Dawn Davis Named Editor-In-Chief of Bon Appétit
Condé Nast today named industry leader Dawn Davis editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit. Dawn Davis, most recently vice president and publisher of 37 Ink, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, is an award-winning publisher and storytelling advocate who, for over two decades, has championed and elevated underrepresented voices. In her new role, Dawn Davis will be responsible for the editorial vision of Bon Appétit and Condé Nast’s food brands Epicurious, Healthyish and Basically across digital, video, OTT, social and print platforms. Her appointment takes effect on November 2.
“A proven trailblazer in publishing and known for her innovative approach, Dawn’s ability to find emerging voices and give them the platforms to transform our society is unparalleled,” said Roger Lynch, CEO of Condé Nast. “As she joins Bon Appétit with one of the most passionate and engaged audiences in the culinary world, it’s thrilling to think about how our relationship with food will be enhanced through her leadership and vision.”
Davis has worked in book publishing for more than twenty-five years and founded 37 Ink, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Her bestselling and award-winning titles include Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires, winner of a 2019 Whiting Award; the National Book Award finalist, Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave; Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar; and several New York Times bestsellers, including Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For by Susan Rice; The Butler: A Witness to History by Wil Haygood; The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae; and I Can’t Make This Up by Kevin Hart.
Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, artistic director of Condé Nast US and global content advisor for the company, to whom Davis will report, added, “Dawn’s work stands out for defining and leading important cultural conversations. She is a trusted voice and supporter of a diverse and inclusive community of writers and she has shone a light on people and stories that need to be told. I am so pleased that she will bring her considerable talent to Bon Appétit.”
Dawn Davis is an avid home cook whose passion for food culture is expressed in many ways, including through the first cookbook she acquired, Recipe of Memory: Five Generations of Mexican Cuisine by Mary Lau Valle and Victor M. Valle, which was nominated for two Julia Child Cookbook Awards and a James Beard Award. Her interest in food and restaurants also led her to write If You Can Stand the Heat: Tales from Chefs and Restauranteurs which profiled some of the most dynamic and prolific chefs of the time, including Edna Lewis, Bobby Flay, Anthony Bourdain, Michael McCartney, Patricia Williams and Linda Rodriguez.
“Like the Bon Appétit brand, I see food at the epicenter of all we do. Food is connected to community and culture, economics and family. Decisions about what we eat and with whom, who produces our food and how, influences almost every aspect of our lives,” said Davis. “I look forward to working with both the talented team at Bon Appétit and with writers and tastemakers to create an array of intriguing and inclusive recipes and stories about the intersections between food and family, culture and commerce for our audiences.”
For twelve years prior to joining Simon & Schuster, Davis was at HarperCollins, overseeing the Amistad imprint, where she published numerous well-known, highly acclaimed bestselling authors, including Edward P. Jones, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Known World; Attica Locke, author of Black Water Rising; and Chris Gardner, author of The Pursuit of Happyness. She was named the 2019 Editor of the Year by Poets & Writers. A former board member of The Harlem School of the Arts and a graduate of Stanford University, she lives in New York City with her family.
Bon Appétit recently announced a partnership with world-renowned chef and author Marcus Samuelsson who will guest edit this year’s holiday issue and act as an ongoing content advisor for the brand. Earlier this month, Sonia Chopra began her role as Bon Appétit’s new executive editor. The brand boasts a growing audience of nearly twelve million social followers, eleven million monthly unique visitors, seven million readers in print and 141 million monthly video views, and is the top-rated food brand on YouTube, surpassing six million subscribers since the channel launched in 2018.
Bon Appétit won four ASME Ellies in 2020, including its third General Excellence win. The brand has been named to Advertising Age’s A-List for eight consecutive years, including Magazine of the Year in 2013 and 2017, Brand of the Year in 2015, and Digital and Video recognition in 2019. Bon Appétit has been named to Adweek’s Hot List every year since 2012, including Hottest Food Magazine in 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Condé Nast Entertainment was awarded Digiday’s Best Use of YouTube for Bon Appétit’s channel in 2020.
Originally founded in 1956, Bon Appétit grew into a regular monthly publication in 1976 under then editor-in-chief Paige Rense. In 1993, Bon Appétit became a Condé Nast brand with the company’s purchase of Knapp Communications.
About Condé Nast
Condé Nast is a global media company, home to iconic brands including Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ, Glamour, AD, Vanity Fair and Wired, among many others. The company’s award-winning content reaches 88 million consumers in print, 440 million in digital and 428 million across social platforms, and generates more than 1 billion video views each month. The company is headquartered in New York and London, and operates in 31 markets worldwide including China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Latin America, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, the U.K. and the U.S., with local license partners across the globe. Launched in 2011, Condé Nast Entertainment is an award-winning production and distribution studio that creates programming across film, television, social and digital video and virtual reality.
