Nilou Motamed named editor of Time Inc.’s Food & Wine

Revenge is a dish best served cold — especially if you’re the new editor of Food & Wine magazine.

Nilou Motamed on Tuesday was tapped to lead the Time Inc. title, replacing long-time editor Dana Cowin, who announced she was leaving in November but did not actually walk away until January.

Now, Motamed — pegged as the front runner for the job almost from the start — is in a position to extract a little vengeance on one-time employer Condé Nast, which publishes larger rival Bon Appétit.

She was bounced as editor of Epicurious.com in September 2014 after Condé put the foodie destination under the control of Bon Appétit Editor-in-chief Adam Rappaport.

Epicurious general manager Carolyn Kremins was the first to get her walking papers. Initially, Motamed was expected to stay but only a month later she was out as well. She had added broader travel and lifestyle pieces to the Epicurious mix, while the higher-ups decided the site should stick to food.

Earlier in her career, Motamed worked as feature director of Travel & Leisure, a sister publication to Food & Wine when both were owned by American Express Publishing. Time Inc. managed AmEx’s publishing business for years before buying it outright in 2013.

Food & Wine reported a 1.4 drop in circulation, to 939,701, in the second half of 2015.

But Motamed’s biggest push is expected to be in areas beyond print to include food site FWx, a TV partnership with Bravo’s “Top Chef,” and event development such as the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.

“Nilou lives and breathes the Food & Wine lifestyle,” said Time Inc. chief content officer Norm Pearlstine. “She is incredibly well-connected with chefs, restaurateurs and leaders throughout the culinary and travel worlds.”