Robert McCullough, who created the Appetite imprint focused exclusively on food and lifestyle publishing within what was then Random House Canada, is set to retire after 15 years with the company.

McCullough, who joined Random House Canada in July 2011 with the mandate of building a new food- and lifestyle-focused publishing program after more than two decades of experience at Whitecap Books, launched Appetite in his hometown of Vancouver. Over the years, the imprint has grown to include more than 250 authors and more than 300 titles – 49 of them Globe & Mail bestsellers and 36 of them acknowledged by the annual Taste Canada awards.

McCullough will be retiring at the end of this year, Penguin Random House Canada CEO Kristin Cochrane announced last week.

“Robert’s career has been defined by an ability to recognize talent, understand audiences, and see possibilities for books that others might overlook,” Cochrane said in a press release. “His influence can be found not only in the books he has published, but in the authors and colleagues whose careers he has helped shape and in the publishing program he built from the ground up.”

Lindsay Paterson, who was McCullough’s first hire at Appetite and has been there since October 2011, will take over as publisher at Appetite as of Jan. 1, 2027. Paterson has held the role of editorial director at Appetite since 2021, and has worked with longtime Appetite authors including Anna Olson, Ricardo Larrivée, and Jamie Oliver. As publisher, Paterson will oversee the imprint’s list and team and continue to acquire and edit titles. She will report to Cochrane.