We’ve long believed that Cooking needs a dedicated creative director for our next phase of growth. We’re rapidly evolving from a recipe-focused product to one that goes far beyond the recipe, with video franchises and multiple content types published on- and off-platform.
And so we’re especially pleased to announce that Simon Chong is joining The Times as our new creative director for Cooking.
Simon is a senior leader who will oversee and elevate our design, helping make Cooking even more distinctive, appealing and engaging across platforms. He’ll drive the creation of a cohesive identity and visual presence for our entire Cooking portfolio, working in collaboration with teams across The Times, including brand identity, marketing, product design and advertising.
Simon, who’s originally from Australia and has also lived and worked in London, brings a global perspective to brand building. He’s served as a creative lead at some of the world’s most prestigious design studios, most recently Wolff Olins and Buck.
As it happens, Simon has also worked with Cooking before. As a member of the brand strategy and design studio Gretel, he partnered with us to create brand campaigns for Cooking in 2019 and 2021. One of Simon’s strongest endorsements for this role came from Allie Asher, who worked with him on that campaign: “Simon helped us zero in on what made our brand special and how to celebrate that. I’m so excited to be able to partner with him again.”
He told us that this role brings together his love of food, language, design and New York. His longest crossword streak is 8 games, and he’s gotten Queen Bee. His most frequently cooked meal is our coconut-miso salmon curry.
Please join us in welcoming Simon to The Times!
Emily Weinstein is Cooking editor and Camilla Velasquez is general manager.
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