In Conversation With Bruna Fontevecchia of Anchoa Magazine

Photo courtesy of Fonts In Use

Bruna Fontevecchia is the editor and co-founder of Anchoa, an independent, annual print magazine that explores gastronomy through ecology, food production systems, history and culture. We chatted with Bruna to hear more about why she founded the magazine, what it means to publish print in today’s world, and how Latin American food is finally getting its flowers.

Bella: Why Anchoa? What led you here?

Bruna: It's a partnership with my romantic partner, Max. We were very attracted, first, to the format of print. That was basically what started it. And then from there, we were cautious about the responsibility that comes with bringing something physical into the world. Do we need another object? 

It was guided by a sense of responsibility and then, of course, the format itself—understanding as a consumer of food journalism, that globally, everything was very inclined towards consumption, which makes sense. Food media that I was seeing was focused entirely on, ‘top 10 places to eat,’ or recipes—and you must buy this to do your recipe—which I love, and I consume, but I felt like we can't offer that.

We need to offer something different. And through that exploration, there was this world of food-adjacent content that isn't being explained within the context of food. There are subjects inclined towards the climate and towards communities, but they're not being looped in with food.

“Even though it’s a niche magazine, it’s very small, but we do try and think massively. ”

After almost four years—we're working on our fifth issue right now—it’s an ecology and anthropology magazine more than anything. But we don't call it that, and I think it does our mission more justice in reaching a wider audience. Even though it's a niche magazine, it's very small, but we do try and think massively.

Bella: It's so clear, as a reader, how much intentionality has gone into every choice. How does the tactile experience relate to the stories being told?

Bruna: For me, it’s so important to show that the subjects we publish and are on our pages are important. They deserve being printed on this good quality paper, with a consideration of the font, a consideration of the spacing between the letters, with a design. They deserve to be in the printed matter. The format itself assists that.

Bella: What have you been able to gain through translating works into English? Do you feel that anything has lost?

Bruna: I'm really proud of the transition to bilingual. We’ve struggled a bit getting stockists in the English-speaking market. Initially it was received with a lot of positivity, but then we were told, ‘we can't stock it because it's in Spanish.’ And personally, I felt a bit upset because there were other foreign-language magazines that being accepted. So, we’re going to continue being bilingual. Every single piece of Issue 5 will be in English too. We might someday do a podcast episode in English if it merits. But we would have to see. It's just so important to cater to a Latin American audience and a Spanish-speaking audience that I wouldn't want to keep anyone out.

‘There's a lot to uncover. And there’s a great responsibility.’

Bella: You’re telling the Latin American story, mostly for people within the community. How do the various media you use help move the story along?

Bruna: We started first with print, and it was in Spanish. We had three issues print, and then after Issue 2 came out, we developed the podcast. It was always important to have cohesion throughout all the different formats that Anchoa uses. And we have content that it lives only online in our Club Anchoa, which is a very small subscription basis.

I do believe, if there were an equation or a formula of how we build an issue is like, it's 50% and 50% split in the visuals and the written. You get one opportunity to bring that person in when the audience, the reader, is looking at a piece. So, we need to have eye-catching, harmonious imagery in order to support all of the data that’s in these stories so they work together. A lot of the subjects that Anchoa explores are not very welcomed in a lot of spaces.

Someone might buy the magazine and not even read it. They find it an esthetically pleasing object to have on their coffee table. But then maybe their friend comes over and [says], ‘Hey, what's this?’ And maybe reads it. Maybe [they] would have never been in proximity of certain subject matter. And that, for me, is where I feel we did a good job. 

“This is about the joy of knowledge. And it doesn’t mean that we shy away from subjects that are painful to read.”

This has to be a desirable object. It's an object. And then there’s this plurality of voices. Everyone has their own way of speaking and writing and researching, but we do make sure that there is no yellow journalism in our pages. Nothing is written with all uppercase, as if it was yelling. This is about the joy of knowledge. And it doesn't mean that we shy away from subjects that are painful to read.

I want to be cautious about what we publish, so that [any reader] can give us a chance. Because these subjects don't mean that you're left or right. It has to do with the history of humanity. And our relationship—a 12,000 year relationship—with food and the domestication of it. There's a lot to uncover. And there’s a great responsibility.