San Francisco, CA (November 14, 2016) – The Good Food Awards could not be more proud to announce the 291 Finalists of 2017, representing not just the best of America’s growing food movement, but the best of America. At a time when the values our country stands for are in question, they exemplify all that is right from coast to coast: our proud immigrant history, stewardship of a rich and fertile agricultural landscape, a spirit of innovation and the daily choice to balance personal gain with the well-being of the commons.
Representing 14 categories and 38 states, all Finalists rose to the top in a blind tasting of the 2,059 entries from nearly every state and passed a rigorous vetting to confirm they met specific Good Food Awards standards around environmentally sound agriculture practices, good animal husbandry, sourcing transparency and responsible relationships throughout the supply chain. Amongst their ranks are Nadia Hubbi in California, a Muhammara crafter keeping her Syrian family’s tradition alive; Nacxitl Gaxiola in Brooklyn, whose company was created to honor the traditional salsas, moles, escabechese and adobes of Mexico; Paul Lieggi in Oregon working with the fishermen and women of the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Yakima and Warm Springs tribes to source hoop caught Chinook Salmon for his aromatic hardwood smoked salmon; and Ann and Dan Trudel, a husband and wife farmer and preserver growing and pickling organic brussels sprouts in the heart of rural Ohio. These 291 Finalists – and the hundreds of farmers, ranchers, fishermen and colleagues they collaborate with – are actively building the sort of world we want to live in.
The 200 Good Food Award Winners will be announced Friday, January 20, 2017, at a gala Awards Ceremony at the historic Herbst Theater in the San Francisco War Memorial, on the same stage where the United Nations charter was signed, and will be followed by two more days of celebration. Medals will be bestowed by renowned chef and activist Alice Waters and organics pioneer Nell Newman, tipping their hats to these exceptional food producers. A reception with the winning food and drink will follow the ceremony, offering both regional ‘tasting plates’ and small bites created by local chefs. A limited number of tickets are available to join the Winners and their families at the ceremony and reception ($120 here).
On Saturday, January 21, the beautiful Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason Center will transform into the Good Food Mercantile, a one-of-a-kind, intimate ‘un-trade show’ where both Winners and members of the Good Food Merchants Guild – 400 exemplary food crafters meeting the same sustainability criteria – exhibit their wares to 600 industry buyers and media ($35 tickets, open only to the trade). The Good Food Awards Marketplace rounds out the weekend on Sunday, January 22 from 9 AM – 2 PM. Everyone from far and wide is invited to come meet the Winners, taste and buy their prize-worthy food and drink (including bottles of beer, cider and spirits not licensed for sale in California, but permitted for sale within the federally-owned historic landmark of Fort Mason Center). Proudly welcoming the Winners, and also selling to the public, will be the local farmers of the Fort Mason Center Farmers Market. Tickets to the Good Food Awards Marketplace are $5 and will be available in December online at goodfoodawards.org as well as at the door, with a limited number of $20 Early Access passes (with a welcome gift) for those keen to connect with the freshly minted Good Food Award Winners before the crowds arrive.
The Good Food Awards, organized by the Good Food Foundation 501 (c) 3, are proudly supported by the Good Food Retailers Collaborative, the Presenting Sponsor for three years running. Composed of 21 of the country’s top independently owned retailers from Austin to Oakland to Salt Lake City, they are committed to supporting America’s great food producers in their own communities and across the country and include: Antonelli’s Cheese Shop, Bi-Rite Market, The Brooklyn Kitchen, Canyon Market, Cooks of Crocus Hill, Cowgirl Creamery, Di Bruno Bros., Each Peach Market, Foragers Market, Glen’s Garden Market, The Greene Grape, Healdsburg SHED, JM Stock Provisions, Liberty Heights Fresh, Look’s Market, Market Hall Foods, Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine, TASTE, Washington’s Green Grocer, Woodstock Farmers’ Market, and Zingerman’s Family of Businesses. Joining them is a vibrant group of key supporters, including Premier Sponsors Williams-Sonoma, Bi-Rite Market and Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture; and Lead Sponsors Dominic Phillips Event Marketing, Impact HUB Bay Area, Veritable Vegetable and BCV Architects.
Click here for event details and tickets, a full list of Finalists below.
GOOD FOOD AWARDS 2017 HONEY FINALISTS
Akaka Falls Farm, Lehua Honey, Hawaii
Ann’s Raspberry Farm/Voracious Honey, Raspberry Blossom, Ohio
Apoidea Apiary, Allegheny Spring Blossom Honey, Pennsylvania
Bear Creek Organic Farm, Boyne Honey, Michigan
Bee Wild, 100% Pure and Raw Sourwood Honey, Georgia
Bee’s Needs, Marvelous May, New York
Bloom Honey, Avocado Honey & Sage Honey, California
C&C Orchards, Wildflower Honey, Massachusetts
Crusher Honey, Crusher Honey, Illinois
Gold Star Honeybees, Gold Star Honeycomb, Maine
Hall’s Honey, Raw Extracted Honey, Nevada
Highland Honey, Fermented Turmeric In Creamed Honey, Colorado
Island Bee Company, Clethra Honey, Massachusetts
Mad Urban Bees, Urban Honey, Wisconsin
Miss Bee Haven Honey, Honey Comb, California
MtnHoney, Spring Wildflower, Georgia
Old Blue Natural Resources, Harlan: Bigleaf Maple & Harlan: Wild Blackberry, Oregon
Olympic Wilderness Apiary, Fireweed Honey, Washington
Playflight Honey, Kelsey Creek Spring Raw Honey, California
San Francisco Bee-Cause, Bee Farm Honey, California
Sequim Bee Farm, Lavender Honey & Saffron Spun Honey & Blackberry-Infused Honey, Washington
Simmons Family Honey, Wildflower Honey, Georgia
Tewksbury Honey, Spring Harvest, Massachusetts
Two Hives Honey, Zilker Comb, Texas
Williams Honey Farm, Wildflower Honey, Tennessee
About the Good Food Awards
The Good Food Awards celebrate the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic and responsible. The Good Food Awards Seal, found on winning products, assures consumers they have found something exceptionally delicious that also supports sustainability and social good.
Find out more at: www.goodfoodawards.org
About the Organizers
The Good Food Foundation 501 (c) 3 organizes the Awards in collaboration with a broad community of food producers, activists and passionate food-lovers. It is led by Sarah Weiner and Dominic Phillips, who have united their diverse skills to support the Good FoodMovement.
