BROOKLINE, MA--(Marketwired - Nov 16, 2015) - The Board of Directors of Boston Common Press, the parent company of America's Test Kitchen, today announced that Christopher Kimball's employment with America's Test Kitchen is ending.

While Kimball's departure is immediate, he remains host for the 2016 seasons of the America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country television shows.

"Since its inception, Chris has been an important component of America's Test Kitchen, as the co-founder of the business. We made every effort to offer Chris a reasonable contract that reflected his significant contributions to the company and are disappointed that we could not reach agreement," said David Nussbaum, CEO of Boston Common Press. "We know this change will be a surprise to many, but we are confident that the ensemble cast, 50 test cooks, and support team for America's Test Kitchen will continue to offer our audiences the same high quality product going forward."

"America's Test Kitchen is comprised of a staff of over 180 individuals who are completely committed to the mission of providing rigorously tested recipes to support the home cook," Nussbaum added. "I think our fans will be excited to see the growth of our programming and particularly the elevation of our television personalities as they take on bigger and more integral roles. Our outstanding cast of experienced cooks -- many of whom are very familiar faces -- is already hard at work testing new recipes and equipment in preparation for our 2017 season."

America's Test Kitchen expects to announce a new multi-media program focused on the science of food and cooking in early 2016, building on the company's recent best-selling book, The Science of Good Cooking. In addition, America's Test Kitchen is investing heavily in the business and expects to add at least 25 new employees to its Brookline-based offices in the first quarter of next year. Most of the new hires will be in content, television production, and digital media.

"We are all grateful and impressed with what has been accomplished in recent years and are committed to building this business, through launching new shows, updating web sites, expanding online education programs, and adding more social interaction on the company's websites," said Eliot Wadsworth, a co-founder of the business, and currently a Director on the Boston Common Press Board of Directors.

This fall, the company appointed Nussbaum as its first CEO and promoted Jack Bishop to the role of Chief Creative Officer. In this new role, Bishop, a long-time editor at America's Test Kitchen, continues as an on-air personality and has broad responsibility for the creative strategy of the America's Test Kitchen television program, Cook's Illustrated magazine, Cook's Country magazine and television show, and America's Test Kitchen's digital and book content, as well as for new projects. The company also recently named a new Chief Digital Officer, Chief Financial Officer and a Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

America's Test Kitchen began with a single magazine title, Cook's Illustrated, which debuted in 1992. The America's Test Kitchen television show was launched in 2001, after which the company added Cook's Country magazine, a second television program, an online cooking school, three websites that offer recipes and online video, and a robust book program that publishes a dozen new titles a year, which regularly land on bestseller lists. Learn more at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/.