Departure leaves a sour taste

Lauraine Jacobs said that she would be 'very, very sad not to be with Cuisine.' Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Much-loved food writer Lauraine Jacobs has been dumped from the glossy Cuisine magazine, in a final coup de grace by the outgoing editor that has outraged some foodies.

Editor Eric Matthews announced last month that he would be resigning - but not before ending the Jacobs' contract with what is said to be a three-month payout and a gagging clause.

This week, Jacobs, 60, would say only that she was "very, very sad not to be with Cuisine".

The world-recognised culinary expert has contributed to the food and wine magazine for 22 years, beginning six issues after its launch; Matthews was brought over from Australia less than a year ago and is said to have clashed with Jacobs.

He told the Herald on Sunday that Jacobs' departure was part of "revitalising" the publication.

"Contributors can, and need to, change," Matthews added. "I think anything that remains for too long can get a little stale."

Matthews said Jacobs hadn't contributed for the past two months, but the door was open to work with her in future.

Fairfax Magazines general manager Lynley Belton said Jacobs had been "a fantastic contributor for over 20 years".

She would not comment on the reasons for her departure.

Jacobs worked with five editors under three owners at Cuisine, now owned by the Fairfax Media group, and won many awards for her food and recipe writing.

She was the first non-American to lead the International Association of Culinary Professionals and was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the food industry in the Queen's Birthday Honours last year.

She has written, co-written or edited seven cook books, including The Confident Cook and A Treasury of New Zealand Baking.

It is understood Jacobs did not know her contract was not to be renewed, despite her pending departure being talked about in culinary circles.

Her last recipes ran in the Christmas issue in which she presented "A Family Christmas Day Feast".

Jacobs was a regular guest chef at The Food Show and last month was elected president of the New Zealand Guild of Food Writers.

Matthews is said to have been unenthusiastic about Jacobs and her work, but he is not believed to have relayed that directly to her.

Her invitations to magazine editorial meetings are understood to have dried up after Matthews took over.

Since its glory days in the 1990s, Cuisine has struggled to find direction.

After the departure of former editor Simon Wilson, it was edited by committee for some time before Matthews was brought over the Tasman.

It suffered embarrassment in 2006 when its former wine writer, the internationally-recognised Michael Cooper, blew the whistle on discrepancies between a wine sold in shops and that entered for the magazine's wine awards.

In an email to staff and colleagues last month, Lynley Belton said Matthews had decided to return to "the bright lights of Sydney" to work as a design consultant.

"Eric has made a great contribution to Cuisine during his tenure, particularly in the look and navigation of the magazine," she wrote.

"It is very sad to see him go when his efforts are beginning to be reflected in circulation and readership results."

Audit Bureau of Circulation figures show the magazine, which sells for $9.20 on news stands, sold an average 48,406 copies in the first half of last year - down from 51,118 a year earlier and 77,388 in 2001.