Modern chefs are far more than food creators; they are frontline climate leaders. At “Chefs Change the World,” a Climate Week NYC 2025 summit hosted by Food Tank and in partnership with the James Beard Foundation and Organic Valley, chefs, farmers, and hospitality leaders discussed how culinary professionals are reshaping food systems for a more climate-resilient future.
“Often we default to thinking about chefs through a narrow lens of people who feed us and delight us, but they’re diplomats, educators, and powerful changemakers,” says Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. “Chefs can shape the supply chain, they can change consumer behavior, and they can drive systemic change through policy.”
Watch the full livestreamed event on Food Tank’s YouTube channel.
While many chefs today are highly engaged in public discourse and activism, this wasn’t always the case.
“I grew up in an era before you knew the name of a chef. Chefs were not significant,” says Florence Fabricant, Food and Wine Writer at The New York Times. “There’s been a complete 180-degree turnaround…And these chefs are prompting the new food approach to quality and sustainability and so forth.”
Ruth Reichl, former Editor‑in‑Chief at Gourmet magazine and six‑time James Beard Award winner, credits young chefs in the 1970s with the American farmers’ market movement.
“Americans went to Europe, ate local food, came home, and asked, ‘why do our tomatoes have no flavor?’” says Reichl. “These young American chefs said, ‘we can grow this food here.’ The growth of the farmers’ market movement, I think it comes directly from people going to restaurants and saying, ‘we can get this food [at home too].’”
A series of chefs took to the stage to discuss what’s working to drive impact within each of their kitchens and communities.
“We’re not all saints here; we do have to make compromises and do what is best for the business ultimately, but we can be making more effort just to be more thoughtful about what we’re putting on that menu,” says Priyanka Naik, Chef, Author, and TV Host. “If it’s a cauliflower steak, what happens to the leaves or the core…Why not serve the whole vegetable?”
Rob Rubba, Chef at Oyster Oyster in Washington, D.C., invites chefs and eaters to imagine, “what else can food be?”
When Washington, D.C., stopped recycling glass, for example, Rubba bought a glass crusher for Oyster Oyster. Now, he crushes wine bottles and turns them into dinnerware. “It’s not just what’s on the plate; we can actually make plates,” says Rubba.
Geoffrey Kie, Indigenous chef and founder of Kie’s Pies, says his Indigenous roots are at the heart of a range of sustainable, regenerative practices—ones that others can learn from.
“It’s about being forward-thinking, thinking seven generations ahead,” says Kie. “I’m hoping our tribal leadership, state government, and federal government [realize], if you give opportunities to tribal communities, we can share a lot with the world.”
And Chef, TV Personality, and Author Eric Adjepong emphasizes the importance of sourcing directly from farmers—both within local communities and internationally, for culturally relevant ingredients: “It may cost extra, but to me it’s a dollar well spent.”
Panelists say that farmers are equally important as chefs in shaping a more resilient food system.
“Farmers can influence the types of food in restaurants and vice versa,” says Sheryll Durrant, Urban Farmer, Educator, Food‑Justice Leader, and Board President at Just Food and NYC New Roots. “One of the components of the work that we do is education…The food that we grow, we use it as a catalyst to teach people how to prepare food nutritiously and affordably for a family of four.”
And panelists agreed that it is more important than ever to build a connection between eaters and the farmers who grow their food.
“The disconnect between the consumer and farmer is wider than it’s ever been,” says Abbie Corse, sixth-generation organic dairy farmer at The Corse Farm Dairy in Whitingham, Vermont, and an Organic Valley farmer. “Especially in these times of extreme weather and immense challenges that we’re navigating on a day-to-day basis, the average person doesn’t know what it’s like to be on the farm and how to navigate those decisions. Storytelling is really important.”
Journalists like Fabricant and Reichl play a critical role in bridging this gap, says Anne McBride, VP of Programs at James Beard Foundation: “So much of action needs to come from messaging…Make sure we have these really urgent messages in a way that is palatable.”
“There’s only so many people you can reach by cooking for them. There’s so many more by writing for them,” says Melissa Clark, Food Writer, Cookbook Author, and Columnist at The New York Times.
Finally, Liz Neumark, Founder and CEO of Great Performances, advises those working in the culinary and hospitality industries not to forget about the power of connection. Especially as political divides become deeper in the United States and globally, listening to those who see the world differently is a powerful act.
“Right now, the biggest job for us is finding those moments of hope,” says Neumark. “We have to see other people, we have to listen to them.”
And, of course, food itself is a universal connector, says Samantha Sackin, VP of Marketing at Organic Valley. Food can serve as a vehicle for action throughout the day.
“It’s easy for all of us to rush around every day, but one action we can all take is to connect more over food,” says Sackin. “Sitting down and talking to someone from a different point of view over food can be a powerful way to slow down, experience food, and connect.”
