Kerry Diamond
Kerry Diamond with her Perfect Weekday tote by Alex Mill, customized by Scribe New York.
City of Women Denizen: Kerry Diamond
Bona Fides: Founder and editor of Cherry Bombe media, a company that celebrates women and cool creatives in the world of food and drink. She’s also been a restaurant owner, senior PR executive, beauty editor for glossy magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and and published writer.
City of Women Induction: Via Cherry Bombe’s multimedia platforms, Cherry Bombe’s mission is to support women in the food, drink, and hospitality industries by shining a spotlight on them, sharing their stories, and bringing them together in person and virtually. Along with her editors, contributors and writers, Kerry creates content that supports both established and up-and-coming chefs, bakers, culinary educators, cocktail mixologists, restauranteurs, aspiring authors with advice, community and resources.
RPO: You’ve taken your career from beauty writing/editing to public relations at Lancôme and Coach, to restauranteur. Now you're at the helm of a multimedia company that's food-centric and includes Cherry Bombe magazine, Cherry Bombe radio with multiple podcast titles, and both live and virtual events. So… has food always been your first love?
KD: Funnily enough, no! Writing and storytelling was my first love. I started a newspaper in the third grade and loved books, magazines, and newspapers from as early as I can remember. I fell into food by accident. I started dating a chef, opened a restaurant with him, and noticed that female chefs weren’t treated very well in this world. I decided to do a magazine dedicated to telling the stories of interesting women in the industry, never thinking it would lead to what Cherry Bombe is today.
RPO: As a smart, intelligent woman who follows her passions and finds success in vastly different lifestyle sectors, what is the constant for you?
KD: Hard work. I know that sounds trite. I wasn’t always the smartest person in the room, but I could outwork everyone. When there was something I was passionate about, like Cherry Bombe or podcasting, I was willing to put in the time to make it a reality, despite the tradeoffs. I wouldn’t say I recommend that approach, however. I do think if I had had better work and life habits when I was younger, I might not have had to work so hard. You’re not really taught life and work habits in school, at least not when I was in school, but you should be. If you don’t have good role models for that, you have to figure it out on your own.
RPO: While Cherry Bombe media is woman-owned and women-led, it also feels inclusive. Tell me about your goals for the future of the company.
KD: Oh, gosh. Where do we start? I sometimes jokingly say I’d like to build the Condé Nast of the future, but I’m not really joking. Someone has to build the media companies of tomorrow. But in the meantime, continue to grow Cherry Bombe smartly and strategically. I’m lucky to have an amazing CEO, Kate Miller Spencer, as my business partner. We’ve lasted for a decade by not following trends, so we’ll continue to forge our own path. We’re planning to expand into TV and travel this year, grow the audience for our podcast network, and continue to host events across the country. We’re going to need community more than ever and at the end of the day, that’s what Cherry Bombe provides.
RPO: Via Cherry Bombe, you’ve discussed and published a lot of recipes. What is your recipe for a fulfilling life?
KD:
"SCRIBBLES" Scribe New York’s short answer section
Cake or pie? Team Cake
Casual or fine dining? These days, casual. Fine dining feels too formal for these times.
Favorite Recipe The walnut chocolate chip cookies in the Cherry Bombe Cookbook.
Personal Motto Trust your gut.
Which guests (living or deceased) get an invite to your fantasy dinner party? Marilyn Monroe, Anthony Bourdain, Joan Didion, Truman Capote, David Bowie, and Julia Child. We’d have pizza and caviar and champagne and cake. I wouldn’t even try to cook for them. I’d be too busy asking questions.