Gourmet Makes queen Claire Saffitz is officially no longer associated with Conde Nast Entertainment, or the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen after allegations of racism and unfair treatment of staff were revealed earlier this year.
Saffitz, who was one of the Test Kitchen’s biggest drawcards, took to Instagram to announce her departure, noting that her formal relationship with the company ended back in May.
“I’m grateful to Bon Appetit and CNE for the opportunity to build my career on their platforms, but this opportunity was not granted equally to all. I respect and support the decisions of many of my colleagues to blaze new trails. I look forward to following all of their great work,” she wrote.
“Bon Appetit’s new leadership, coupled with the incredible hard work and dedication of the staff, make me confident that it will be a more equitable, inclusive, and dynamic place in the future.”
She ended the post by revealing that her own book will be out in a few weeks, and that she is looking forward to sharing it with her fans.
The news of Claire’s departure comes after months of turmoil in the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen, and at Conde Nast Entertainment as a whole.
It all kicked off with Sohla El-Waylly alleging that BIPOC members of the cast don’t get paid equally to their white colleagues. From there, we saw editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport resign and the whole Test Kitchen team refuse to film content until an agreement that saw fair remuneration for their BIPOC coworkers was reached.
However, after months of discussion, a deal could not be reached, resulting in Sohla, Priya Krishna, and Rick Martinez leaving the company.
Following their departure, a number of other Conde Nast Entertainment staff members, including on-screen personality Molly Baz, and now Saffitz, quit in solidarity.
As it currently stands, a majority of the staff who made the Test Kitchen what we all knew and loved have left the business. As for the show itself, who knows what’s going to happen, but without Claire, Sohla and many of the other familiar faces, it’s hard to see it being what it was.
Thankfully, Sohla has since launched her own cooking show on YouTube, and it’s really bloody good.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated with whatever happens next in the world of the Test Kitchen, but at this stage, it looks like the show is no longer.
