Bon Appétit names Dawn Davis Editor in Chief

Condé Nast named Dawn Davis, a 25-year veteran of the book publishing business and a prominent editor in the field, as editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit.

Her appointment comes after the June ouster of former EIC Adam Rapoport amid allegations of racial discrimination at the food-media brand. In the last month, several people of color who had starred in Bon Appétit’s “Test Kitchen” video series said they were refusing to enter into new deals with Condé Nast over what they claimed were unfair terms.

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For nearly two months, hundreds of Portlanders have gathered nightly outside the Portland Police Bureau’s central precinct to demand justice for Black victims of police violence. In early July, President Trump sent federal agents to Portland to “quell” the demonstrations, inspiring thousands of additional residents to take to the streets in protest. Across from the nightly skirmishes sat Riot Ribs, a 24-hour, volunteer-run outdoor kitchen fueled entirely by community donations. After less than two weeks providing non-stop free food to protesters and passersby alike, Riot Ribs became the focus of targeted, destructive raids by the police. Their story evolved from a small mutual-aid project borne out of necessity into a testament to sheer will, withstanding tear gas, park sweeps, and crowd-control munitions. Then, just as quickly as it grew, Riot Ribs collapsed. On July 28, the group announced it was pivoting the project to Revolution Ribs, trading their home in Lownsdale Square for a pair of sprinter vans to rove the country in search of hungry protesters to feed. At the link in our bio one of the organizers behind the project explains in their own words what went down. 📷: @extracelestial

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Davis most recently was VP and publisher of 37 Ink, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. She starts as EIC of Bon Appétit on Nov. 2, reporting to Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, artistic director of Condé Nast U.S. and global content adviser. Davis will oversee editorial for Bon Appétit and Condé Nast’s food brands Epicurious, Healthyish and Basically across digital, video, social and print platforms.

In a statement, Davis said, “Like the Bon Appétit brand, I see food at the epicenter of all we do. Food is connected to community and culture, economics and family. Decisions about what we eat and with whom, who produces our food and how, influences almost every aspect of our lives.”

While heading up 37 Ink, Davis’s bestselling book titles included “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” by Issa Rae; “I Can’t Make This Up” by Kevin Hart; “Heads of the Colored People” by Nafissa Thompson-Spires, “Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge” by Erica Armstrong Dunbar; “Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For” by Susan Rice; and “The Butler: A Witness to History” by Wil Haygood.

Prior to Simon & Schuster, Davis was at HarperCollins for 12 years, overseeing the Amistad imprint, where she published numerous acclaimed and bestselling authors, including Edward P. Jones, Attica Locke and Chris Gardner.

Davis was named the 2019 Editor of the Year by Poets & Writers. A former board member of the Harlem School of the Arts and a graduate of Stanford University, she lives in New York City with her family.