On the morning of Friday, September 26, Food Tank will host the “Chefs Change the World” summit during Climate Week NYC, in partnership with The James Beard Foundation and Organic Valley. The invitation-only event will gather chefs, food workers, producers, and advocates to explore how the restaurant and hospitality industries are advancing sustainability, justice, and climate resilience.
“Chefs are on the frontlines of climate every day, sourcing from farmers, shaping what diners eat, and influencing how communities understand food. Their voices carry far beyond the plate,” says Anne E. McBride, Vice President of Impact at the James Beard Foundation. “That’s why bringing chefs into the climate conversation isn’t optional. It’s essential if we want real solutions that resonate with both policymakers and the public.”
“Independent restaurants alone employ nearly 4 million workers, generate US$75 billion in wages, and bring in more than US$209 billion in revenue, all while operating on the slimmest of margins. Climate change is already disrupting supply chains and driving up costs, threatening the survival of these businesses and the communities they sustain. Chefs’ leadership can help ensure that survival becomes resilience and growth,” says McBride.
Panel discussions will range from “Hearing Directly From Chefs” to “From Soil to City: Farmers, Chefs, and Food Justice,” exploring how chefs have the power to shape not only what we eat but also how we reimagine the future of food.
Held in the Greene Space at WNYC-NPR Studios, the event will feature breakfast at 9am and programming from 9:30am to 12:20pm, followed by lunch.
Confirmed speakers, moderators, and performers include Ruth Reichl, food writer and editor; former restaurant critic (Los Angeles Times and The New York Times), Editor‑in‑Chief at Gourmet magazine, and six‑time James Beard Award winner; Florence Fabricant, food and wine writer, The New York Times; Eric Adjepong, chef, television personality, and author best known for his standout appearances on Top Chef and as the host of shows on Food Network and HGTV; Priya Krishna, Journalist, The New York Times; Clare Reichenbach, CEO, James Beard Foundation; Sheryll Durrant, urban farmer, educator, and food-justice leader; Board President, Just Food and NYC New Roots; Melissa Clark, food writer, cookbook author, and New York Times columnist; Miguel Guerra, Chef at Mita, committed to celebrating Mexican culinary traditions while advancing sustainable and community-rooted food systems; Joshua McFadden, James Beard Award–winning chef and restaurateur known for seasonal cooking and sustainable food practices; Priyanka Naik, Food Network champion and sustainability advocate known for her globally inspired cooking; Anne McBride, Vice President of Programs, James Beard Foundation; Geoffrey Kie, Indigenous chef and founder of Kie’s Pies from the Pueblo of Laguna; Samantha Sackin, Organic Valley; Rob Rubba, Chef & Co-Owner, Oyster Oyster; Abbie Corse, sixth-generation organic dairy farmer at The Corse Farm Dairy in Whitingham, Vermont; and Ingrid Hoffmann, chef and host of Top Chef Estrellas (Telemundo/NBC), Simply Delicioso (Cooking Channel), and Delicioso (Univision), and Advisor to “The Humans Who Feed Us.”
“Chefs Change the World” will include a special musical performance by Brandon Burks, currently performing in the Broadway revival of Gypsy, alongside fellow vocal group Penthouse IV members James Caleb Grice, whose credits include the national tours of The Prom and Aladdin and the 2025 Off-Broadway revival of Heathers: The Musical; Mel Haygood, who has performed in Legally Blonde: The Musical at Stumptown Stages and in cabaret shows at 54 Below in New York; and Brandon J. Large, who appeared on Broadway in The Great Gatsby (2024) and in the national tours of The Prom and Aladdin. They will be accompanied on piano by Adam Cole Klepper, Associate Music Director, Associate Conductor, and pianist for the Broadway revival of Gypsy.
This summit will be streamed live on FoodTank.com and Food Tank’s YouTube Channel, here. Join the Food Tank newsletter list for reminders, and click here for Food Tank’s full lineup of events at Climate Week NYC 2025.
