Inside the chaos response to Meghan Markle’s jampire

Let her eat cake, and sell jam, and towels, and a cooking show, and… [View on web]( [A photo of chef Meghan Markle]( Gary Miller/Getty Images It was the jam announcement heard around the world. Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is rolling out her own jam line as part of the launch of her lifestyle business and an overarching professional rebrand. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the announcement of her jam empire (jampire?) was quickly met with media chaos, which seems to follow Royal Family members like a clingy shadow. Markle’s new celebrity lifestyle brand has been dissected in the media and [in comment threads on social platforms]( for weeks since it debuted in mid-March via a hyper-stylized Instagram account. [American Riviera Orchard](, a brand name meant to evoke the duke and duchess’s adopted home of Montecito, California, [has been analyzed]( (and, in some cases, gently [mocked]() as if the 22 letters themselves could unscramble to reveal all of its secrets. Markle’s [trademark application]( actually gives the rundown of what the brand is all about, noting that it will include tableware, cookbooks, tea and coffee goods, [jellies, jams](, and other cooking and retail products. While there are similarities between this inventory and the offerings at a typical [shoppy shop](, there’s one major distinction: Rather than focusing on hyper-local sales, Markle’s wares will be available to buy en masse once the American Riviera Orchard online store formally opens. Cue the discourse. In an Eater story, Amy McCarthy suggested that Markle was [returning to her “lifestyle maven throne,”]( alluding to the duchess’s former lifestyle website and side hustle: a blog called the Tig, where she documented her travels, favorite products, and recipes. A New York Times report unsubtly [commented on the timing of the announcement](, which came amid frenzied speculation about whether Markle’s estranged sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, was missing or in hiding. (The Princess of Wales later revealed in an Instagram video post that she was undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.) A month later, the Cut [declared that the “Royal jam wars” were underway](: [King Charles’ Highgrove preserves]( seem to be sold out, a fact fueling tabloid speculation that Markle’s line was driving interest toward similar products hawked by other members of the British Royal Family. (As [Vulture]( noted, the Buckingham Palace gift shop is leaning into it, even posting Instagram reels of its own strawberry preserves this week.) In April, [Deadline]( revealed that Markle would also be [producing a cooking-focused series](, further solidifying her place in the Montecito-to-Martha Stewart pipeline, and, as McCarthy says, positioning her to make the “ultimate relatability grab.” All of this comes during a moment when Instagram and TikTok are teeming with [so-called tradwives]( churning their own butter, macerating homegrown fruits for preserves, or facetiously making egg carton coloring book paper for a credulous audience. Markle is neither chef nor tradwife, however: she’s a sophic businesswoman taking her [cooking and baking abilities]( to a platform that can easily reach millions — which brings us back to jam. Early reviews for Markle’s first, extremely limited jam sampling are trickling in: Chrissy Teigen said the jam, which has only been [released]( to Markle’s friends and family, was “one of the best bites” she’s had all year in an April 24 [Instagram reel]( (set, of course, to “Jamming” by Bob Marley & The Wailers). Kris Jenner showed her sample this week in an Instagram Stories slide, the jar bedded in a basket of plump lemons possibly plucked from Meghan’s own Montecito garden. There are only 50 of these jam jars available in the world right now, driving even more fervor around its coverage, much of it highly skeptical. In an age when celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Kourtney Kardashian can launch lifestyle brands with monikers that are just weird onomatopoeia and vagina-scented candles without causing a volcanic media eruption, I do wonder why Markle can’t have her jam and sell it, too. Of course, the timing of the news amid #kategate, Markle’s status as an American member of the British Royal Family, as well as her other deviations from standard celebrity may all inform the chaos response. Still, the curdling criticism of her brand and business choices are exhausting, and clearly fanned by the same tabloid press that continues to churn deeply racist, sexist, and misinformed stories about the duchess, her business pursuits, and her family. Ultimately, the recent moves seem less like a stunt and more like a natural next phase for Markle, an avid home cook, baker, and gardener. And it’s unlikely that it won’t be at least somewhat successful — given the level of interest involved, bad faith or not, and the iterative PR strategies that Meghan’s team seems to be building in as safeguards for it. Let her have this one, and maybe you’ll one day find yourself with an ARO-emblazoned jam jar on your doorstep, too. But unlike Markle’s friends, you’ll have probably paid for it. —Nicole Adlman, Eater cities manager   Other things to read this weekend: - For Punch, Eater’s Jaya Saxena looks at how [Indian bars and bartenders are reclaiming the gin and tonic](, a remnant of the country’s past under colonialism. - Willkommen to Berlin: Eater updates its guide to the [city’s 38 best restaurants](. - Eater New York’s Melissa McCart explores why shrimp sourced from New York harbors is becoming a [status ingredient](. - Why some of the best new restaurants in Portland are [actually bars](, from Eater Portland’s Brooke Jackson-Glidden. - A new, irreverent [Austin restaurant]( plays with the idea of what American Chinese cuisine can be, writes Eater Austin editor Nadia Chaudhury.   [WATCH: HOW A MASTER CHEF’S BROOKLYN RESTAURANT EARNED A MICHELIN STAR IN ITS FIRST YEAR]( Gif: Daniel Geneen/Murilo Ferreira/Jay Simms/Lucy Morales Carlisle The Eater Video team has won a [2024 Webby award]( for an episode of its Mise en Place series covering Clover Hill, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Brooklyn Heights. The team was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy. Get a taste of the award-winning and -nominated series above. If you like this email, please forward it to a friend. If you aren't signed up for this newsletter, you can [do so right here](.    [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=today). View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 11, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.