When Condé Nast offered Ruth Reichl the top position at America's oldest epicurean magazine, she declined. She was a writer and had no inclination to be anyone's boss. And yet . . . Reichl had been reading Gourmet since she was eight; it had inspired her entire career. How could she say no? This is the story of a former Berkeley hippie entering the corporate world and trying not to lose her soul. It is the story of the way restaurants and cooking became an important part of popular culture. And it is the story of how a colorful group of editors and art directors, under Reichl's leadership, transformed stately Gourmet into a cutting-edge publication.

This was the golden age of print media before the Internet turned the magazine world upside down. Save Me the Plums is a personal journey of a woman coming to terms with being in charge and making her mark, following a passion and holding on to her dreams--even when she ends up in a place she never expected to be.