About
The Good Food Awards rely on the expertise of the pantry community to create the tasting, determine judges and set standards for the category. Read on to learn who has been integral to building the category, as well as what the pantry standard are and who will be judging this year.
Committee
ChairKyle Hughes
Brand Partnerships at Faire
Kyle helps lead the Food & Beverage brand partnerships team at Faire. He grew up in Northern California and has spent the majority of his career working in food. He graduated from New York University and shortly thereafter moved back to San Francisco and immersed himself in the local food movement. He’s previously led wholesale programs at 4505 Meats, Black Oak Coffee Roasters and Bellwether Coffee, and co-founded a Food & Beverage consulting company to advise emerging brands on growing their businesses. He’s also worked at numerous restaurants throughout the region including the Delfina Restaurant Group.
Anna Silberstein, Faire Wholesale
2023 Judges
Tamara Hicks
Owner, Tomales Farmstead Creamery
Carrie Sullivan
Retail & Catering Manager, La Cocina
Katie Ettman
Food and Agriculture Policy Manager, SPUR
Deven Okry
Market Manager, Foodwise
Leah Hammerman
Category Merchandiser, Local & Specialty, Cheetah
Dava Guthmiller
Chief Creative Officer, Noise 13
Aaronette King
Executive Chef/Owner, Eat Play Events & Catering
Willow Blish
Chapter Co-Chair, Slow Food East Bay
Janelle Bitker
Senior Editor, Food & Wine, San Francisco Chronicle
Steph Rodriguez
Food Editor, SFGATE
Valerie Ng
Account Control & Administration, La Cocina
Olga Katsnelson
Founder/CEO, Postcard Communications
Summer Thompson
Senior Buyer, Market Hall Foods
Jonathan Alexander
Wine Buyer, Little Vine
Deborah Kwan
Principal, DKPR, Inc.
Alex Tejada
General Manager, Korner Kitchen & Bar
Caetie Ofiesh
Director of Design & Consulting, Just Fare
Susie Wyshak
Foodie Realtor, FoodStarter
Ray Bair
Owner, Cheese Plus
Tenaya Willette-Green
Grocery Department Head, Bi Rite Market
Angie Lin
Standards
In order to be eligible for a Good Food Award, pantry entries must meet the following standards:
- Made in the USA or US territories.
- Made with a balanced objective of local, organic and highest-quality.*
- Made with transparency in supply chain.**
- Free of high fructose corn syrup and artificial ingredients, including colors, flavors and preservatives.
- Made with rBGH-free milk, where milk is used.
- Made with domestic, non-petroleum based vinegar where vinegar is used.
- Free of genetically modified ingredients.
- Made with spices that are certified organic, Fair Trade or traceable to the farm level.*
- Made by a crafter that is an upstanding member of the good food community, committed to equity and inclusion in all levels of their business,*** as exemplified through integrating these practices:
- Creating a safe and healthy work environment where employees receive a fair wage, are safe and respected at work and have access to the resources they need to keep themselves healthy.
- Offering a diversity, equity, and inclusion training to staff members and/or leadership annually.
- Thoughtfully acknowledging the heritage of culturally-specific food on websites, packaging and/or marketing materials.
- For the small percentage of Good Food community that operates on a significantly larger scale, meeting additional criteria related to board diversity, maternity leave and employment practices.***
*Ingredients that make up less than 2% of the product, such as spices, sugar or lemon juice, may be sourced from farther afield, or from a larger distributor.
**That is, an earnest attempt is made to verify the origin and production methods of the ingredient. If made with ingredients that are not grown domestically on a commercial scale, a farm-direct or certified organic source is sought out and documentation of this search, including notes on calling distributors, is provided.
***Check if you are in the 2% of companies meeting the Good Food Foundation definition of large scale, and review the addition criteria on the Rules & Regulations page.
Subcategories
Additionally, pantry entries must fit within one of the following subcategories:
- Pasta/Pizza Sauce
- Hot Sauce
- BBQ Sauce
- Dressing & Marinades
- Salt Cured & Oil Packed
- Pantry Sauces & Pastes (e.g., miso, sambal, curry paste)
- Salsas, Relishes & Chutneys (e.g., onion chutney, tomatillo salsa)
- Condiments (e.g., mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard)
- Flavor Bases (e.g., fish sauce, soy sauce)
- Maple Syrups
- Nut Butters
- Vinegars