Noted as one of the few faceless critics in town, SF Weekly's formidable and wildly intelligent food editor Jonathan Kauffman will leave the local alt-weekly for Tasting Table, formerly edited by friend of SFist Scott Hocker. SF Weekly notes: "After two years of serving as SF Weekly's lead food critic and writer, Kauffman is moving on to a new gig as the S.F. editor at Tasting Table. Kauffman will continue writing his weekly column and posts for SFoodie, SF Weekly's food blog, through May 1. Through that time Kauffman will also continue his popular blog series Rice Plate Journal, about Chinatown eateries, and SF 50, a countdown of San Francisco's 50 best dishes."
Food Editor News: Shake-ups At SF Weekly, 7x7
Arnold Schwarzenegger Needs Your Help Writing 'Total Recall'
Erstwhile California Governor, former Mr. Universe and estranged father Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't made much progress in the eight months since he announced he would be putting pen to paper to write his autobiography, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story. This morning, Arnold took a break from the word mines to ask his nearly 1.5 million Facebook friends for inspiration.
Favorite Part Of Bi-Rite's 'Sweet Cream & Sugar Cones' Involves '80s Ice Cream, Yelper Love
April is a big one for ice cream and print publishing. Two noted ice cream shops in the Mission District, Bi-Rite Creamery and Humphry Slocombe, are coming out with recipe books. So, if you've always wanted to use that Krups ice cream machine cylinder that has been sitting in your freezer for years, be sure to buy one of these books. You're certain to dazzle family and friends. Anyway, the latter ice cream store's book, Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones, features 90 truly astounding recipes. Seriously. They're fascinating. But our favorite recipe also has our favorite intro. Behold:
Glossy Mag News: 7x7 Gets Its Spine Back, SF Mag Scores New EIC
Hey, you. Yes, you. Sitting there glazed-over and glassy-eyed from staring at your preferred choice of online viewing. Listen up: did you know that changes are afoot in the world of local print publishing? It's true. And this time the news involves neither embarrassing attempts to regain ad revenue nor pathetic blanket statements about the future of media from brain-dead journalists. It's good news. Shocking, but true. Here we go:
7x7 Magazine Moving to SOMA
After almost a decade in Union Square, local lifestyle magazine 7x7 will pack up their staplers and Post-Its and move to SOMA—glorious, rad, joyous, dirty, homelessy, wealthy South of Market. The publication(s) will move into the old Chronicle Books spot at 680 Second Street, right next door to Ironside (home of the city's best Cuban sandwich.) But why the move? SFist asked Chloé Harris, 7x7's sparkling new executive editor, for more details.
Canadian Newspaper Company to Purchase SF Examiner
SF Appeal breaks news that SF Examiner will be sold to a Canadian Newspaper company Black Press Group. According to a statement later released by the company, the sale expected to close on November 30, 2011.
Chloe Harris Named New '7x7 Magazine' Executive Editor
The tony overlords at 7x7 Magazine named Stylebistro editor (and, above all else, former SFist style editor) Chloe Harris their new executive editor. In addition to having worked within the fashion media realm for years now, she's also a staunch advocate of marriage equality with her partner, food photographer Frankie Frankeny. (Check out JustMarried for more details.)
SF Weekly Cuts Noted Editorial Staff Members, Possibly More
In some heart-sinking news today, SF Weekly cut some of its staff -- possibly 1/3 of it, according to the grapevine. Most notably, the Village Voice Media paper pruned such stellar talent as web editor Jake Swearingen, reporter Matt Smith, calendar editor Hiya Swanhuyser, and SFoodie's W. Blake Gray.
Celebrate Zoetrope's Summer Issue, July 19
Featuring new fiction from Stuart Dybek, as well as Emily Ruskovich and May-Lan Tan making their literary debuts, the summer issue of Zoetrope features a cover designed by Beck. Yes, that Beck. You should help Francis Ford Coppola celebrate the release of one of the city's best (and most underrated!) literary magazines at Cafe Zoetrope in North Beach on Tuesday, July 19 from 6 to 8 pm. There’ll be cocktails flowing, passed plates of light bites, and presumably groovy music.
Thrasher Magazine Co-Founder ID'd as Man Who Committed Suicide at SFPD Station
The man who shot and killed himself outside the SFPD Mission Station on Valencia Street was identified today as Eric Swenson, a 64-year-old San Francisco resident who was also the co-founder of popular skateboarding magazine Thrasher. An announcement on the magazine's website had this to say:
Meanwhile in Vacaville: Newspaper Bomb Injures Elderly Man
An elderly man in Vacaville was injured by an explosive device hidden in his Sunday newspaper yesterday. When the man went to retrieve the paper from his lawn the hidden device exploded, alerting neighbors who found him "bloodied and lying on the lawn in front of his house," according to KGO-TV. The injured man was airlifted to the hospital in Davis while police evacuated the quiet-looking suburban neighborhood and cautioned others against picking up their own Sunday papers. No other explosives were found nearby.
Publisher of SF Weekly Moving to The Village Voice
SF Weekly Publisher (and an all-around swell chap) Josh Fromson will leave the city's noted alt-weekly to take over at The NY Village Voice. Both SF Weekly and The Village Voice are owned by the same parent company, Village Voice Media.
Peter Hartlaub Rides His Old Chronicle Paper Route
Back before print publishing turned into a creepy fetish for navel-gazing journalists looking to emulate their leader, there was a time when people used to purchase and then have delivered their e-information in inconvenient newspaper form. For reals! And many of us would deliver these oldfangled newspapers for money via a daily or weekly bike route. Renowned pop culture critic Peter Hartlaub, who we thoroughly enjoy, recently went on his old Chronicle paper route in Burlingame using his old hand-me-down girl's bike (holy hickory bold, just like us!) and filmed the entire thing
Rolling Stone Blasts Anti-Gay Rolling Stone
Anti-gay marriage and hateful citizens, unite! A fake Rolling Stone based in Africa has been dishing out "one of the most vile and hateful anti-gay screeds," ever! And the real Rolling Stone, which got its start here in San Francisco, is none too thrilled.
7x7's Hot 20 Under 40 Revealed
Things sure have changed since the Hartle era at la-di-da 7x7 Magazine came to an end. For example, it's now less la-di-da. And we like that. Another example? This month the local mag boasts Vernon Davis, a brawny, black footballer player, sans shirt on its cover. We like that, too. ("During his sophomore year at the University of Maryland, he changed majors from criminal justice to studio arts, his passion," they point out. "'Once I got into college, I felt free...It didn’t matter what anyone had to say about me.'" We hear you, Vernoin. We hear you loud and clear.)
This Weekend: Listen to These People at SF Zine Fest
Although SF Zine Fest is all about tables and tables of choice zines, comics, phenomenal DIY doodads, and more -- psst, be sure to read Laura Beck's article on making her very first zine -- it's also a great opportunity to learn from a bevvy of successful independent publishers and local scribes. This year's workshop and panel roster promises to have something for every zine geek, and then some. Behold.
Litquake 2010: Winona Ryder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Patti Smith
The lineup for this year's Litquake, San Francisco's tribute to the written word, looks like a smashing one. Why? Because it vboasts a special appearance by a very special cinematic legend and infamous felons. Of course, we're talking about Winona Ryder. The actress and sometimes San Francisco resident will appear as part of a tribute to Lawrence Ferlinghetti and City Lights Bookseller. Sure, other stellar names will also help out (guitarist Lenny Kaye, Michael McClure, New Yorker cartoonist Eric Drooker, Ishmael Reed, former San Francisco Poet Luareates Jack Hirschman and devorah major, the rad Beth Lisick, Michelle Tea, and the Marcus Shelby Quart), but we are saving our pennies and holding our breath for Ryder.
San Francisco Bay Guardian's Damage Award Upheld
Looks like the folks at SF Bay Guardian can expect payment from SF Weekly -- at least so declares the state appeals court. According to KRON 4, "In a 3-0 ruling on Wednesday, the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco said there was convincing evidence that the Bay Guardian, an alternative weekly, had suffered damages because of SF Weekly's 'predatory pricing scheme.'" In 2008, if you recall, a San Francisco Superior Court jury awarded the alt-weekly a $21 million damage award. "Bruce Brugmann, editor and publisher of the Bay Guardian, says the two newspapers are in settlement talks."
Local Online News Site Now Available In Retro Print Form
Exhausted with having to read your news online? From the convenience of your home or office? For free? Well, fret no more. Today, local online news site SF Public Press launched a papyrus version of the publication, featuring some of their computerized content.
Viz Media Snips Staff
Viz Media, one of the biggest publishers of creepy manga in the U.S., pruned some of its staff on Wednesday. Publishers Weekly reports that "as many as 55 people were laid off at Viz’s San Francisco headquarters and it appears its small New York office, which had about 5 staffers, has been closed. The number of staff released represents about 40% of the employees at Viz Media." Why? Well, one reason, according to figures, was a decline in sales by 20% in 2009. [via PW]
Man Delivers Own Obit, Then Hangs Self
Dark news here, folks. A sick Placerville man, according to Associated Press, "delivered his own obituary to a newspaper then hanged himself from a nearby bridge." The body of Allan Leo Peters II, 64, was found Wednesday dangling from "a yellow rope from an old bridge." Struggling with emphysema, Peters had delivered his obit to Mountain Democrat prior to hanging himself -- a brief excerpt reading,"Yes, I have hanged myself (At least I hope I did)" -- paying the $90 publishing cost.
Google CEO Slams Bloggers
While we know the luminous, chiseled Sergey Brin would never say something so cruel about bloggers, Google CEO and aging Burner Eric Schmidt, while trying to ingratiate himself to the book-sniffing crowd at a American Society of News Editors gala, sure did. Speaking to a worried gaggle of editors in Washington D.C. last night., according to the Nieman Journalism Lab (via Valleywag), Schmidt told them:
SF Weekly to Turn Over Half of Revenue to SF Bay Guardian
On Tuesday, San Francisco court commissioner granted SF Bay Guardian "half of SF Weekly’s current and future advertising revenue "in a move that could seriously damage the Weekly’s ability to stay in business," reports former New Times Media alt-weekly East Bay Express.
SFBG To Seize SF Weekly's Rent Check?
Here's a morsel of alt weekly-vs.-alt weekly news to fill your belly: last Tuesday local alt weekly SF Bay Guardian was "granted its motion to intercept the income of the SF Weekly." The Weekly, if you recall, were branded as a bunch of predatory pricing hooligans against the Guardian in 2008, with the latter publication receiving a $21 million settlement.
Blogging Protip: Thwart SFGate's Copy/Paste Sneakiness
Under the impression that online internet world wide webloggers are swiping their golden nuggets of wisdom without linkage, SFGate recently infused their site with inane cross-scripting nonsense that automatically adds a url link when you copy/paste any of the Gate's content. Basically, it's like a teddy bear cam for writers who use their site. It is, for lack of a better word, retarded.
Meredith Brody, SF Weekly Part Ways
A "polarizing" figure in the SF food community, Meredith Brody was a memorable one during her tenure at SF Weekly. Yesterday, Eater tell us, Brody parted ways with SF Weekly.

