From Achatz To Zagat, The Atlantic Considers The Gastronomic World With Food.theatlantic.com

Today TheAtlantic.com broadens its portfolio of vertical channels with the launch of Food.TheAtlantic.com. Curated by longtime Atlantic senior editor and James Beard Award winner Corby Kummer, the Food Channel will feature text, videos and photos from the food and wine industries' most innovative practitioners-the people who make, grow, and discover the best wine, cheese, meat and fish, and use them in the most interesting ways. The channel will also showcase experts from the worlds of health, nutrition and science-the authorities upon whom food journalists rely for insight.

Contributors include Chicago chef Grant Achatz, Tim and Nina Zagat, bioethicist Zeke Emanuel, Starbucks co-founder Jerry Baldwin, nutritionist and author Marion Nestle, winemaker Aaron Pott and Zingerman's co-founder Ari Weinzweig.

"It's a dream come true to have the people I've learned from and relied on over the years all under one roof-The Atlantic's," says Corby Kummer. "These are the voices I love listening to and think our readers will, too. And with the team of The Atlantic's designers, plus incredible pictures from our frighteningly tech-savvy correspondents, we've got something I haven't seen anyplace else. I think our generous contributors and I are impressed-and a little bit daunted-by the standard TheAtlantic.com has set, and we're all excited about living up to it."

"The Atlantic has always focused on the full range of American society. The politics, culture, and science of food is a vital part of that mix. For more than two decades, Corby has explored these topics thoughtfully and passionately in the pages of the magazine, and now we're delighted that he is bringing this content to the digital realm," adds Bob Cohn, Editorial Director, TheAtlantic.com.

Corby Kummer's work in The Atlantic has established him as one of the most widely read, authoritative, and creative food writers in the United States. He is the recipient of four James Beard Journalism Awards, including the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award, and is the author of The Joy of Coffee and The Pleasures of Slow Food. This week, he appeared as the guest critic on the premiere of NBC's new reality series "The Chopping Block."

The Food Channel follows the recent launches of the Politics and Business Channels at TheAtlantic.com. The vertical channels are the latest steps in an aggressive digital strategy that yielded an average of 18 million page views and 2.6 million unique visitors per month in 2008, compared to 5.2 million page views and 1 million unique visitors per month in 2007.