2022 American Food Heroes

In uncertain times like these, it's good to remember that heroes walk among us.

For the sixth year now, EatingWell presents our American Food Heroes to honor people who have taken on the challenge of making the world better. Each year since 2017, our editors have consulted with dozens of experts, as well as our readers, to recognize people who are changing the way we eat.

In a time of pandemics and political upheaval, this year's honorees remind us how much one person (or, in one case, a duo), harnessing tremendous smarts and passion, can achieve.

Some members of this year's class have turned their fame into a tool, mobilizing the greater public to support communities in need. Other honorees have made us rethink our casual assumptions about food, nutrition and health. One of this year's heroes has quietly, patiently built an organization that is changing agriculture around the world.

We honor them for their vision. We honor them for their tenacity. We honor them for helping us all become better citizens.

COVID-19 Almost Shut Down America's Chinatowns. Grace Young Is Fighting to Keep Them in Business. The award-winning cookbook author is rallying against pandemic-related discrimination and anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander hate.

MLB All-Star Curtis Granderson Is Working to Strike Out Child Hunger. As the baseball player, moved from one team to another, he raised money for local food banks. But his heart never left his hometown of Chicago. That's where he started the Grand Kids Foundation, which encourages kids to be active and helps them get the healthy food they need to grow.

Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes—the Hosts of the Podcast Maintenance Phase—Will Make You Rethink Everything You Know About Nutrition. Think of the duo as your fact-checking BFFs.

Stephen Satterfield is Changing the Way We Tell Stories About Food. The founder of Whetstone Magazine and host of Netflix's High on the Hog knows that who tells the stories about food is as important as who they're about.

Can Regenerative Agriculture Save the World's Grasslands? This Rancher Says Yes. For almost 30 years, Daniela Ibarra-Howell has practiced holistic grazing on her Colorado ranch.