'Bon Appétit' taps Sonia Chopra as executive editor

Sonia Chopra

The high-brow culinary arts magazine Bon Appétit announced the appointment of Sonia Chopra as its new executive editor.

In this role, she will help lead editorial content across Bon Appétit, Epicurious, Healthyish and Basically. She will also be responsible for liaising with Condé Nast Entertainment and help develop the brand’s award-winning video strategy. Chopra will begin her role on August 24.

"I can't wait to get started with the Bon Appétit team," said Chopra. "I've been a loyal fan of the brand for years and look forward to collaborating with them to create meaningful change at this pivotal moment happening in food media."

Chopra assumes her new executive position during a turbulent time for the magazine.

Editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport resigned in June after a photo of him in a racist Halloween costume resurfaced online and staff members began speaking out about the treatment of nonwhite staff at the magazine.

Rapoport was accused of allegedly fostering a culture of tokenism, pay inequity and discrimination, which came to light when video contributors began going public about their roles in the company’s videos.

Matt Duckor, lifestyle video chief for Condé Nast, resisgned shortly thereafter when several of his offensive tweets came to light.

Three of BA’s Test Kitchen video stars — Sohla El-Waylly, Priya Krishna and Ricky Martinez — said they would no longer appear in the popular YouTube series due to unsuccessful contract negotiations to address payment for video appearances.

Amid the turmoil, Bon Appétit issued a memo to staffers that conceded that the company had been “far too white for far too long.”

Bon Appétit is one the fastest growing brands in its Condé Nast portfolio, according to a press release. The top-rated food brand on YouTube, it has racked up more than 6 million subscribers since launching in 2017. Along with 7 million print readers, it has 10.6 million digital unique visitors, 11.8 million social followers and 141 million video views across platforms.

Chopra joins Condé Nast from Vox Media, where she oversaw strategy and operations at Eater. She was also a co-executive producer on Eater's PBS show No Passport Required and previously served as Eater's managing editor, the manager of the brand's 20+ city sites, and the Eater Atlanta editor.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sonia, an incredible leader who has made widespread cultural impact through her passion for food," said Anna Wintour, U.S. artistic director, editor-in-chief of Vogue U.S. “Sonia's energy and expertise connecting content across platforms is unmatched and will drive the continued success of Bon Appétit and our food brands.”