Not One but Three Local Food Mags Debut

Man, is it a good time to break into the food-writing business in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle alone has two dailies, two weeklies, and two glossy mags, all with food sections, and scads of food blogs, a number of which are earning their writers book deals. Portland can boast almost as many foodie pubs, and there's the regional Northwest Palate and Wine Press Northwest.

But wait! That's not all!

Today I just received a press release announcing the third Northwest food magazine/newsletter quivering on the verge of launching.

1. Tomorrow, 40,000 young Portlanders will start receiving a first issue of MIX, a 10-by-12-inch glossy quarterly published by the Oregonian's magazine division. Press release quote: "MIX is a lifestyle magazine that reflects the city's hot restaurant scene, the region's booming wine country, craft beer nirvana, and passion for freshly grown ingredients."

2. On September 22, we're going to see the first official issue of Delicious City, a full-color newsletter to be distributed free around the city and inserted in community newspapers like the Belltown Messenger and Capitol Hill Times. (Conflict of interest note: Voracious contributor Jess Thomson is writing for it.) Website quote from editor Ronald Holden: "Delicious City will celebrate Seattle's remarkable food culture. And we'll do so in a manner that respects the intelligence and sensibilities of a readership that has come to expect good and better things from our gustatory landscape and those who opine about it."

3. Finally, in April 2008, the Edible Communities network of quarterly food magazines (Edible Portland, Edible Cape Cod, etc.) will launch Edible Seattle. Website quote: "Our focus is on all aspects of foods that are foraged, brewed, harvested, and fished in the Puget Sound region." Clearly, snazzier promo copy is in order. To read about the mag and the chain as a whole, check out this Seattle Times article.

I know we're obsessed with food here, but are we that obsessed?