America's Most Powerful People in Food

This article originally appeared at The Daily Meal
By Colman Andrews, Editor

When we revealed our ranked listing of "America's 50 Most Powerful People in Food," we invited readers to give us their own nominations — folks we didn't include but possibly should have. We tabulated the results of the many suggestions we received from comments on our own site and several others that ran the story and from our Twitter and Facebook pages.

It’s worth reiterating the guidelines that we set for ourselves while working on this project. One, the members of the list had to be based in the U.S. and major influencers of the American food-scape. That meant no Ferran Adrià, Gordon Ramsay, or Hu Jintao. Second, the people had to be living, non-fictional, and their effect on American diets had to highlight food, rather than beverage, thereby excluding Julia Child, Ruth Bourdain, and Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks.

Our disclaimer: This is not a roster of people we necessarily like or whose actions we necessarily approve of, i.e., this is not a list of our favorite people. These 50 are powerful in the food world for better or for worse, and for that reason we welcome our readers to examine and question why executives like Hugh Grant of Monsanto rank so highly.

Engaging in debate over who controls what we eat is of utmost importance to us, and it’s heartening that enough readers care about what’s on their plate to deliberate with such passion. With that, we reveal your picks for the most powerful people in food.

#4 Jacques Pépin, Chef (tie)

Renowned French chef whose work as a best-selling cookbook author and television show host has had a profound influence on the food industry over the past several decades. He currently presides as Dean of Special Programs at the French Culinary Institute and contributes a quarterly column for Food & Wine magazine.

#4 Alton Brown, TV Personality

Brown is an award-winning cookbook author, writer, and television producer, who is best known for his encyclopedia-like food knowledge. He can be seen all over Food Network, starring in Good Eats, or hosting Iron Chef America and The Next Iron Chef.

#3 Marion Nestle, Nutritionist and Educator

Nestle is a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University. She writes the Food Matters column for the San Francisco Chronicle and is the author of five books.

#2 Jamie Oliver, Chef-Restaurateur and TV Personality

Oliver has used his fame and success as a British chef and television personality to become an activist for the improvement of children's diets. In 2010, he was awarded the TED Prize for his contributions in this arena.

#1 Anthony Bourdain, Food Writer and TV Personality (tie)

Whether as a chef, author, and television personality, Anthony Bourdain is known for his edgy appeal. His show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations just wrapped up its 6th season.

Honorable mentions

Mike Adams
Lidia Bastianich
Rick Bayless
Bobo Bergstrom
Frank Bruni
Giuliano Bugialli
Laura Calder
T. Colin Campbell
David Chang (pictured)
Bill Clinton
Doug Conant
Ann Cooper
Dana Cowin
Giada De Laurentiis
Tom Douglas
Geoffrey Drummond
Judith Evans
Bobby Flay
Ina Garten
Bill Gates
"Grandma"
Gael Greene
Marcella Hazan
Ferd Hoefner
Arianna Huffington
Steve Jenkins

More honorable mentions

Farmer Lee Jones (pictured)
Emeril Lagasse
Padma Lakshmi
Howard Lyman
Tony May
Max McCalman
Kathleen Merrigan
Ferdinand Metz
"Mom"
Russ Morash
Eileen Opatut
Gordon Ramsay
Eric Ripert
Joshua Rosenthal
Michael Ruhlman
Tim Ryan
Joel Salatin
Merrill Shindler
Reese Schonfeld
Howard Schultz
Dr. Barry Sears
Nancy Silverton
Michele Simon
Steven Starr
Michael Symon
Gary Taubes
Gloria Tsang
S. Irene Virbila
Dr. Andrew Weil
Patricia Wells
Chuck Williams

Slideshow View

Comments

TomG

40947 44

I'm sure lots of people have a "what about _________?" Mine is Thomas Keller. Now on both coasts he is defining (and continuing to change the definition of) what restaurants can be: French Laundry, Per Se (the planning for which went into the planning for the Time Warner Center), Bouchon, and now Ad Hoc -- all very different. The fact that he is the only one, as far as I know, with two Michelin 3-star restaurants is a remarkable thing in itself.

Mar 28, 2011 at 2:20 PM
Bill-
Rohwer

221684 2

Surely you're kidding with this list. A list, perhaps, of phonies whose influence, if it exists, is negative. Congratulations!

Mar 28, 2011 at 4:36 PM
autoczar

299133 1

I am a staunch supporter of Jamie Oliver and admire his success for a cockney boy.
Being a former Brit. and continue to enjoy occasional British fayre french or ecuire ecosse influenced.????
Keep up the great work Jamie, what about some of the old bethanal green specials.!!!!

Mar 28, 2011 at 5:41 PM
foodwriter

808474 1

This has to be a joke! If it isn't, it's a sad statement. While there are some on the list whose influence has been admirable, there are other names that really have me scratching my head.

Mar 28, 2011 at 6:28 PM
Gerhard800

473908 20

What about Wolfgang Puck? The guy who brought fine European Cuisine to the US?

Mar 28, 2011 at 9:12 PM
vineaste

96718 6

No Michael Pollan or Alice Waters???? Good grief!

Mar 28, 2011 at 11:34 PM
Richardi

358577 1

I would have to agree. A list that doesn't include Michael Polan and Alice Waters,is no list at all.... I would include Mark Bittman and a local LA favourite Evan Kleiman, Ruth Reichl, Where are these people with their influence on how we eat?

Mar 28, 2011 at 11:56 PM
jaystergre-
en

596423 7

I thought the criteria said they had to be based in the states. So why is Jamie Oliver on this list, and at #2? Really?

Mar 29, 2011 at 1:43 AM
luthebe

209250 1

It's "Reader's Choice" you idiots.

Mar 29, 2011 at 1:51 AM
Bret Lewis

553604 159

Did you all even read the intro? It's a list of people who didn't make the initial cut put together by What's Cookin, not an overall top 5.

Mar 29, 2011 at 9:14 AM
Desia

720072 19

I do think you should have Wolfgang Puck, I have known him since he was at Mlle Fleur in Rancho Santa Fe as a Sous Chef and what he has done in this business is amazing and what he does for charity, come on who voted here? He is an American Icon. Thanks

Mar 29, 2011 at 11:40 AM
ma cherie

311458 1

Let's face it; I think the most influential thereby making them the powerful people in the food industry in America today are those on http://www.foodnetwork.com Rachel Ray, Paula Dean, Robert Irvine and many others like them. They have captured America's attention and more people than ever are getting in the kitchen and trying their hands at cooking foods they would have never considered before. Everyone I know watches Food Network.

Mar 29, 2011 at 12:08 PM
Desia

720072 19

I agree with you ma Cherie. I have been in the food business most of my life. I am from So. Africa and made it in the USA., lived the American dream for real, up and down and back up the ladder the hard way., without formal schooling , it can be done in the USA.. I love Robert Irvine.& Chef Ramsey. That is the world I worked in mission Impossibles, long before it was in, I was the original Hell's Kitchen, Logistic nightmares of Mission Impossible, before the world knew of these guy's, working Military Dining Facilities and one of the few women to ever make it in the Government world of mass feeding and all the crap that went with it. What you see in these two guy's is real, it really happens, but it is tame these days to the day's this old girl did it with the mouth to go with it, was not popular then, but I survived, the Real Mission Impossibles and Hell's Kitchen's, battle ships, America's Cup Races, ship to ship feeding and Guantanamo Bay , Korea, Hawaii, California, NY Jails, & Puerto Rico etc and INS feeding. God Bless the Food Net work for showing the world what real kitchens are like and the truly hard work that goes on behind the scenes. and I love both Chef Ramsey and my Sweet Classy Robert Irvine, I did not have food stylists. Mario & Rachel are great too. http;//www.foodnetwork.com, love you

Mar 29, 2011 at 12:48 PM
Malena-
Bosque-
Verde

748775 23

HELL'S KITCHEN??? NOT FOR ME, I HATE THAT SHOW, IT'S NOT REALY ABOUT FOOD, BUT ABOUT -----talk to me in my face, more show off than anything else... I prefer to go and cook in my kitchen instead of watching this "SHOW" The Hell with it!

Malena

Mar 31, 2011 at 8:11 PM