Cook’s Illustrated

Cook’s Illustrated, a bimonthly magazine, was founded by Christopher Kimball (1951–) in 1993. Kimball, born and raised in Westchester County, New York, graduated from Columbia University in 1973. He worked in the direct-mail marketing business and, as a hobby, became an accomplished amateur cook. In 1980, with the backing of a group of investors, Kimball launched Cook’s Magazine in Weston, Connecticut. Unlike other food publications, Cook’s Magazine focused on culinary technique, with lots of step-by-step photos; it was also slanted toward American food rather than European cuisines. After struggling for three years to make the venture a success, Kimball sold a partial interest to The New Yorker magazine, which was then acquired by Advance Publications, publishers of Gourmet. Two years later a subsidiary of Bonnier, a Swedish publishing conglomerate, acquired a majority interest in the magazine, which Kimball continued to edit.