And The Winner Is....

[debmidge]

I seem to remember her advertising the contest as a "help me decide" thing. She never said that she was going to go with the idea that won the most votes. I was always under the impression that she was just using the voting to gage interest in each of the ideas and would make her own personal selection after seeing how the vote turned out. So while it's disappointing that we won the popular vote and didn't get chosen for the individual magazine, I'm not surprised. She took the top two in the popular vote and worked both of the ideas into her magazine empire. I'm sure if there had been three ideas all around 33% of the popular vote, all three would have been incorporated.

I guess we didn't have enough Super Delegates!

[debmidge]

I hope the vote results even as applied will help raise awareness of celiac - not to mention allergies

However, it does seem that Martha has made a business decision that the pet magazine is a better product for her company

Call me crazy, but with Martha's announcement pre-set for the day of the Westminster Dog Show finals (one of biggest dog shows in US, televised on USA network), perhaps Martha's company had done some consumer testing before the vote even started?? Not to mention, potential ad base $ of pet products is giant vs. gluten-free. With the huge number of votes for the gluten-free/allergy topic, *someone* will notice. And we'll all be there to help make the good gluten-free ideas fly!

Martha may be on the one step forward, two steps back plan - oh well

....so I guess we have to wait for pets to come down with celiac before we can expect a special magazine for food allergies...?

[Judyin Philly]

....so I guess we have to wait for pets to come down with celiac before we can expect a special magazine for food allergies...?

YOU GOT THAT ONE RIGHT.

THANKS FOR THE LAUGH DEB.

JUDY

[home-based-mom]

....so I guess we have to wait for pets to come down with celiac before we can expect a special magazine for food allergies...?

No, we have to wait for MARTHA to come down with celiac before we can expect a special magazine for food allergies!

[jerseyangel]

No, we have to wait for MARTHA to come down with celiac before we can expect a special magazine for food allergies!

Good one!

[jkmunchkin]

Exactly right! I agree. That's when they figured they had to backpedal out of this one. Solution: take down the percentage tables. A "pet" magazine will not last as there are a good number of them, made by real pet organizations and who control the market already. I guess she's looking for a 2-3 year life span of her publicaton (business cycle) and then try to sell it and move onto something else.

I think this little trick (showing food allergies as having highest percentage then pulling the charts off) and switching it to another topic in the end has now made me never interested in anything else she or her group does. Won't buy her magazines nor her products..... from now on Martha Stewart who?

A quality magazine takes a lot of money to create and generally several years to become profitable. And by a lot of money, I'm not talking $1 million dollars. I think she just wanted a pet magazine. I know no one agrees with me, but it's her money and she should invest it how she wants. She has created a very successful business with products she is passionate about. I think it would be a disservice to expect her to invest her time and money into something that she does not love.

I hate to say I told you so, but I said on this forum last week when all the voting was going on that the result would be, regardless of the outcome, that the food allergy topic would be either incorporated into her other books, or at best it would be a "special" issue once a year.

[debmidge]

A quality magazine takes a lot of money to create and generally several years to become profitable. And by a lot of money, I'm not talking $1 million dollars. I think she just wanted a pet magazine. I know no one agrees with me, but it's her money and she should invest it how she wants. She has created a very successful business with products she is passionate about. I think it would be a disservice to expect her to invest her time and money into something that she does not love.

I hate to say I told you so, but I said on this forum last week when all the voting was going on that the result would be, regardless of the outcome, that the food allergy topic would be either incorporated into her other books, or at best it would be a "special" issue once a year.

No, you're right, it's her money and time...but why bother asking the reading public then?

I just hope she's happy designing doggy beds and kitty coats, when she could have

been a leader in new territory......

[pixiegirl]

I read this topic with interest and I feel the same as many of you.. we got gypped!! I never liked Martha and never will (and I like her a whole lot less now).

However Martha owns the Martha Empire and so she will and can do whatever she wants. And we all know Martha is a big pet person. Do we need another pet mag? Nope but its her business and I tend to think from a financial standpoint she will do better with pets than sick people. I tend to think more of them buy magazines then we do.

Why do I say that, because for at least a few years (maybe more) Living Without magazine has been around and they still have a small circulation and they cover exactly what we thought Martha's mag would cover, various allergies, sensitivities and diseases that effect how we eat. I like the magazine and I wish it was a monthly and the only way its going to be a monthly is if they get more subscribers (subscribers cut way more mustard in a magazines financial plans then people who pick up a copy on the newsstands).

So why don't we all support the magazine that is already out there and trying to grow? Its a great magazine and they do a good job and it will publish more often, get larger, etc. as soon as more people with food issues step up to the plate and subscribe. (and I have no financial interest in Living Without I'm just a subscriber)

As far as Martha saying she will put more recipes in her mags that are food issue sensitive.. I think what that means is she will start labeling her recipes as: gluten free, milk free, soy free, nut free. I don't think she will change a thing. And whoever said "we don't need more recipes" is exactly right, I get them all over the place. If you subscribe online to the Whole Foods newsletter (or go to their website and check them out) every single recipe is labeled that way. I can open any regular recipe mag and easily pick out what is gluten-free and what isn't and it doesn't take a genius to modify a recipe.

What I wanted was the awareness that a Martha mag bring.

Anyhow I suggest that you all go subscribe to Living Without... lets help them grow! We have a lot of clout.

[darlindeb25]

Come on people, we're talking about Martha Stewart--she's been ripping people off for years. Why do you think she went to prison? It's not about what makes us happy, it's about what makes Martha's pockets happy! This is just another one of her attention getting ploys and we fell for it.

My celiac support group sent this email out to all of us last night:

I recently sent you information about the voting on Martha Stewart's website. According to the website, Food Allergies/Intolerances was way ahead of everything else. Well, today I saw the following:

"So Martha announced today that there was a tie for the "Big Idea". She said it was between the allergy free publication and the pet publication. But, she then looked at the woman whose idea was the allergy free publication and said she won the popular vote with 57% - so, how is this a tie? Anyways, she said that they would include allergy free recipes in their current publications, Everyday Food, Body & Soul and Living, and make sure that we could find them on their website also. But, that the pet publication was a more strategic plan for the MSLO company because so many people love their pets. My thing is why would they have a public vote on the "Big Idea" if they had pretty much already decided was was more "strategic" for the company? Oh well."

Apparently, Martha doesn't care what the public wants! I've already sent my e-mail in, you might want to do the same!

So, I'm pretty sure she has received several emails from our group already, we are a huge group and have been very fired up about getting the word out about celiac disease.

I worked for Kmart for several years and believe me, the little guys get very sick of "Martha this and Martha that!"

I never have purchased her magazine and never will. Honestly, I think we would be better off trying to get a section in a magazine like Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, Woman's Day--something like that, a much more affordable magazine, one that the everyday person grabs off the rack--I have always loved them.

We need articles about living with celiac, not recipes--we can find recipes any time. Recipes are a dime a dozen, but everyday life with celiac, is not so easy to find. That's what people need to read.

[Mom23boys]

Why do I say that, because for at least a few years (maybe more) Living Without magazine has been around and they still have a small circulation and they cover exactly what we thought Martha's mag would cover, various allergies, sensitivities and diseases that effect how we eat. I like the magazine and I wish it was a monthly and the only way its going to be a monthly is if they get more subscribers (subscribers cut way more mustard in a magazines financial plans then people who pick up a copy on the newsstands).

Maybe I'm the odd one out here but I really didn't care for it.

To me it was rather dry. I also want more standard recipes where I don't have to drive all over town or mail order X ingredient. I want recipes I can serve to anyone and not have to say "I'm sorry but we are gluten free".

It would be really cool if there were pick and choose recipes (think back to the Cambell's cookbook where you had like 4 choices of soups, 4 choices of meat, 4 choices of carb to mix and match at will). The choices could support those who eat dairy, those who eat soy, those who do neither...

[Morrisun]

I guess we didn't have enough Super Delegates!

Hahahahaha, too funny!

[kenlove]

We need articles about living with celiac, not recipes--we can find recipes any time. Recipes are a dime a dozen, but everyday life with celiac, is not so easy to find. That's what people need to read.

This is so true! basically we need a magazine that reads like the forum messages!<G>

What non-celiacs need to realize that this is not a choice for us. I had a argument Sunday at a Slowfood meeting

with a person that really didnt get it an equated celiac with eating organic or not organic. This person was an idiot

saying "Oh you could eat anything if you wanted too"

In general, people are totally un-informed about our situation.

Ken

[jerseyangel]

In general, people are totally un-informed about our situation.

Ken

True--over the weekend, a very sweet barista at Starbucks who was doing a little class on different coffees said to me --(when I told her I had Celiac, so I couldn't eat any of the pastries she was offering)--"yeah, I have slight lactose intolerance, so I know how you feel"

[kenlove]

I could say something about her slight lactose intolerance but need tolearn to keep my fingers silent <G>

Within my departments at the university there are always ongoing arguments between pro and anti GMO factions, pro and anti organic growing, mono cropping vrs. crop diversity and so on. Many of them liken celiac and other allergies to taking a position.

Even within this highly educated community, they don't get that its not a matter a choice. Neither did I until I got it.

In those almost two years I've learned a lot thanks to this forum but above all I learned that there is a need for much more education and awareness.

So Martha crapped out but we, as a group, need to keep moving forward.

I for one am very thankful for this forum.

ken

True--over the weekend, a very sweet barista at Starbucks who was doing a little class on different coffees said to me --(when I told her I had Celiac, so I couldn't eat any of the pastries she was offering)--"yeah, I have slight lactose intolerance, so I know how you feel"

[jkmunchkin]

True--over the weekend, a very sweet barista at Starbucks who was doing a little class on different coffees said to me --(when I told her I had Celiac, so I couldn't eat any of the pastries she was offering)--"yeah, I have slight lactose intolerance, so I know how you feel"

The lady who waxes my eyebrows always feels the need to comment that my "diet" is just like the Atkins diet. I always just politely say, not really... but I hear ya'.

[jerseyangel]

The lady who waxes my eyebrows always feels the need to comment that my "diet" is just like the Atkins diet. I always just politely say, not really... but I hear ya'.

I just smiled at the girl and nodded my head It wasn't the time for a real discussion on the subject, and truthfully, I wasn't in the mood. I just wanted to relax, sip my tea, and enjoy the coffee talk.

[Judyin Philly]

Heads up........just saw this on a blog ......................

Food Allergy-Friendly RoadTour: Next Stop, Rachael Ray

Enjoy Life Foods, the country

[kbtoyssni]

On second thought, small articles in Martha's existing magazines about food intolerances might be better than a stand-alone magazine. There are a lot of people who read her existing magazines, and this way those people will be introduced to the idea of gluten and other intolerances.

When I was in the process of diagnosing myself, I was so thankful for the person who had casually mentioned to me several years prior that she had celiac. At the time I had no idea what she was talking about so I did some googling and forgot about it. When I realized I had an issue with wheat, I remembered there was this disease called celiac... and here I am today.

So I think we might benefit from increased awareness of celiac in the population. If it was a stand alone magazine, only people who already know they have food intolerances would buy/read it. While it would certainly make life easier post-diagnosis, maybe more people will get properly diagnosed this way.

[Judyin Philly]

On second thought, small articles in Martha's existing magazines about food intolerances might be better than a stand-alone magazine. There are a lot of people who read her existing magazines, and this way those people will be introduced to the idea of gluten and other intolerances.

you have a really good point here. Kids going to Grandmas, people hosting parties etc might 'stumble' on this find a few recipes to serve. I hope the cc issue would be addressed seriously.

I think a lot of us were just upset with the 'we want your imput' and then taking down the polls.

Thanks for this insight.

judy

[shayesmom]

On second thought, small articles in Martha's existing magazines about food intolerances might be better than a stand-alone magazine. There are a lot of people who read her existing magazines, and this way those people will be introduced to the idea of gluten and other intolerances.

In truth, this is a good first step to shed light on food allergy/intolerance in the mainstream media. And I think it would do some good in helping friends/family members accept the fact that their friends/loved ones aren't just making this problem up. It's not "all in our heads". A REGULAR, feature spot in a major publication would help raise awareness and some of the naysayers (we've all encountered) would be forced to recognize the legitimacy of special diets. And heck....worst case scenario is that grandma has a recipe to try out on you for the holidays.

My reservation about sharing space in a pre-existing publication is that the temptation would be to only provide recipes....not information and articles that could potentially help thousands of people suffering from unrecognized celiac and other food intolerance. I really don't see Martha as being proactive in helping people recover their health. She's more proactive on finding ways to get into your wallet. And as the studies say....up to 3 million people have celiac disease, but 97% aren't yet diagnosed. That doesn't make for an astonishing amount of subscribers. Meanwhile...how many people have pets?

It's disappointing, but I'm not surprised. In the meantime, I hope that Living Without does well through the current changes going on. I love their magazine and I really wish that they published monthly. I think part of the problem is that no one knows that they're around! I've already put in a request at the library for them to acquire it. I'm thinking that perhaps I may buy them a subscription after all and see if it helps boost subscribership to the magazine. Heck, I know that I've referred about a dozen people to their magazine....and they've all kept their subscriptions for the past couple of years and plan to keep up with it. If more people subscribed, we might see a monthly issue and then perhaps there'd be a wider variety of recipes, articles...and possibly even more coupons.

[confused]

Did any of u read how she bought emerils rights to cookbooks and such. I use to love emril but heck if she owns him now, im not sure i will buy anything to give her more money lol.

paula