First Annual Game Changers List Spotlights the Most Exciting Innovators of the Year, From the Visionary Spearheading the Modern Vegan Dairy Movement to Activists Improving the Hospitality Industry to Companies Uncovering Remedies for Hangovers
(NEW YORK, NY, June 16, 2021) — Meredith Corporation‘s FOOD & WINE announces its first annual Game Changers list celebrating the people, products, organizations and movements that have had the most meaningful impact on the way we eat, drink and live right now. Selected by the editors, the FOOD & WINE Game Changers 2021 honorees have long done good work and are pushing the food world forward for the better. The full list is available at foodandwine.com/gamechangers and in the special July “Innovators Issue” of FOOD & WINE, on newsstands June 18.
FOOD & WINE Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis said, “We are thrilled to debut this first annual list and share the stories of so many inventive, creative, and forward-thinking people and organizations. Their innovations are creating positive changes by empowering home cooks with new tools and more sustainable products and by modeling more equitable workplaces and supporting local communities. These people and companies inspire us, and they also inspire future change makers to do great things.”
FOOD & WINE Game Changers 2021
- Ashtin Berry. This activist, sommelier, and bartender cofounded Radical XChange, where she leads workshops on diversity, safety, and inclusion in hospitality.
- Bryan Ford. This baker is breaking down bread barriers with the goal of upending the commonly held Eurocentric notion of sourdough baking.
- Carbon Steel Pans. With brands introducing affordable, design-forward, versatile carbon steel cookware for consumers, these pans are now making their way to home kitchens.
- ChowNow. With a business model that doesn’t gouge restaurants, this company is turning the table on third-party delivery apps.
- Community Fridges. These refrigerators have become vital sources of fresh, easily accessible foods in cities around the country.
- Culinary Travel Reinventions. Groundbreaking companies Prior, Modern Adventure and Traveling Spoon are changing travel by offering one-of-a-kind curated food experiences.
- Eric Rivera. A contrarian chef, Rivera has found success in refusing to run a traditional restaurant.
- Guy Fieri. This chef has raised millions of dollars for restaurant employees in need, and has done lots more good work under the radar in support of firefighters, first responders and anyone else in need of food.
- Hangover Helpers. SoBar and Käter Wingman are two clever products that help people drink smarter.
- I-Collective. This national network of chefs, farmers and activists is at the forefront of a movement to uphold Indigenous culinary knowledge and food sovereignty.
- Julia Bainbridge. Driven by the idea that going booze-free isn’t about doing without (her nonalcoholic cocktail recipes are extra in the best way possible), she has been a pivotal voice in normalizing not drinking alcohol.
- Masienda. This L.A.-based company sparked a masa movement in America while preserving the genetic diversity for this crucial crop.
- Miguel A. Torres. He is rallying the wine industry to fight climate change through his Bodegas Torres wineries and the organization International Wineries for Climate Action.
- Miyoko Schinner. At her creamery, she is transforming the world of vegan dairy with the goal of competing with the big companies in the dairy aisle.
- Next-Gen Condiments. These makers are pushing boundaries with their punchy sauces and pickles with a common goal of bringing quality and authenticity to the American market.
- No Us Without You. This nonprofit is supporting L.A.’s undocumented hospitality workers in a big way.
- Oishii. By figuring out how to create an indoor ecosystem not just for plants but also for bees and beneficial insects, this company produces a perfect strawberry year-round with no pesticides.
- Sahra Nguyen. Nguyen Coffee Supply is bringing single-origin Vietnamese coffee to as many cups as possible.
- Somekind Press. This Australian cookbook publisher is shifting who gets the money and thereby is creating a more fair, accessible, and sustainable publishing model.
- Sun Noodle. At the forefront of America’s ramen boom, the company creates 190 types of noodles for restaurants across the country.
- Superior Spices. The next generation of spice companies, Diaspora Co., Burlap & Barrel and Curio Spice Co. are delivering better tasting spices while supporting farmers and disrupting an outmoded industry.
- Sustainability Champions. Zero Foodprint, Imperfect Foods and Zero Grocery are building a greener future in the food world.
- Sustainable Chocolate. Alter Ego, Cru Chocolate and Askinosie Chocolate are ensuring a sustainable future for cocoa.
- Regenerative Organic Alliance. This organization is setting the standards for regenerative agriculture and empowering consumers to make more informed and truly sustainable food choices.
- The LEE Initiative. When COVID-19 hit, the organization kicked into high gear, keeping workers fed and empowering restaurants around the country to do the same for their staffs.
FOOD & WINE Restaurant Editor Khushbu Shah, who produced this first-annual feature, said, “It was truly rewarding to oversee this package which highlights so much of what’s good in the culinary industry and the impact that it can have far beyond food. This inaugural class of FOOD & WINE Game Changers is comprised of people and organizations that demonstrate such incredible creativity and leadership. It gives us so many reasons to be optimistic about what’s ahead. In a year when the food industry was challenged in monumental ways, these honorees showed us there is still a lot worth celebrating.”
Game Changer honoree Sahra Nguyen is featured on the cover of FOOD & WINE’s July issue.
About FOOD & WINE
FOOD & WINE is the ultimate authority on the best of what’s new in food, drink, travel, design, and entertaining. FOOD & WINE has an extensive social media following on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. FOOD & WINE includes a monthly magazine in print and digital; a website, foodandwine.com; a books division; plus newsletters, clubs, events, dinnerware, cookware, and more. At FOOD & WINE, we inspire and empower our wine- and food-obsessed community to eat, drink, entertain, and travel better—every day and everywhere. FOOD & WINE is part of Meredith Corp.’s (NYSE: MDP: Meredith.com) portfolio of best-in-class brands.
