The Gods of Food

Man doesn’t live by Bread alone, and while this pantheon of providers is human, they do more than sate hunger. Today’s masters of haute cuisine don’t cater only to the 1%: their impact is felt even by those who would never eat a Michelin-starred meal. They are thought leaders and advocates, who not only prepare extraordinary meals but also tell us why we may be doing good for the planet by eating well. Other influencers are less well known but no less powerful: farmers, activists, bureaucrats and businessmen who help determine what goes on your plate or in your cup. Here is TIME’s selection of people who will likely be at your dining table tonight — even if you didn’t invite them.

WHY SMITHFIELD IS GOING TO CHINA
Wan Long is buying the U.S. company to help allay the safety fears of his country’s consumers

THE CHURCH AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA
The late Rev. Sun Myung Moon may be behind your next order of sushi

AGAINST THE GRAIN
Chef Dan Barber is going to seeds to improve what goes from farm to table

NEXT MEAL, FROM JERUSALEM
Pomegranates are essential to the cuisine of Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

BREW MY COFFEE BY HAND, PLEASE
Aida Batlle and the rise of the single-origin-coffee movement

DUCK AND COVER
David Chang has duck ramen among the various offerings of his global food empire