San Francisco, CA (January 17, 2020) – The nation’s leading food crafters, grocers, chefs, journalists and activists gathered tonight at a gala Awards Ceremony in San Francisco to honor the 219 Good Food Award Winners of 2020. An annual recognition program now in its tenth year, the Good Food Awards celebrates American food and drink crafters who demonstrate a commitment to creating tasty, authentic and responsible products and in doing so, bettering our nation’s food system. Each of the 2020 winners demonstrates both a mastery of their craft and a commitment to maintaining exceptionally high social and environmental standards in their work.
This year, the Good Food Awards distinguished makers in sixteen categories (beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, cider, coffee, confections, elixirs, fish, grains honey, pantry, pickles, preserves, snacks, spirits). The 2020 winners come from 38 states, Washington, D.C. and Guam, rising to the top amongst 1,835 entries in a blind tasting with 252 judges held in September. The highest scoring entries were underwent a rigorous vetting process to verify they were not only exceptionally tasty, but met the sustainability and social responsibility criteria required to become a Good Food Award winner. Of the 219 winners selected from 320 finalists, 50% are first time winners. The greatest number of winners come from the Golden State (48), followed by Oregon (21), Washington (20) and New York (17). Following closely were Vermont, North Carolina and Colorado (11).
The gala Award Ceremony began with a glass of sparkling cider from winner Far West Cider and snack from Isadore Nut Co. and ended in an affirmation from Director Sarah Weiner of why, at this particular moment in time, the work of the 219 winners – each one a talented artisan, local business owner and sustainability advocate _ is so important:
“Each of you is a living example of something that is impossible to imagine for so many people. Leaving a corporate job to join a rural economy; transforming one’s body and life through a curiosity for real food; reinvigorating an entire coastal community with a delicious idea. The 219 stories in this room make the impossible feel possible. You show us it can be done. Open our minds. Help us grow our gardens. That is your legacy.”
The full list of 2020 Good Food Award Winners can be found here.
Organizers & Supporters:
The Good Food Awards are organized by the Good Food Foundation 501 (c) 3. The Presenting Sponsor is the Good Food Merchants Collaborative, comprised of 19 of the country’s top independently-owned retailers from Ann Arbor to Oakland to Sioux Falls, all of whom are committed to supporting America’s great food crafters. Joining them is a vibrant group of key supporters, including Premiere Sponsors Bi-Rite Family of Businesses, Williams Sonoma, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets and Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. Lead Sponsors Dominic Phillips Event Marketing, Veritable Vegetable, Ten Speed Press and Clarkson Potter also make the weekend possible.
Bi-Rite Market, Canyon Market, Cowgirl Creamery, Cured, Di Bruno Bros., Each Peach Market, Foragers Market, Glen's Garden Market, Good Earth Natural Foods, Goose the Market, Harmons Grocery, Look’s Marketplace, Market Hall Foods, Market of Choice, Palace Market, TASTE, Woodstock Farmers’ Market, World Foods Portland, Zingerman’s Family of Businesses
Media Contact Katherine Harris | 415.447.3268 | katherine@goodfoodfdn.org
