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Jessi Cape has left her position as food editor for the local alternative weekly Austin Chronicle. Her last day was Friday, August 27th.
“I realized some time ago that like many people who were on this planet during the pandemic, it was time for a change,” says Cape Eater. “I had to shake things up a little.”
Next up is a completely different industry for Cape. She takes a job at a software company in the public relations and communications department. Even so, she still plans to write articles for Chronicle on food and other topics.
During Cape’s tenure as Chronicle’s food editor, she reviewed restaurants, featured local food businesses, shared recipes from chefs and home cooks, and gave an in-depth report on the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on the restaurant industry. As part of her role, she directed the publication’s annual best restaurant roundup, First Plates; the latest issue has just appeared in late July.
In September 2017, then-food editor for Chronicle Brandon Watson left the warehouse for the lifestyle website CultureMap to oversee the food departments for Austin and San Antonio. (Since then, he has joined the nonprofit Texas Food & Wine Alliance in January 2020; the site still has not filled the position.) Cape – who had worked in various departments and positions on the publication for the past 15 years, and, at the time, as Office manager and author – took over his position.
Before heading the grocery department, Cape first wrote for the grocery department under the late longtime restaurant critic, food editor, and author Virginia B. Wood, who became her mentor, “I’ve heard her thoughts and learned a lot of institutional knowledge from her,” says Cape. Wood became a food critic for Chronicle in 1993, and in 1997 she expanded her role to food editor. She resigned from the editorial position in 2014 and retired completely in 2016. She died in 2018
Over the past year, several food and drink writers and editors in Austin have left local publications. Food writer Addie Broyles left Statesmen in June. Arianna Auber, co-author of Beverage From The Statesman, was fired in April 2020. Restaurant review site the Infatuation closed several urban locations including Austin in January.
Chronicle is now looking for the vacant position as a food editor.
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