“The idea was based in history, really,” Sifton told CNN Business. According to editor Sam Sifton, the strategy for the section’s current iteration was years in the making. That meant the Cooking staff had to come up with a product that was worth the cost of entry. Cooking enthusiasts either have to pay the extra $5 for access, or subscribe to a pricier Times bundle. Notably, the Cooking section is not included in a basic, $15-a-month digital subscription to the Times. That’s a relatively big ask in an age when just about every form of entertainment has a monthly fee attached to it, and when amateur cooks already have access to countless recipes on the internet for free. NYT Cooking charges $5 a month for access to its coverage. But persuading a sizable chunk of those people to sign up for a separate food website was no small feat.

The Times isn’t shy about touting its success: The newspaper recently announced that it surpassed four million total subscriptions. The New York Times bet more than a year ago that it could convince an audience of foodies to pay for a standalone section devoted to all things cooking.Ībout 120,000 subscriptions later, the newspaper thinks it has proven that NYT Cooking is not just another flash in the pan.