The Top 50 Women In Food

Gourmet Live, the iPad app that keeps Gourmet magazine's name alive, recently released a list of the "50 Women Game-Changers." For those that don't own an iPad, the full list can still be viewed on the Gourmet Live website.

Author Kate Sekules argues, "it’s women who may have exerted the most influence over our foodways" and she lists foodie females that include cookbook authors, food bloggers, bakers, chefs, TV personalities and everything in between.

It comes as no surprise that Julia Child received the coveted number one spot, with Alice Waters and Fannie Farmer rounding out the top three.

The "new guard" of females such as blogger/Pioneer woman Ree Drummond (21) and Foodspotting founders Soraya Darabi and Alexa Andrzejewski (49) are mixed in with old guard women such as cookbook author Elizabeth David (14) and Southern food expert Edna Lewis (36).

Being among such a list of women is quite a feat, but Gael Greene (46) wasn't thrilled with her ranking or the description of her accomplishments. She tweeted the following:

In honor of Julia Child's number one spot, see the video of Julia making an omelette below.

Comments

[rjallen71]

06:13 PM on 05/24/2011

Hmm...I don't know about this list...Julia Child definitely deserves the numero uno spot.

I have been a follower of food for awhile, and some of the names on here, certainly doesn't merit even the top 100...

So who's missing here? Oh yeah...

Dorie Greenspan
Lynne Rosetto Kasper
Grace Young
Eileen Yin Fe Loh

And some names on this list needs to be rearranged a bit...

Like who should be on the top 10:

Julia Child
Lidia Bastianich
Madhur Jaffrey
Judith Jones
Edna Lewis
Irma Rombauer
Fannie Farmer
Eileen Yin Fe Loh

[tyrant510]

12:24 AM on 05/25/2011

you are seriously undervaluing alice waters' contribution. she pioneered the use of fresh, local, seasonal ingredients in american restaurants that is de rigueur today. 'from farm to table' is alice waters. healthy eating in schools is alice waters. she deserves number two.

[raker]

09:20 AM on 05/25/2011

Julia, Lidia, Marcella, all the cooking icons specialized in home cooking. They produced books and TV shows that taught us how to cook well and eat well. I think Alice Waters's impact was on the way we think about food and on transforming restaurant cooking, but not directly on home cooking. But since Alice Waters influenced all the food experts who followed her, the ones who delivered the gospel to us home cooks, she's probably had the widest impact, though indirectly.

[rjallen71]

06:07 PM on 05/25/2011

Ooops, I knew I forgot someone! LOL

[kareemachan]

01:15 PM on 05/26/2011

MFK Fisher deserves her spot. If you've never read her books, you're in for a treat.

[DavidMG]

04:17 PM on 05/26/2011

You are right. She was also a fan of Nikki Goldbeck who should be on the list.

[ohjodi]

05:09 PM on 05/24/2011

I love Edna Lewis so much.

[captainspirou]

04:25 PM on 05/24/2011

This list is way too heavily biased towards American women. At first I thought it was exclusively American but I saw Elena Arzak and Nigella Lawson. Julia Child is definitely a correct pick for #1 but only if it's an American list. People in France barely know her. This list could be done a lot better.

[kareemachan]

01:18 PM on 05/26/2011

Elizabeth David is English.

[romigua]

03:45 PM on 05/24/2011

Rachel Ray? C'mon!

[psmarc93]

01:35 PM on 05/24/2011

Puhleeze! Betty Crocker, Marie Callendar, Sara Lee... who are the names on this "list?"

[Rubberbiscuit]

11:19 AM on 05/24/2011

Ree Drummond made the list, but Dorie Greenspan didn't? I like Ree, but I wouldn't think of her as a top 50.

[wosnes]

07:18 PM on 05/25/2011

I wouldn't put her in the Top 100!

[Jamie Schler]

07:10 AM on 05/26/2011

She shouldn't be anywhere near this list! Boxed cake mixes and canned frosting? Recipes for buttered toast? I have trouble seeing what, if anything, she has done for food. Especially compared to some of the amazing, innovative, creative and passionate women on this list (and some who are not).

[wm1]

10:59 AM on 05/24/2011

Unless you have Kathy Fitzhenry, of Juliet Mae Spices on the list you are incomplete. She knows more about how to flavor food than a pile of those listed.

[butchcliff]

07:39 AM on 05/24/2011

Julia..Irma..Fanny (Only cookbooks I've ever used) Obviously Fave top 3
Rachel Ray at 13? doesn't warrant that high rating

[kareemachan]

01:16 PM on 05/26/2011

Totally agree.

[McHale Ann Haiman]

05:59 AM on 05/24/2011

Well, Gael seems bitter for no reason IMO, she is still on the list. Sure, she isn't number one, but Julia really brought food to the people, Gael is a critic...

[shanghaislim]

03:01 AM on 05/24/2011

Ｐｒｅｔｔｙ　Ｌｏｕｓｙ　Ｌｉｓｔ．

Ｗｈｅｒｅ　ａｒｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｒｅａｌ　ｃｕｌｉｎａｒｙ　ａｒｔｉｓｔｓ　ｉｎ　ＦＯＯＤ？　

Ｔｏｏ　ｍａｎｙ　ｐｅｒｉｐｈｅｒａｌ　ｐｅｏｐｌｅ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅｒｅ？

[JScott]

02:22 AM on 05/24/2011

What? No Ruth Bourdain?

[Cleverboots]

11:41 PM on 05/23/2011

Putting Rachel Ray in a list along with Julia Child and Alice Waters raises Ray's status to undeserved heights. Ray isn't a great cook. She's a great chatterbox.

[raker]

06:57 AM on 05/24/2011

Rachel Ray, but not Madeleine Kamman? It ain't right.

[Cleverboots]

09:35 AM on 05/24/2011

F&F

[Finnegans Wake]

09:42 AM on 05/24/2011

What have you got against yummo sammies?!?

[Cleverboots]

10:05 AM on 05/24/2011

Nothing. I just think Raches's apporoach is laughable.

[bratcat]

10:37 PM on 05/23/2011

you can't have a list of the top women in food and not mention the chick I took home from a bar last night who woke up me up this morning with the smell of waffles and pancakes. I mean, c'mon.

[Pleroma]

12:06 AM on 05/24/2011

chick?
Ewwww.

[PalaceOfWisdom]

11:34 AM on 05/24/2011

I instantly think of Fonzie whenever I hear that term. Which is worse, men who use it, or women who reward such men?

[wm1]

01:27 PM on 05/24/2011

Bar pick-up?
Ewwww.

[psmarc93]

01:33 PM on 05/24/2011

waffles AND pancakes? Ewwww

[raker]

07:12 PM on 05/23/2011

I'll suppress my inner Anthony Bourdain and only state a positive reaction: I'm glad Judith Jones was rated highly. I think it's her "voice" that distinguishes those classic cookbooks. I read Irene Kuo's "The Key to Chinese Cooking" and it made me chuckle because it "sounded" like Julia Child.

[mguyross]

06:50 PM on 05/23/2011

This list is based on visibility, not on changing the game. Frieda Caplan introduced more ingredients used by modern 'American' chefs than any one else; yet she seems to remain anonymous. :

Frieda Caplan founded her company "Frieda's" in 1962. "Frieda's" is the first wholesale produce company in the U.S. to be founded, owned, and operated by a woman -- and remains a family-owned and operated business today. Frieda Caplan is founder and Chairman of the Board, while her daughters Karen and Jackie serve as President/CEO and Vice President, respectively.
Frieda's has introduced such table-staples as Kiwifruit, Brown Mushrooms, Alfalfa Sprouts, Spaghetti Squash, Jicama, Shallots, Mangos, Donut® Peaches and a wide variety of Latin and Asian specialties. Visit her website at: www.friedas.com