Paul: Founded by NYC craft and food stylist Paul Lowe Einlyng, this cheerful magazine brings you new recipes, DIY ideas and shopping tips four times a year. There’s a nostalgic quality to the magazine’s elegant design and photography that will transport you back to the days when you pulled a stool up to the counter to help your grandmother bake cookies and biscuits. Although you might not guess it from his beautiful creations, Sweet Paul has a no-fuss approach to preparing and presenting food. His motto? “Perfection is boring.”

Gather Journal: As if you couldn’t tell by its name, Gather Journal, much like Kinfolk, is a biannual publication dedicated to “the bringing of people together.” Organized like a cookbook, each issue is predominantly made up recipes (amuse bouches, starters, entrees and dessert), which are peppered with enticing food photography and whimsical essays. With its daring art direction (how cool is that cover?) and quirky themes, you’ll instantly realize this ain’t your granny’s cookbook.