Top 10: Food & Drink Leaders in North America

From celebrated chefs to influential CEOs and popular influencers, these ten North American individuals have left an indelible mark on the culinary landscape, championing causes from farm-to-table dining to disaster relief through food. 

Here, we highlight ten remarkable figures who have revolutionised various aspects of the food industry in North America, showcasing their unique contributions and approaches on food culture, business and social responsibility.

10. José Andrés

Chef and Founder of World Central Kitchen

José was born in Spain and immigrated to the US in 1991. He started his cooking career in New York City and later Washington, D.C. José has since earned two Michelin stars for his unique Spanish cooking, bringing the flavours of home to the US food scene. He set up the World Central Kitchen in 2010 to empower communities and support food disaster relief around the globe.

The James Beard Foundation named him Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2003 and later Humanitarian of the Year in 2018. TIME Magazine featured him on the list of 100 Most Influential People in 2012 as well as 2018. President Obama awarded José the National Humanities Medal in 2015.

9. Andrew Rea 

Food influencer 

Part self-taught chef, part filmmaker, Andrew Rea is known as Oliver Babish online, where the Brooklyn-based YouTube personality experiments in the kitchen. His culinary adventures started at the age of 15, where Andrew worked in a restaurant that made crepes. By his mid-20s, he began exploring why food behaves the way it does, which led him to create his food channel, with an ethos that ‘If I can do it, you can too’.

“Trust is something earned, not given, always remember that,” he advised his 10.2m subscribers.

8. Alice Waters

Chef and food activist

In 1965, Alice Waters visited France, where she was enchanted by French food, farming and local markets. It was a delight, compared to the fast food available in the US. A few years later, she opened the US' first farm-to-table restaurant, Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California. 

Five decades on, the chef, author and slow food advocate is calling for sustainable farming and food education. 

“Good food is a right, not a privilege. It brings children into a positive relationship with their health, community and environment,” she said.

7. Rosanna Pansino

Food influencer

Born in 1985 in Seattle, Rosanna Pansino is one of YouTube’s earliest influencers. This led to her career in television as a producer and writer, with works including Baketopia (2021), Halloween Cookie Challenge (2022) and Nailed It! (2018).

The family-friendly baker has built her brand through her ‘geeky’ online cooking show, Nerdy Nummies. Rosanna's baking product line includes cookbooks and clothing. 

She is also an advocate for those with dyslexia, saying that the learning difficulty has made her stronger.

“I realised that Dyslexia gave me many strengths such as creativity, spatial awareness and a strong work ethic.”

6. Michael Pollan

Author and food journalist

Michael Pollan was born in 1955 and grew up on Long Island. He studied at Bennington College, Oxford University and Columbia University. He has also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Gastronomic Science and in 2015-16 was a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard. 

Michael’s writing covers areas where the human and natural worlds intersect: in food, farms and minds. He has been featured in the New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Harper’s and a number of his books have been adapted for television, such as Cooked (2015) and How to Change Your Mind (2022). Michael also featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary Food Inc.

5. Jeff Harmening

CEO of General Mills

Jeff Harmening serves as the Chairman and CEO of General Mills, where he leads 34,000 employees in over 100 countries. Jeff joined General Mills in 1994 and has previously held leadership positions for the company in the US and Europe. 

“At General Mills, our people are truly the heart of the company,” he said. “Here are the three key pieces of advice I shared and would encourage any young professional to adopt:

• Add value and make a difference wherever you are.
• Be authentic, be bold and have courage to try new things.
• Listen and never stop learning.”

Jeff earned his MBA from Harvard University and also graduated from DePauw University, where he is a Trustee. Jeff is also the Board Chairman of the Consumer Brands Association and serves on the board of The Toro Company.

4. Steve Cahillane

CEO of Kellogg Company (now Kellanova)

In 2017, Steven Cahillane joined Kellogg Company as Chief Executive Officer. He became Chairman of the Board in 2018. 

Prior to this, he spent seven years with The Coca-Cola Company, including as President of Coca-Cola Americas. He also spent eight years with AB lnBev. 

With an extensive background in the food and drink industry, Cahillane’s mission at Kellogg is to continue building resilient supply chains and meet responsible sourcing goals across the business.

Post-pandemic, Cahillane has seen the Kellogg supply chain come through stronger.

“It’s a new morning and it’s a very promising outlook, as we look towards how our industry and how Kellogg will perform in the future.”

3. Carlos Abrams-Rivera

CEO of Kraft Heinz

Carlos Abrams-Rivera is the CEO of Kraft Heinz. Before taking on this role, he served as the company's North America Zone President and held top positions at fellow food and beverage giant, Anheuser-Busch InBev. 

At Kraft Heinz, Carlos has focused on strengthening core brands and driving innovation. His future plans include accelerating growth in food service, expanding in emerging markets and enhancing digital capabilities. 

“We’ve reengineered Kraft Heinz, innovating across every part of our business to nourish our company, communities and planet,” he said. “We are shattering the paradigm that convenience requires a tradeoff and dispelling the myth that healthy foods can’t be crave-able. It’s all part of our mission to lead the future of food.”

2. Donnie King

President and CEO of Tyson Foods

Donnie King has almost four decades of experience in the protein business, having held a number of executive leadership positions across poultry, beef, pork, prepared foods and more. 

At Tyson Foods he has provided executive oversight of food safety and quality assurance, health and safety, continuous improvement, engineering and the supply chain. 

Upon his appointment as President and CEO of Tyson Foods, Donnie shared that he was both humbled and excited about leading a company which feeds millions of people.

“I believe we need to be sharply focused on operating with excellence, executing our strategies and continuing to innovate across our businesses throughout the world," he said. "With our strong leadership team, we are committed to winning with our customers and delivering an outstanding team member experience.”

1. Ramon Laguarta

CEO of PepsiCo

PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with 23 brands that generate over US$1bn each in annual retail sales. PepsiCo believes in ‘purposeful leadership, sustainable performance and fostering a culture of opportunity’. 

We also included PepsiCo in our Top 10: Food Manufacturers.

Ramon joined PepsiCo in 1996 and before assuming the role of global CEO, he was President of Developing Markets in Europe, CEO of Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa and President of PepsiCo. 

As CEO, he is now focused on implementing sustainable policies across the company. 

“Innovation in agriculture can be a great tool to reduce carbon emissions and create value for farmers,” Ramon recently shared. “I hope to see more entrepreneurs invest in these issues globally.”
 

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