Chowhound
{{Short description|American food and cuisine website}}
{{for|the World War II Allied operation|Operations Manna and Chowhound}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Chowhound
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| company_type = Privately owned
| type = Online food community
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| founded = {{start date|1997}}
| dissolved = {{end date|2022|03|28}}
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| country_of_origin = United States
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| owner = Jim Leff and Bob Okumura (1997-2006)
CNET Networks (2006-2020)
Red Ventures (2020-2023, suspended Chowhound operations 2022)
Static Media (October 2023–present, revived Chowhound website in November 2023)
| author =
| founder = Jim Leff and Bob Okumura
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| industry = Food and drink
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| url = {{Official URL}}
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Chowhound (or chowhound.com) is an American based food website launched in 1997. It changed ownership in 2006 and 2020, with its third owner suspending the website in March 2022. In October 2023, Static Media purchased the operation, reactivating the website in November 2023.
History
Chowhound was a popular online food community founded by jazz trombonist{{cite web |title=Jim Leff |website=Discogs |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/599069-Jim-Leff |access-date=9 May 2022}} and food writer{{cite web |title=Jim Leff's Writing Resume |website=jimleff.info |url=https://jimleff.info/resume.html |access-date=9 May 2022}} Jim Leff and Bob Okumura in 1997, known for its user base of food fanatics. Chowhound was formed in a very different cultural era, before Americans had a mainstream interest in seeking out regional delicacies and local favorites. As such, Chowhound served a very particular user base that was seeking delicious, regional and hard to find foods outside of the mainstream culture. It had an early influence in steering America's influence towards regional delicacies, as the future trailblazing food critics Jonathan Gold and Robert Sietsema were early contributors. In 2006, Leff and Okumura sold the site to CNET Networks,{{cite news |last=Hochman |first=David |title=An Owner No More, Alpha Dog Prowls |work=The New York Times |date=22 November 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/22/dining/22leff.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=9 May 2022}} which redesigned it and merged it with CHOW magazine, keeping its forums, grouped by locale, and dropping chowhound.com in favour of the magazine's chow.com domain. After CNET was merged into CBS Interactive in 2008, the original chowhound.com domain was restored and CHOW was eliminated. The website was bought by Red Ventures, in 2020.{{cite journal |last=Hudson |first=Caroline |title=Red Ventures adding jobs as it integrates ViacomCBS' CNET Media Group |journal=Charlotte Business Journal |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/11/04/whats-next-after-red-ventures-acquires-cnet.html |access-date=November 13, 2020}}{{cite magazine |last=Spangler |first=Todd |title=ViacomCBS Reaches Deal to Sell CNET for $500 Million to Marketing Firm Red Ventures |magazine=Variety |date=14 September 2020 |url=https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/cnet-viacomcbs-sells-red-ventures-1234768810/ |access-date=November 13, 2020}}
In March, 2022, Red Ventures announced the site would close after 25 years online.{{cite press release |title=A Final Goodbye for Chowhound |publisher=Chowhound |date=2022-03-07 |url=https://www.chowhound.com/post/final-goodbye-chowhound-1098935 |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307171716/https://www.chowhound.com/post/final-goodbye-chowhound-1098935 |archive-date=7 March 2022}} Its closure was covered by the New York Times,{{cite news |last=Asimov |first=Eric |title=Chowhound Closes After 25 Years of Food Obsession, Wisdom, and Debate |work=The New York Times |date=2022-03-10 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/10/dining/chowhound-closing.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=March 11, 2020}} among other media.
In October 2023, the Chowhound website was put back online, with it now being under the ownership of Static Media. The chowhound.com website was revived; {{as of|2024|November|lc=u}}, the chow.com domain{{snd}}still held onto by Red Ventures and passed along to Static Media in the sale{{snd}}was [https://www.chow.com/ redirected to Static Media's foodie.com] website.
Book series
Penguin USA published two Chowhound restaurant guides, The Chowhound's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area, and The Chowhound's Guide to the New York Tristate Area.{{Cite web|title=The Chowhound's Guide to the New York Tristate Area by Chowhound: 9781101221457 {{!}} PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/294865/the-chowhounds-guide-to-the-new-york-tristate-area-by-chowhound/|access-date=2021-01-09|website=PenguinRandomhouse.com|language=en-US}}
See also
References
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External links
- {{Official website}}
- [http://www.newsweek.com/id/49746 Newsweek article on Chowhound]
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Category:Former CBS Interactive websites
Category:Internet properties established in 1997
Category:Websites about food and drink
Category:2020 mergers and acquisitions
Category:Internet properties disestablished in 2022
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