Bon Appetit & Gwyneth Paltrow Leaves Sour Aftertaste

Sometimes, validation is a fantastic feeling. These days, it takes only a bit of time on Twitter to find other like-minded individuals who share your opinion. Today, my opinion in question was the appearance of "foodie" Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover of Bon Appétit magazine's June issue. While using a cover model isn’t unheard of in Bon Appétit’s history, it’s the use of a celebrity known more for her acting (or in some cases, her singing) that set my eyes rolling.

Many might argue that Gwyneth is indeed "delicious" or "delectable" but she is certainty not food. She is not a food critic, she is not a renowned chef. Even being "eye candy" doesn’t count as an excuse, nor does naming your firstborn child after a market staple, Apple. But, apparently, Gwyneth's New York Times best-selling cookbook, My Father’s Daughter, is enough of a reason for Bon Appétit to feature Paltrow’s mug.

In April, Bon Appétit’s editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport told Eater.com "There are so many interesting people, tastemakers, personalities, and celebrities out there now who really do know food, care a lot about it, and practice what they preach…we should be getting those people into the magazine and occasionally on the cover."

It is a great argument, but I personally question why their choice would not be a professionally trained expert, a prominent chef, a stunning sommelier or anyone else who hasn’t guest starred on Glee. The fact that Gwyneth named her personal website Goop.com should have been an automatic disqualification. Goop? Really? And I’m supposed to go there for inspiration about food and style? Gwyneth is a food enthusiast, at best. She enjoys food, something that makes her exactly like 100% of the worlds population. Why not put me on the cover of Bon Appétit? I like food. I even write my own recipes and I’ve taken culinary classes at the local community college. How ‘bout my mug, Bon Appétit?

At the very, very least, Bon Appétit could have selected a person who would at least enjoy one of the decadent desserts that frequents Bon Appétit’s covers! When asked by Carolina Santos-Neves of Epicurious.com if she had a sweet tooth, Gwyneth replied, "No, actually I don't and that's probably part of the reason I am not a baker. I would much prefer to eat something with Gorgonzola than chocolate."

For the love of all things tasty, Bon Appétit! A mere mention in your magazine can change a chef's life, imagine what you could do for their career with a photo cover? But no, you give us Gwyneth Paltrow, effectively turning my stomach instead of tempting my taste buds. You wield your culinary power like a sword but you're using it to twirl pasa. For shame.

After seeing the cover online, I took to Twitter to scope out some public opinion. @Broadsheet who said it best: "Dislike, and I'm a Gwyneth fan." Validation!