--- description: In a months-long collaboration, Fortune and Food & Wine considered hundreds of extraordinary women to find those who have had the most transformative impact in the past year. Here are five of the inspiring winners; read the full list here title: The Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Living](/tag/time-section-living/) ## Living Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 4, 2014 9:28 PM CUT by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 4, 2014 9:28 PM CUT ### 1\. Ertharin Cousin, The United Nations World Food Programme  Ertharin Cousin (r), executive director of the World Food programme poses with a child on March 18, 2013 at a displaced persons camp at Mopti, Mali. Fighting continues in desert areas of northeastern Mali where armed Islamists are entrenched. AFP PHOTO / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images) AFP—AFP/Getty Images “I’ve visited Sudanese refugee camps in Chad and seen first-hand the important work that WFP does. Since Ertharin took charge two years ago, WFP has fed more than 177 million hungry people. She’s a big champion of 1,000 Days, an important campaign aimed at getting nutrition to children very early on, when their brains and bodies are developing most rapidly.” _—Lauren Bush Lauren, cofounder of Feed_ ### 2\. Chellie Pingree, Congresswoman, Maine  Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) speaks to constituents at a reception and dinner promoting gay rights in Portland, Me., on March 27, 2010\. Around the country this weekend, members of Congress found a bewildering crosscurrent of political forces awaiting them, on-the-ground evidence of how the issue of health care reform has divided the country by party, race and region. (Craig Dilger/The New York Times) CRAIG DILGER—CRAIG DILGER/The New York Times “We can’t expect better food policy out of Washington, DC, until we elect more leaders like my friend Chellie Pingree. As one of the only organic farmers in Congress, with more than 40 years of agriculture-policy experience, she has a unique vantage point. Through her work on the 2014 Farm Bill, she has tripled the amount of money allocated for farmers’ markets and local-food programs.” _—Tom Colicchio, chef, activist and_ Top Chef _head judge_ MORE: [Best Top Chef Restaurants](http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/best-top-chef-restaurants/1?xid=PS%5Ftime%20 "undefined") ### 3\. Barbara Banke, Jackson Family Wines  Jackson Family Wines “Steve Jobs was my partner at Pixar for 25 years, and we always said that quality is the best business plan. I’ve long admired Barbara for her focus on quality at every price point. And now she’s investing in research on the health benefits of leftover grapeseeds and skins. I mix her WholeVine grapeseed flour into smoothies.” _—John Lasseter, chief creative officer, Walt Disney & Pixar Animation Studios; cofounder, Lasseter Family Winery_ ### 4\. Stephanie Soechtig, Atlas Films  Radius-TWC “I became obsessed with childhood obesity because the statistics were so dire. So I approached Stephanie (who directed the documentary _Tapped_) to see if she’d do a film, and with Laurie David, we made _Fed Up_. Stephanie was the heart and soul of the movie. She found all of the children we followed for two years and got them to talk openly about trying to follow conventional wisdom regarding diet and exercise. And she showed why, for most of those kids, the guidelines just don’t work.”_—Katie Couric, global news anchor for Yahoo!_ MORE: [Great Picks from Star Chefs](http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/gift-picks-from-star-chefs/1?xid=PS%5Ftime%20 "undefined") ### 5\. Judy Chan, Grace Vineyard  Yihuan Wan—EYA Photographics As China’s interest in wine explodes, the world is watching Judy Chan. Twelve years ago, at age 24, she took charge of the winery her father cofounded, Grace Vineyard. Today, Grace makes more than two million bottles a year, with grapes like the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot in its Chairman’s Reserve. “That’s my dad’s wine,” Chan says. She launched a restaurant at the winery in Shanxi, and plans to open more of them as well as wine bars: “I want to get to know my clients better, and these are good places to reach out.” [**READ THE FULL LIST HERE**](http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/the-most-innovative-women-in-food-and-drink#!slide=6?xid=PS%5Ftime%20 "undefined") More from Food & Wine: [Chefs’ Weeknight Dinners](http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/chefs-weeknight-dinners/1?xid=PS%5Ftime "undefined") [Andrew Zimmern’s Best Recipes](http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/andrew-zimmern?xid=PS%5Ftime "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3270863/most-innovative-women-food-drink/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3270863/most-innovative-women-food-drink/"},"headline":"The Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink","datePublished":"2014-09-04T21:28:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:42:51.771Z","description":"In a months-long collaboration, Fortune and Food & Wine considered hundreds of extraordinary women to find those who have had the most transformative impact in the past year. 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