PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Since 2011, the Good Food Foundation has presented its distinguished Good Food Awards right in its founding city of San Francisco. For 2023, however, the event will be moving from one foodie city to the next: Portland.
The Good Food Foundation was founded by Sarah Weiner and Dominic Phillips in 2010, although it didn’t get its current name until 2016. The foundation aims to empower businesses and individuals who responsibly produce food.
GFF has five main programs: Guild, Alliance, Mercantile, Fund and Awards — with the awards being the hallmark event each year.
With the foundation’s headquarters located in San Francisco, its highly-anticipated awards ceremony is usually hosted there as well. The finalists, on the other hand, are based in each of the country’s five regions.
In order to qualify as a finalist for the awards, people must fill out an online entry form, pay an entry fee and send a sample of their products to blind tasters. Those who score highly at the blind tasting will then be interviewed about their ingredient sourcing and production methods.
Weiner, GFF’s executive director, says Oregon has the second highest number of awards finalists each year — after the state of California.
This, and the fact that Weiner moved from San Francisco to Portland in 2018, are just two factors behind the decision to move the ceremony to the Rose City on Friday, April 21.
“Institutions in other states aren’t really well known for supporting the small guys and the sustainable guys because they’re generally much more focused on the bigger players.” the executive director said. “But in Oregon, [people] are just rooting for everyone to succeed and making resources available.”
She added that GFF hosted its premier Portland Good Food Mercantile just last year, and there was an outpour of local support that encouraged the organization to organize more events nearby.
Weiner went on to cite groups that focus on food authenticity and sustainability in the state, such as the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council and Oregon State University’s Department of Food Science and Technology.
There will be more familiar names and faces at GFF’s first-ever awards ceremony held in Portland’s Revolution Hall. Kachka, Olympia Provisions and Creo Chocolate are three finalists based in Portland.
Find out which other Oregon businesses are being highlighted at the Good Food Awards here.
“It’s a moment to take stock and get out of your kitchen or roastery or brewery, and really sit back and recognize and realize what an amazing thing you’re doing and how much people appreciate it,” Weiner said.