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. 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. When Condé Nast offered 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. But she had been reading Gourmet since she was eight; it had inspired her career-- how could she say no? This is the story of Reichl's tenure as editor in chief of Gourmet. We learn how, with legendary chefs, idiosyncratic writers, and a colorful group of editors and art directors, she spearheaded a revolution in the way we think about food. -- adapted from jacket

Magic door -- Tea party -- Garlic -- Washington Square -- Attire allowance -- Plan check -- Adjacencies -- The Yaffy -- Bitter salad -- Human resources -- The downside -- The Florio potato -- Big fish -- Birthday -- Severine -- Why we cook -- Food people -- Enormous changes -- Just say it -- Hello, Cupcake -- Setting the record straight -- DFW -- Mene, mene -- Pull up a chair -- Dot com -- Editor of the year -- Being brand Ruth -- Midnight in Paris -- This one's on me -- Epilogue.