Food is everything in Serviette
Most independent magazines start with either a writer or a designer; somebody with an idea they want to express, who suddenly realises that print is the ideal way to tame their thoughts and communicate them to other people. But that wasn’t the case for Max Meighen. The Toronto-based restaurateur runs Avling, a restaurant, brewery, and urban farm in the city’s Leslieville neighbourhood, and when the pandemic hit he found himself unable to carry on with business as usual.
He says he considered starting a newsletter to talk about the food stories he loves, but realised that wasn’t going to scratch his particular itch, and so he set about launching a food magazine. The first issue of Serviette appeared in 2022, themed ‘Food is everything’, betraying his obsession with the subject of eating and drinking. Since then he has overseen three more issues; ‘Food is consumption’, ‘Food is preservation’, and ‘Food is absurd’, with issue five, ‘Food is place’ currently in the works.
We delivered issue four to our subscribers last month, and Max was good enough to speak to our Stack Magazine Club about the ideas behind the project. It’s definitely an internationally-focused magazine, but it’s also clearly a product of Toronto’s creative community, and he talks about his inspirations, and the ways that the magazine has been shaped by the local scene. (We’re also joined briefly by Nicola Hamilton, graphic designer and owner of the Issues magazine shop in Toronto – she had just joined to listen to the talk, but since she worked on the magazine she also turned on her microphone to share her thoughts on how Serviette has evolved along the way.)
Check the video below to see a recording of the conversation, and of course if you want to join our independent magazine club, sign up today so we can start delivering our magazines to you every month, and inviting you to speak with the people who make them.
