R.I.P., John Carlos White.
A letter from our editor.
For more than twenty years, John Carlos White was my friend and sparring partner, the driving force behind Food & Dining Magazine — and a singular figure in Louisville’s media landscape.
I met John in the Louisville Eccentric Observer offices in the early 2000s. At that time, I was writing a dining column called “Toque de Ville,” and John, I think, was managing advertising. At our first encounter, he made an offhand suggestion that I review one of his advertisers. I made a counterproposal — and that set the tone for more than two decades of cheerful debate.
That particular argument never came up again, though John loved telling stories about advertisers and could happily expound on the theory and practice of marketing a magazine.
In 2003, when John told me his idea for Food & Dining, I was skeptical. Louisville’s dining scene was strong — but so was its media coverage. I gave the magazine six months (though I did agree to write for those first issues).
John, of course, proved me gloriously wrong.
Dan and John at work.
Through recessions, a pandemic, and the rise of digital media — where we now have a strong presence, thanks largely to my friend and colleague Roger Baylor — Food & Dining has survived and flourished. While many of the media outlets that dominated the market in 2003 …
