American cuisine is a hodge podge of different cultural influences, many of which are informed by chefs, food writers and home cooks from all over the country. These 40 food historical influencers have left an indelible mark on the world of American food, each shaping what regular Americans cook and eat every day.
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40. Andrea Nguyen
A cookbook author, blogger and educator, Andrea Nguyen has taught countless Americans about the beauty of traditional Vietnamese cooking. Her Viet World Kitchen website and multiple cookbooks are full of recipes for pho, banh mi, dumplings and other dishes from Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Nguyen has taught home cooks that they don’t have to go to a restaurant to have a delicious and fresh Vietnamese-style meal.
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39. Carla Hall
One of the most recognizable chefs to come out of the Top Chef cooking competition TV show, Carla Hall’s enthusiastic personality and love of comforting Southern-style dishes and modern soul food has made her an influential voice in American cooking. In addition to her ongoing career as a popular television host, Hall has written several cookbooks and sells her favorite foods online through Goldbelly.
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38. Dorie Greenspan
Cookbook author and New York Times Magazine columnist Dorie Greenspan often gets serious in the kitchen and many of her recipes push home cooks out of their comfort zones. But her joy for food shines through and makes her aspirational recipes feel like anything but a chore. A New Yorker who lives part-time in France, Greenspan brings French inspiration to American cooks in a new and refreshing way. She also makes a darn good cookie.
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37. Aarón Sánchez
One of America’s most prominent modern Latino chefs, Aarón Sánchez has worked at restaurants all over the country and is currently the chef and co-owner of Johnny Sánchez, a Mexican restaurant in New Orleans. As a cookbook author and TV personality, Sánchez is a strong advocate for Latin American cuisine and a mentor for young Latinx chefs across America.
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36. Ming Tsai
A restaurateur, TV host and cookbook author, Ming Tsai has been instrumental in the now commonplace fusion of Asian techniques and ingredients with Western cuisine. Tsai is the host of Simply Ming on PBS and before that, East Meets West. He’s also been on the forefront when it comes to creating allergen-free restaurants, in response to his son’s severe allergies.
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35. Sunny Anderson
Charming Food Network audiences since 2005, Sunny Anderson’s power lies in her ability to make everyday home-cooked meals seem fun and interesting. A former radio DJ, Anderson’s bright personality and approachable recipes have helped regular Americans feel comfortable and confident in their own kitchens.
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34. Paul Prudhomme
Paul Prudhomme’s celebrity may not have been as strong as some of the other chefs of his generation, but the late chef was a superstar in New Orleans thanks to his big personality and role in popularizing Creole and Cajun cuisine at a national level. He was the chef and owner at the still-open K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, the founder of the Magic Seasonings line of spice mixes, and a prolific cookbook author and TV personality.
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33. Marcela Valladolid
One of the most prominent Latina chefs in America, Marcela Valladolid has the advantage of having both French culinary training and plenty of time spent at her aunt’s cooking school in Tijuana. Through her various TV series (including Mexican Made Easy) and cookbooks, Valladolid has taught her audiences the beautiful simplicity of Mexican food and the importance of fresh ingredients and bold flavor.
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32. Bobby Flay
Starting his career as a restaurant chef, Bobby Flay‘s greatest influence has been on home grillers, thanks to his work on TV. He’s popularized Southwestern-style cooking across America and helped Americans hone their backyard grilling techniques. While Flay’s presence isn’t quite as strong as it was at the height of his popularity in the Nineties, he continues to write books, appear on television and run his restaurants.
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31. Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray was first introduced to the world by Oprah Winfrey in the mid-2000s, and even at that point the cookbook author and TV host had developed her signature bubbly style. Ray’s main contribution to the world of American cuisine is the quick and easy 30-minute meal. Her philosophy is that cooking shouldn’t be intimidating and that anyone can put together a delicious dinner without too much effort or expertise.
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30. Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor
Back in the 1970s, Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor wrote about things that the food media is only really starting to embrace now: cooking intuitively and telling stories about identity and culture through food. Her 1970 book Vibration Cooking: or, The Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl is a landmark publication, combining personal narratives and loose recipes to paint a story of her life and the racialized nature of food and food culture.
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29. Rick Bayless
Rick Bayless is a slightly controversial figure in that he is credited for introducing many Americans to traditional Mexican food while countless Mexican chefs that came before him are much lesser-known. But there’s no question that his pure love of Mexican food has changed the way Americans approach the cuisine. Bayless’ books, TV programs and restaurants have steered Americans away from heavy Tex-Mex food and towards fresher and more flavorful regional Mexican dishes.
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28. J. Kenji López-Alt
One of the internet’s most respected food phenoms, Serious Eats’ J. Kenji López-Alt is not only an accomplished chef but has also helped readers to dig into the science behind cooking with his massively popular Food Lab column, which became a textbook-like cookbook in 2015. J. Kenji López-Alt doesn’t only write recipes that work, but shows readers why they work, empowering cooks to become more intuitive in the kitchen.
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27. Marcus Samuelsson
Probably the most well-known contemporary restaurateur in Harlem, New York, Marcus Samuelsson has dedicated his career to celebrating Black culinary culture with a focus on his personal roots in Ethiopia. Samuelsson’s Harlem restaurant Red Rooster has grown into a small empire and his PBS series No Passport Required has helped him to further highlight the culinary contributions of immigrants coming to America.
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26. Peng Chang-kuei
Peng Chang-kuei’s name is not a household one, but most Americans have tried his most famous creation, General Tso’s Chicken. Peng came up with the dish in Taiwan in 1955 and named it after a Hunanese general. A version of it appeared in the States soon after and Peng himself came to New York in the 1970s to start his own restaurant. While the modern version of General Tso’s is quite different than Peng’s original, his mark on American cuisine is undeniable.
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25. Samin Nosrat
The author of the extraordinary book Salt Fat Acid Heat and host of the accompanying Netflix series, chef and food writer Samin Nosrat is an unassuming and enthusiastic guide to the wide world of food and flavor. She got her start as a chef at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse in Berkley, California, but her curiosity about food and culture has led her explore food around the world, sharing her findings with equally food-curious Americans.
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24. Mark Bittman
While some food writers pride themselves on creating complicated and aspirational recipes, Mark Bittman is all about keeping things simple. A former New York Times columnist and the author of the well-titled How to Cook Everything, Bittman writes recipes which are often very easy – perfect for beginner cooks learning basic skills. His more recent work represents a shift towards flexitarian diets, advising people to stick to a vegan regime before 6pm.
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23. Thornton Prince III
Nashville hot chicken has spread its way across America and the trendy dish can be traced back to the 1930s and a man named Thornton Prince (sometimes spelled Thorton). He’s widely credited as its inventor, having stumbled upon the concept after a jilted girlfriend tried to sabotage his breakfast. Prince and his brothers started a café to sell it, which later evolved into Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack. His great-niece Andre Prince Jeffries still runs the restaurant today.
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22. David Chang
Chef, restaurateur, author and television personality David Chang has arguably been the biggest influence in the restaurant world over the last decade. He’s made hipster ramen joints the norm, and pushed creativity and playfulness in contemporary dining while celebrating Asian techniques and ingredients. Americans don’t have to have eaten at Chang’s New York restaurant Momofuku (or his many subsequent restaurants) to have had a taste of his influence. However, Chang’s memoir Eat a Peach, published last year, also chronicles his anger management problems and mental health issues that have coincided with his culinary success.
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21. Thomas Keller
Even though most Americans can’t afford to eat in Thomas Keller’s restaurants, he’s probably the most famous fine dining chef in the country. His French Laundry restaurant, which opened in 1994, not only sets the standard for California wine country cuisine, but Keller’s legendary nine-course tasting menus have inspired many Americans to develop an interest in top-tier dining.
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20. Monica Flin
Tucson’s El Charro Café is considered to be America’s oldest Mexican restaurant and its founder Monica Flin is credited with inventing the chimichanga. Like many great inventions, it was an accident. According to legend, Flin accidentally dropped a burro (a version of a burrito) into a deep fryer. After exclaiming “chimichanga!” (a mild version of a swear word), she realized that the crisped-up tortilla was a delicious new invention that should be added to the menu.
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19. J. Ranji Smile
Historians’ assessments of J. Ranji Smile vary wildly, but the charismatic immigrant from India is widely regarded as the man who introduced Indian curry to America. Naturally, there were already Indian immigrants making curry in their own homes but in the early 1900s, the glitzy and glamorous Smile served dishes like Madras chicken curry and Bombay duck at the New York restaurant Sherry’s, earning himself considerable fanfare.
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18. Jacques Pépin
If Julia Child introduced Americans to French home cooking, Jacques Pépin refined the concept. An American media presence since the 1980s, the French-born Pépin’s role has largely been as a teacher, showing his audiences how to make classic French soufflés, cream sauces and croque monsieurs right in their own homes.
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17. Domenico DeMarco
Domenico DeMarco didn’t invent pizza, but he’s widely regarded as the godfather of Brooklyn pizza. DeMarco opened his Di Fara Pizzeria in 1965 and up until quite recently he worked there seven days a week. The pizza isn’t fancy, but DeMarco’s dedication to quality ingredients and consistency has made him a hero to pizza nerds everywhere, who come from around the world to see him in action.
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16. Roy Choi
Along with his co-founders at Los Angeles’ Kogi Korean BBQ, chef Roy Choi is responsible for not only pioneering the Korean taco, but also the modern food truck movement. He’s translated Kogi’s success into a career as a writer and a TV star, inspiring classically-trained chefs to follow their passion by starting food trucks and casual restaurants rather than restricting themselves to fine dining.
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15. Leah Chase
Known as the Queen of Creole Cuisine, the late Leah Chase was the long-time chef and owner of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in New Orleans and the inspiration for the main character in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. She perfected dishes like Shrimp Clemenceau and gumbo, and was also an important civil rights activist. Chase passed away in 2019 but Dooky Chase is still open, using the recipes that she developed over the course of more than 50 years.
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14. Martin Yan
Many Americans discovered wok cooking through a PBS show called Yan Can Cook, hosted by Martin Yan. Yan started the show in 1982 and is still going strong, teaching viewers Chinese recipes and cooking techniques. Yan considers himself a culinary ambassador, introducing his audience to not only Chinese food traditions, but to different cuisines from around the world.
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13. Emeril Lagasse
Bam! For the bulk of the 1990s and 2000s, Emeril Lagasse was the biggest star in cooking television, so ubiquitous that he started to experience backlash because of his overexposure. But Emeril is much more than his catchphrases. An immensely talented chef, Lagasse is a huge ambassador of New Orleans cuisine and brought those flavors to kitchens across America. These days Lagasse is more focused on his collection of restaurants throughout the country.
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12. Arthur Bryant
The roots of American barbecue go back too far to credit to any one person, but when it comes to Kansas City-style barbecue, Arthur Bryant deserves some accolades. Bryant learned the barbecue trade from his brother Charlie, who worked for Henry Perry, who started an early barbecue stand in 1908. By 1946 both Charlie and Perry had passed and Arthur took over, creating the signature sweet Kansas City sauce. Today, Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque is still in full operation and run by the Bryant family.
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11. Ina Garten
Ina Garten’s influence lies in her transformation from a regular person with a government job into one of America’s favorite cookbook authors and food personalities, showing that a beautiful culinary life can be attained by anyone. After opening a store called the Barefoot Contessa in 1996 and releasing a book by the same name a few years later (followed by a TV series), Garten proves that food can be pretty and feel special without being overly complicated or too difficult for the home cook.
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10. Wolfgang Puck
Austrian-born Wolfgang Puck is one of America’s first celebrity restaurant chefs. Throughout the 1980s, his restaurant Spago was the place to be seen in Los Angeles and his name is now on multiple restaurants in department stores, airports and hotels. He’s been a tremendous influence on American cuisine, making fusion-style cooking mainstream by mixing elements of French and Asian techniques with fresh California-grown ingredients.
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9. Jessica B. Harris
Jessica B. Harris is a food writer and historian who has dedicated her career to the exploration of America’s African diaspora through food. Her 12 cookbooks celebrate how food reflects Black culture, both in America and in Africa, the Caribbean and other parts of the world. Each of her books not only tells the stories behind the recipes, but shows readers how food is an intersection of culture, history and tradition.
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8. Louis Lassen
No one item is as emblematic of American cuisine as the humble hamburger, which was (by most accounts) invented by Louis Lassen in 1835. The burgers are still served at Louis’ Lunch, the now-deceased Lassen’s restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut. Staff still make them the old-fashioned way, with five cuts of freshly-ground meat served on white sandwich bread with cheese, onion and tomato.
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7. Irma S. Rombauer
Irma S. Rombauer’s name may not be instantly recognizable, but her 1931 cookbook The Joy of Cooking is still a fixture in millions of American home kitchens. The book has been revised often over the years (first by Irma’s daughter Marion Rombauer Becker, pictured here with her mother) and is still the resource countless home cooks turn to when they need to roast a holiday turkey, or whip up a vegetable side dish or classic dessert.
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6. Alice Waters
Alice Waters’ Berkley, California restaurant Chez Panisse opened in 1971 with the goal of serving French recipes made with California ingredients. Chez Panisse not only went on to spawn countless other great chefs, but Waters’ commitment to simply prepared, fresh food essentially started the farm-to-table and local movements that now dominate American restaurants. Chez Panisse is still in operation today.
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5. Martha Stewart
Long before social media existed, American homemakers were pinning their lifestyle aspirations on Martha Stewart, America’s premier domestic goddess. Through her Martha Stewart Living brand, Stewart’s simple but impeccable style has crept into kitchens across the country. Even a stint in prison couldn’t get Martha down – after being convicted on charges related to stock trading, Stewart’s lack of perfection made her all the more appealing.
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4. Edna Lewis
Known as the Grande Dame of Southern Cooking, Edna Lewis has had an immeasurable impact on American food traditions. Born in 1916, Lewis opened a Southern-style restaurant in New York in 1948 and went on to work at restaurants around the country, while also teaching cooking classes and writing cookbooks. Lewis’ contributions are responsible for chefs’ and diners’ ongoing respect for the history and sheer deliciousness of Southern-style food.
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3. Anthony Bourdain
Even though the late Anthony Bourdain worked as a chef in the first part of his career, his influence goes well beyond his time in the New York restaurant scene. As the host of multiple travel television series, Bourdain made a career out of telling the stories of people, food and cultures from around the world. His work revolved around food but was really about the power of human connection.
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2. Julia Child
America’s original celebrity chef, Julia Child taught regular Americans that French cooking techniques aren’t just the domain of fine dining restaurants. Her 1961 book Mastering the Art of French Cooking and subsequent television programs empowered home cooks to create works of brilliance in their own kitchens. Child helped audiences to realize that food isn’t just about sustenance, but that at its best, it’s about pleasure and artistry.
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1. James Beard
To some, James Beard is just the name behind the prestigious James Beard Awards for culinary excellence, but in his time the actual James Beard was one of the most influential people in American cooking. Born in Oregon in 1903, Beard was America’s premier foodie, helping to form the basis of what constitutes American cuisine. A chef, a teacher, a writer and an ever-enthusiastic eater, Beard’s legacy is present in meals cooked all over America every day.
