The latest news is that John Lethlean and Necia Wilden who yesterday quit The Age and The Age Good Food Guide are joining The Australian not the Herald Sun.
Elliot at 1001 Dinners 1001 Nights also has a post on the story from a different source to mine here.
Over the years The Australian has introduced Melbourne pages to try and boost its local readership which is quite small compared to NSW. The Australian also has a history of nabbing people from Fairfax, as it has done to build up what is now an amazingly strong business section.
Certainly Lethlean at The Australian would appeal to the prime melbourne AB demographic. But will it prove that The Epicure brand is stronger than the Lethlean one?
Again, this is speculation. No doubt Crikey when it is out at 1.30 today will add its perspective.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s the Australian, from what I’ve heard.
Good luck to them… I can’t remember the last time I actually brought that paper.
I believe brands are bigger than the people behind them (in most cases), I hope they can make it work but the the thing that i find the most exciting is the opening of the market to more voices.
I’m all for more opinions, but aren’t all bloggers.
Jack
fantastic news….
Hi Ed, Still no mainstream press about this. What’ s going on? Although a girl at my work said ‘Good bloody riddance! He can’t even cook!’
Looks like John is definatly gone (see Espresso in todays Epicure) , no idea as to where yet.
Interestingly low key exit, just a brief footnote, seems a little strange after s0 many years. Anyone any idea what the catalyst for the move was? Wonder who’ll fill the void, Matt Preston perhaps? Coincidentally I saw John on north Lygon St last night on my way home, presume he had either just been, or was about to go to, the Hellenic Republic.
This is most upsetting… I’ll miss John Lethlean a lot. The fact that he’s not a chef means he’s accessible to us other non-chefs and it’s very rare to find someone with such extensively food knowledge who writes so unpretentiously and often quite wittily about it.
This is most upsetting… I’ll miss John Lethlean in
The Age a lot. The fact that he’s not a chef means he’s accessible to us other non-chefs and it’s very rare to find someone with such extensively food knowledge who writes so unpretentiously and often quite wittily about it.
I love reading his work each week his humour and uncanny knack of picking the same dishes on a menu as I would. My most memorable article was on the making of junket, brought back alot of memories and made me want to source the tablets once again. I will certainly switch to another broadsheet if he has moved to the Australian
I dunno, I reckon it’s a good opportunity to hear a new voice in epicure…maybe even, god forbid, a female one! Their reviews have been dominated by a certain kind of male voice for a long time now.
He’s a competent writer, but I wouldn’t switch to the Australian for Lethlean, I’ve had enough of “smart city restaurants” and blatant name dropping.
I won’t be switching for the sake of one voice. I believe there is a new Editor in place, so am curious to see what’s in store at a revamped Epicure. Last night I mused on what I’d like to see in it on my . I’d be curious to hear other thoughts…
OOPs! That went haywire. Disregard that link to another of Ed’s posts – not sure how that came about LOL.
The missing word above was blog.
lethlean leaving the age is a big mistake, why would he do such a thing to all the loyl chefs that admire him and respect his judgement, this is so unexpected, a mistake for sure waiting for a fall that he knows he has done wrong.
i respect his decision but still don’t understand the reasoning
and wish him well for the future.
Kind regard’s
Good riddance, I say. I think he was one of the main reasons I held little faith in the Age Good Food Guide. For example, how in the world did Verge end up with 2 hats??? They don’t even deserve 1. Another big disappointer was Mercer’s…
John, they have a new editor and verge still has two hats. WTF is going on?