The past few years have witnessed a wealth of culinary innovation from a revitalization of local cuisine to the transformation of bacon from breakfast food to an essential at every meal. In 2013, we continued to see changes in how we eat as more people chose to cook, consumers demanded healthier choices, food became hyperlocal and we found new ways to enjoy the same old meals. Still, among the great eaters, chefs, writers and food philosophers, these few stand out as perhaps the most influential of the year.
It's a little cliché to put these two men on a list of influential cooks, especially since the focus is supposed to be cooks who changed the way we think about food in 2013. How to Cook Everything and The Omnivore's Dilemma (Bittman's and Pollan's books, respectively) came out years ago. However, every day these men continue find new ways to teach us to love food, cook well, eat healthy and care for our food and the world. So, just because they started years ago, doesn't mean they're not important today.
Oliver is another chef who began his food quest before 2013, but continues to change minds about food. Oliver's personal quest is getting processed, unhealthy foods out of school lunch programs. To this end, he has been traveling the world, showing how nutritious meals can be bought and served on a school cafeteria's budget. It's a not a change he can bring overnight, but he's well on his way.
Chef John Besh is an amazing chef and a much, much better human being. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, he kept a lot of food talent in New Orleans and has helped revitalize the area's food industry (and, in doing so, its culture and tourism). After an oil spill along the Gulf of Mexico endangered sea life throughout the area, Besh again acted to make sure chefs knew where to find good, American shrimp, which keeps the food supply safer and the region's fisheries in business.
An uplifting story, Ha won Master Chef Season 3, which is no mean feat by itself. However, what has made her such an inspiration is that she did it and she is legally blind. Able to compete with only the barest of help from an assistant, she overpowered the competition and now tours the country promoting her cookbook. While her Asian-influenced comfort food is delicious, her greatest contribution to food is showing that good cooking comes from the heart and that anyone can overcome obstacles to make a great meal.
Chef Ansel is the inventor of 2013's "it" food: the cronut. Part croissant, part doughnut, part frosting, it's everything you need for a heart attack on a plate. It also happens to have diners lining up around the corner near Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York's SoHo district. This award-winning pastry chef will also have a cookbook out in 2014 (which you can preorder now), which may land him on this list next year.
Unless you're from San Francisco, you've likely not heard of Darren MacLean of Downtownfood. If you're a fan of Top Chef, then you probably remember Season 1 winner Harold Dieterle of The Marrow. Whether you know them or not, both of these men are two faces on the trend of keeping food very local, very fresh and very sustainable, sometimes called hyperlocal cuisine. At MacLean's restaurant, he only serves food grown within 30 miles, which includes a bounty from his rooftop garden. On the other hand, Dieterle sometimes employs foraging for ingredients. He will go out and find wild foods and put them on his menu.
Paula Deen's name has been synonymous with controversy for the past several years. However, before allegations of misconduct and racism arose, the queen of butter lost more than 40 pounds and showed the positive effect healthy choices can make after a diabetes diagnosis. For better or worse, she's also taught us that no matter our celebrity status or skill at the stove, sometimes there's more to life.
That's right. You deserve a round of applause for what you are doing with food. Interest in home cooking and recipe sharing via sites like Facebook and Pinterest is at an all-time high. It's definitely possible that in the coming years you and your friends will lead the next food revolution. Here's to hoping it's as healthy as Jamie Oliver's no-processed-food meals and as delicious as a cronut with extra icing!
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