Conde Nast, also the publisher of magazines like The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, made the surprise announcement on Monday following a review aimed at finding ways to cut costs in the face of the advertising crisis.

In addition to Gourmet, which has been published since 1940, Conde Nast plans to cut Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and Cookie. It has already axed the Portfolio business magazine and Domino, the home design magazine.

Gourmet’s editor, Ruth Reichl, the former New York Times restaurant reviewer, is a powerful figure in the US food world and the axing of the magazine comes as a surprise, despite the decline in advertising pages.

The latest magazine shutdowns “combined with cost and workforce reductions now under way throughout the company will speed the recovery of our current businesses and enable us to pursue new ventures,” Chuck Townsend, the publisher’s chief executive, said on Monday in a memo to staff.

The cuts came after a three-month study by McKinsey & Company, the consultants hired by Conde Nast to help cut costs.

Conde Nast is one of many magazine and newspaper publishers worldwide suffering circulation and advertising revenue declines as more readers turn to the internet. Advertisers have further slashed their budgets because of the recession.

With the shutdown of Modern Bride and Elegant Bride, a third wedding magazine, Brides, will increase its publication schedule to monthly. As for Gourmet, Condé Nast said it remains committed to the brand and would continue Gourmet’s book publishing and TV programming.

The decision to close the magazines comes after a report that Condé Nast was working with Time Warner’s Time Inc, Hearst Corp and others to develop ways of making money from magazines online.