A former restaurant critic of the New York Times, Reichl, I figured, was sure to be dining out in our city after the party. I asked her where she was headed post-party and she named one of the city's better bistros. She quickly picked up on my lack of enthusiasm, and asked me where she should go instead, "Try Au Pied de Cochon," I mumbled under my breath.

I was headed there myself and halfway through my meal, I saw Reichl, along with legendary Gourmet food editor Zanne Stewart, head to a table in the back of the room. I then did something a restaurant critic should never do: I made a beeline to Au Pied's chef/owner Martin Picard and said: "See that woman," pointing to Reichl. "Make sure her food is perfect. She's the most important person in the food world."

"Who is she?" asked Picard.

"The editor of Gourmet magazine," I answered.

And then, to my complete surprise, Picard asked, "What's that?" 

Though Gourmet magazine may not have been on the radar for many in French Canada, for those of us who grew up reading the magazine, it was The Bible. Which is why it came as a complete shock when news hit on Monday that the 68-year-old foodie monthly would publish its last issue in November.

For many of us, the news has been hard to swallow. There was always a Gourmet magazine in my house. It was a key factor in my love of fine food. It was after reading an article in the magazine on haute chocolateries in Paris in 1988 that I decided to attend cooking school to become a pastry chef. 

Here was a food magazine you could read cover to cover, filled with dishes you fantasized about recreating. The 20th century's greatest food writers were regular contributors. Lillian Langseth-

Christensen's travel articles made me yearn to explore the world through bowls of chowder and plates of strudel, Fred Ferretti, David Rosengarten and Jay Jacobs were the examples to follow when it came to restaurant criticism. There was nothing like those elegant sensuous supper centrefolds to entice me into the kitchen.

When Reichl took over as Gourmet's editor in 1999, the magazine underwent radical changes. Gone were the New York and California restaurant reviews in favour of restaurant write-ups from around the world. My beloved dinner party centrefold was replaced by themed dinners. Vegetarian Thanksgiving anyone? There was an increased emphasis on chefs, and Gourmet was at the forefront in reporting on stars like Ferran Adria, Thomas Keller and Suzanne Goin. 

A high point for Montreal Gourmet readers came in 2006 when the magazine honoured our city as the focal point of its March issue. And in that issue was an in-depth profile of Martin Picard, marking the beginning of what has been a fast road to the top for Montreal's original foie-gras-poutine toppin' enfant terrible.  

Gourmet's demise is a blow for those who relished flipping through the magazine, earmarking recipes to try or fantasizing about taking a cooking class in Paris or Vietnam.  Food lovers can turn to Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, or Cook's Illustrated for their fix, but those of us who favoured Gourmet will have to keep rereading the old issues. And it ends on a high note: In the last issue, Montreal's Joe Beef restaurant will be featured. Hooray