Food & Wine released its list of 17 Game Changers, which recognizes individuals and companies changing the future of cooking, dining, and drinking.
Among this year’s honorees are Rupa Bhattacharya and Chef Roshara Sanders of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). There, Bhatacharya, who serves as the Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives and Industry Leadership and Sanders, the CIA’s first Black woman Culinary Professor, are working to drive institutional change. With updates to the culinary curricula, they are encouraging a shift in “the way diversity is seen,” Bhattacharya says.
Chef Erick Williams is another 2024 Game Changer, recognized for his work to inspire Black entrepreneurs and champion community development. The chef, who is behind several restaurants, has been working to restore Bronzeville on the South Side of Chicago. The predominantly Black neighborhood was once a hub for the city.
“I have a son; I want him to be able to walk down the street and see Black people thrive,” Williams says. “Restaurants have a shelf life. It’s hard to have equity if you don’t have a stake in the community. So, I choose to build.”
Food & Wine’s 2024 list also includes mixologist Tiffanie Barriere, coffee chain Bitty & Beau’s, restaurant group Hand Hospitality, and culinary services company Brigaid.
“Innovation is a thread that connects the past to the future, and in our annual July Innovators Issue, we celebrate the people, places, ingredients, and tools shaping the future of cuisine in America,” says Hunter Lewis, Food & Wine’s Editor-in-Chief. All of them, he says, “are changing the ways we eat and drink for the better.”
Read about all 17 Game Changers here.
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Photo courtesy of Caroline Attwood, Unsplash
