Editor-in-Chief Jamila Robinson shares how the airport debut, an AI kitchen assistant and a new awards program form a blueprint for leaders looking to scale legacy brands.
When legacy brands face disruption, the instinct can be to protect tradition. Jamila Robinson, Editor-in-Chief of Bon Appétit and Epicurious, is doing things a bit differently. Instead of clinging to the past, she is using tradition as a launchpad for reinvention.
Under her leadership, Bon Appétit — the 70-year-old food and lifestyle magazine — is updating its image and expanding its reach through three bold moves: a branded restaurant and gourmet market at John F. Kennedy International Airport, a new AI-powered kitchen assistant and the brand’s first “Gear of the Year Awards” list. Together, these initiatives demonstrate how leaders can modernize a heritage brand without losing its soul.
“Most people encounter our brand now through video,” Robinson explained to me. “We want to be sure that food is at the center of everything people are doing, whether they’re cooking at home, traveling or scrolling on their phones.”
In an era when every brand is being asked to adapt, Robinson’s approach offers a masterclass in thoughtful transformation. Her work shows how leaders can stay rooted in legacy while embracing innovation to scale a brand.
Here are four key lessons from Robinson’s playbook on future-proofing a legacy brand.
Lesson 1: Turn Your Brand into an Experience
Robinson’s first major initiative — a Bon Appétit–branded restaurant and market at JFK Airport’s new international terminal — will turn a traditional media brand, once enjoyed primarily in print and online, into an immersive in-person experience.
The new space, slated to open next year, is being described as “a dynamic dining and retail experience inspired by Bon Appétit’s editorial passion for food culture, travel and storytelling.” The lower-level market will include a bakery, deli and coffee bar, while the upstairs restaurant will feature globally inspired dishes and curated cocktails. Screens throughout the space will allow diners and shoppers to engage with Bon Appétit’s digital content, some of which will even be available in flight.
Brands today aren’t limited to their original mediums. By bringing Bon Appétit to life through taste, travel and technology — meeting audiences wherever they are, even at 30,000 feet — Robinson shows how legacy brands can expand into engaging, more scalable experiences.
“Food really is a global experience,” Robinson says. “In the restaurant, we’re going to reflect that through dishes we’ve cultivated in our test kitchen and through relationships with chefs, bakeries and local purveyors.”
Lesson 2: Use Technology to Enhance, Not Replace, Human Expertise
Robinson’s second initiative is Sage, an AI-powered kitchen assistant trained on Bon Appétit’s archive of more than 60,000 tested recipes. Sage can answer practical questions home cooks ask every day, like “Can I bake this in a glass pan?” or “What’s a good substitute for rice vinegar?”
“We really wanted to use AI as a tool,” Robinson explained. “By training the model only on our tested recipes, we’re making sure that the answers are accurate and that the technology is helping people cook better.”
Rather than replacing editors and chefs, the AI assistant extends their knowledge beyond office hours, offering trusted guidance in real time. Robinson describes Sage as a “modern-day Butterball turkey hotline,” giving people the reassurance and know-how they need in the moment they need it – and just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday!
When brands pair human expertise with the right technology, they can elevate service, expand access and deepen audience connection without sacrificing authenticity.
Lesson 3: Authority Creates Loyalty — and Loyalty Creates Revenue
Every fall, social feeds fill with influencer gift guides and affiliate lists. But Bon Appétit’s new Gear of the Year Awards list stands apart — because it comes from nearly 70 years of trust.
“This is the first time we’ve pulled all our recommendations together into one entity,” Robinson said. “We’ve always done gift guides and cookbook roundups, but now we’re literally putting our stamp on products we believe in — the ones that make your cooking life better.”
Unlike roundups designed purely for clicks or commissions, Bon Appétit’s list carries the weight of decades of testing and expertise. The brand describes the awards as recognizing “the year’s best product launches alongside long-time favorites — the absolute cream of the crop.”
For Robinson, the list is about honoring the relationship the brand has built with its readers. These recommendations feel personal because they are — the result of editors who have spent years cooking, testing and refining what really works.
And while the list is a new revenue stream for the brand, its impact resonates because the trust came first. The credibility Bon Appétit has earned over generations is what makes its recommendations meaningful.
Lesson 4: Build an Integrated Ecosystem
For Robinson, the JFK restaurant, AI assistant and awards list aren’t isolated projects; together they create a 360-degree brand ecosystem. The initiatives extend Bon Appétit’s reach, make the brand more accessible, introduce it to new audiences and meet consumers wherever they want to be.
By connecting editorial, commerce and experience under one integrated strategy, Robinson has found a way to increase engagement and build on the loyalty established over the past 70 years.
“We’re using innovation to expand the brand and engage new audiences,” she said. “It’s about future-proofing — taking something iconic and ensuring it continues to thrive for the next generation of cooks.”