DINE Makes Headlines

Friday, July 28, 2007

Special to The Globe and Mail
Toronto foodies get a brand new mag

Sara Waxman hopes Dine will satisfy what she calls our ‘dish-fulfilment’
DAVE MCGINN

A few months ago, Sara Waxman was poring over the magazine rack at a Toronto bookstore when she noticed something conspicuously absent. Even though the city’s restaurant scene is more vibrant than ever, she could not find a consumer magazine solely dedicated to its culinary pleasures.

There are, of course, sources of gustatory info such as the authoritative Toronto Life, upstart City Bites, cheeky martiniboys.com and servicey dine.to. But, “I thought, ‘What a shame,’ ” recalls Ms. Waxman, a veteran restaurant critic and food writer who has been a contributing editor at Flare and enRoute. “We have everything to be proud of here. But there is no magazine that showcases this very exciting and sophisticated aspect of this city.”

So, Ms. Waxman decided to create one. In November, she and her partners will launch a large-format glossy called Dine. The initial print run is expected to be between 10,000 to 12,000 copies. Though it won’t be on newsstands, the magazine will be a celebration of the best of the more than 5,000 restaurants in Toronto.

“Toronto is a world-class city, and I feel we’ve never had a high-standard magazine ever done just about restaurants and wine,” says Jay Mandarino, president of C.J. Graphics Inc. and noted charity auctioneer. Mr. Mandarino will act as both printer and managing partner. Chartered accountant Peter Roston, the third partner, assumes the role of CEO. “There’s no magazine out there that reflects the glamour of eating in Toronto,” says Mr. Mandarino.

The new magazine will come out just once a year, but will have an online component updated regularly. Along with restaurant reviews, there will be chef profiles, coverage of trends such as molecular gastronomy and tips on how to find the right caterer - all meant to satisfy what Ms. Waxman calls Torontonians’ “dish-fulfilment.”

The inaugural issue features an impressive list of contributors: Donald Ziraldo, co-founder of Inniskillin winery, will offer a wine guide and commentary. Franco Prevedello, the restaurateur behind Centro and Splendido Restaurant, is penning a column about the past, present and future of restaurant trends.

Ms. Waxman plans on targeting businesses from across the restaurant industry spectrum, including breweries and wineries, for ad sales. She says rates will be “very competitive.” Having ads for restaurants that are accompanied by a review by Ms. Waxman will give the magazine an edge, Mr. Mandarino says. “With Sara’s background writing for so many magazines and newspapers, that is going to be key,” he says.

The magazine will be carried by several hotels and, hopefully, as an insert in a newspaper. But the Dine group still has its work cut out for it. For instance, it will be up against other hotel-room tourist guides such as Where Toronto and Dining Out.

“There’s a ton of competition,” says Doug Bennet, publisher of Masthead, which covers Canada’s magazine industry. Luring an audience away from established food-related websites will be especially challenging, considering most of those who regularly eat out are also very Web-savvy, Mr. Bennet says. However, he says, “There’s no shortage of foodies, and it seems to be a topic for which there’s endless fascination.”

Undaunted, Mr. Mandarino says Dine is a labour of love. “We’re not all going to retire from this, by any means. It’s really more about producing a nice piece and getting it out there,” he says.

Ms. Waxman echoes the sentiment. “I want this to be the Vogue magazine of dining.”