50 Most Powerful People in Food

The daily meal just released a list of America’s 50 most powerful people in food. You can view the slideshow and read the bios of the top 50 here.

There were six people on the list that I thought deserved special mention. I really wanted to just name five of them, but I couldn’t decide who to cut so six it is!

 50. The Family Farmer

This one seems like a pretty obvious important person on the list, but I thought s/he should get special mention. With the farmer’s market trend being so popular in California, we often take for granted the amazing high quality produce that is available (almost year round) out here. That being said, the second I move to San Francisco, I am going to join a CSA. It just seems SO fun to get a variety of seasonal produce delivered to you. It’s like a box of gifts that you can explore and eat- and let’s be serious – few things are better than edible gifts in my book.

49. Deb Perelman

I’ve been following Deb’s blog, Smitten Kitchen, for a long time. I am a HUGE fan of the detail in her recipes and I like that she doesn’t repost old recipes over and over. This is something a lot of bloggers (not naming names) do that drives me nuts; Yes, I did see your recipe for (blank) two months ago so posting it again under a slightly different title today is not very exciting. I like that Deb takes a lot of time to answer questions in her comments section and correspond with people who have trouble with her techniques. It’s awesome. I’m not a huge fan of the layout of her blog, but the content is so good that it doesn’t really matter much. I don’t actually personally have her cookbook, but from what I’ve seen it looks great! No surprise that she is on this list, but great to see a blogger get some recognition amongst award winning chefs.

44. Danny Meyer

Danny Meyer is like the end-all-be-all of great service & hospitality. I’m in the middle of reading his book Setting the Table : The Power of Hospitality in Restaurants, Business, and Life so I’ll report back more on his when I finish it.

41. Tom Colicchio

Bravo’s Top Chef is definitely one of my top three favorite television shows. I love him and his odd sense of humor. Though I’m still really angry about the chef (don’t worry no spoilers) that got sent home last week after restaurant wars. Regardless, he is a very talented chef and a good judge on the show. He really gives a lot of great feedback about the food he tries so viewers (aka people like me who dream of judging top chef) can feel like they’re sharing in the eating experience.

24. Michelle Obama

I just thought it was really great that she was included on this list. It’s nice to see a first lady take such proactive steps to support healthy living (and eating) and really take on the fight against childhood obesity.

18. Jose Andres

I really enjoyed my time at his restaurant Oyamel and have been to two of his Jaleo locations as well. Anyone who can make tapas or small plates upscale is great in my book. It’s SO much more fun to get to try ten different things over the course of dinner. Also, why I’m a huge fan of tasting menus.