Call For Pitches: Steak Zine

And now…something completely different. After spending three years and seven issues exploring the pastry case, Cake Zine is going rogue with a special “medium-rare” issue: Steak Zine.

It’s a one-off magazine questioning the cultural impact of red meat and the classic steak house—iconic sides and desserts, white tablecloths, old school hospitality from even older waiters, grilling-based masculinity and the aprons that sell it, lab-grown meat and climate outrage. We’re interested in stories that take on steak expansively. Think: beefy drama, the various forms of red meat from jerky, tartare, to tallow and chicken-fried, the protein industrial complex. 

Despite being far from dessert, Steak Zine will remain grounded in Cake Zine’s commitment to exploring contemporary food culture in unexpected contexts—be it personal, humorous, historical, or esoteric.

Still, Steak Zine has different scope and requirements than Cake Zine’s previous issues:

  • We are specifically looking for imaginative and unexpected non-fiction stories somehow exploring steak culture.

  • We are not accepting fiction or poetry for this issue, we are also not accepting stand-alone visual art or recipes. 

  • Instead, we are accepting portfolio submissions from recipe developers and visual artists that will be paired with editorial content in the issue. 

If you’re more of a dessert person, don’t fret: We’ll be back with more sweet themes in 2026.

Are you a brand that wants to partner with us? Email: hellocakezine@gmail.com 

Essential details

Written pitches for Steak Zine are due by 9 a.m. EST on October 15th.

Visual contributor submissions are due by 9 a.m. EST on October 22nd. 

We are a small print publication with very limited space and a very high pitch volume—unfortunately, we are no longer able to respond to every pitch we receive. Confirmed or accepted pitches will be contacted by November 15th. We prioritize adherence to and subversion of theme—ie, an unexpected but clearly connected take on “Steak Zine.”  

We have a rigorous editorial process with multiple rounds of revision over several weeks. Steak Zine will be released in Spring 2026. 

Types of writing we’re looking for:

We’re interested in publishing thoughtful, unexpected explorations of steak and steakhouses that are rooted in historic or contemporary contexts.

Formats include:

  • Historical deep dives that pair solid research/reporting with a critical eye 

  • Personal essays, especially ones rooted in an unexpected POV or expertise (butchers, lab-grown meat techs, steakhouse waiters and bartenders)

  • Cultural criticism (literature, film, art, and pop culture) 

  • Unexpected interviews (such as a conversation with a long-running steakhouse waiter or diner)

  • Short lists, taxonomies, etc 

You are welcome to pitch us on any of the themes explicitly outlined in this pitch call’s introduction, or anything else you think might be a good fit.

Types of visual contributions we’re looking for: 

If you would like to be commissioned to create art to accompany an accepted pitch, please get in touch. While we welcome all visual mediums that we can print, we have a particular preference for illustration and painting. 

Rates

We pay creators. We’re a small, independent publication with flat rates based on length. All commissioned contributors will receive a copy of Steak Zine. 

Shorter pieces (350 words or less), poems, and recipes: $125-$175 

Mid-length (500 to 1K words): $200 

Longform (2K words - plus or minus): $300 

Visual art: Rate based on commission

Instructions & What to Include 

Written pitches for Steak Zine are due by 9 a.m. EST on October 15. Visual contributor portfolio submissions are due by 9 a.m. EST on October 22. 

Send all pitch emails to hellocakezine@gmail.com with “WRITING PITCH — Last Name” or “VISUALS PITCH — Last Name” in the subject line.

For all types of content:

Please tell us about yourself and provide a few links to relevant work that demonstrates your style, voice, and tone, whether in a major publication or personal blog. We are committed to publishing burgeoning voices and care more about your talent and ideas than your resume. We also prioritize work by and centering BIPOC, women, and queer people. Please include the entire pitch in the body of your email. If you are pitching multiple pieces please include them in the same email. 

For Non-Fiction:

Include a sample headline (to demonstrate the angle) and estimated word count. Provide a few sentences about your story idea. It’s not enough to share a topic—what is your take on the topic? How does it advance, complicate, or expand what we know or how we think about the subject of your piece? Feel like you have the silhouette of a piece, but don’t feel like you’ve fully nailed the crux of it yet? Feel free to include some reference links to articles/media/content that capture the approach you’re hoping to take and an explanation of how you’ll make it your own. For reported pieces, provide a few sample sources. 

For Illustration and Visual contributors

Please link to a website, Instagram, or portfolio with work samples. If you don't have work online to share, attach 3-6 images to your email. Either as individual image files (no bigger than 3 MB each) or a single pdf (no bigger than 15 MB).